Nikola Vucevic is back in Orlando, and he’s already looking at a familiar landmark in the Magic’s record book.
The veteran center, who was traded away years ago and later spent time in Chicago and Boston before reaching free agency this summer, returned to the team where he enjoyed the best stretch of his career. At Magic Media Day, Vucevic said he had already spoken with new head coach Sean Sweeney about how he would be used before the deal was even signed.
“Yeah, obviously I have spoken with Coach Sweeney about what my role is here and how he sees me. And so that is definitely something we talked about before I even signed, so I knew what to expect coming in here."
Vucevic also made it clear that the main goal is team success, not personal milestones.
“as far as the record book, I haven't thought too much about it. It'd be nice to catch Nick Anderson at least on the All-Time scoring list.”
“I think most importantly, for me, is that we have good team success, that we are able to win, that's what I'm focused on.”
“and if I get to break a couple more records along the way, that would be great.”
Vucevic trails Anderson by 227 points, a gap that could disappear with a modest run of scoring over the course of the season.
His place in Orlando history is already secure. Across nine seasons and nearly 600 games in blue and white pinstripes, Vucevic has built up a long list of franchise marks.
He sits first in field goals made with 4,490, field goal attempts with 9,003, 2-point field goals made with 4,100 and 2-point field goal attempts with 7,898. He also earned two All-Star selections, in 2019 and 2021.
He is fourth in games played with 591, behind Nick Anderson, Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard. He ranks fourth in minutes played with 18,791, while Howard is first at 22,471.
On the glass, Vucevic is second in total rebounds with 6,381, second in defensive rebounds with 4,783 and second in offensive rebounds with 1,598, all behind Howard.
On the scoring list, Vucevic is already third all-time in Magic history with 10,423 points. He trails only Howard, who stands at 11,435, and sits ahead of Tracy McGrady, Jameer Nelson, Shaquille O’Neal, Hedo Turkoglu, Evan Fournier, Anfernee Hardaway and Dennis Scott.
Closing the gap to Howard would be a much steeper climb. Vucevic would need 1,012 more points to reach the top spot, a total that would take about 102 games of 10-plus points or 68 games of 15-plus points.
For now, though, the path is simpler: play his role, take the open looks that come his way, and keep doing what he does best.
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For a team trying to establish its identity heading into the season, those kinds of early impressions matter. The tone around Sweeney appears to be settling in quickly, and the early read from two of Orlandos key players is that the relationship is off to a strong start, with the next test coming once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]