Nikola Vucevic had his best game in a Boston Celtics jersey during the team’s 148-111 blowout of the Brooklyn Nets. The veteran big man ended the night with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists on 9-of-13 shooting off the bench.
During his postgame news conference, Vucevic discussed his big night and how he’s managed to seamlessly slot into the Celtics’ offensive system. He admitted to still working through the process of learning his teammates and how to be most effective.
“I’m still getting used to, obviously, the new offense and all my teammates and learning their tendencies and things like that,” Vucevic said, via CLNS Media. “Finding my way. At times, I do feel like I overthink a bit, which makes me kind of hesitant. It takes away my aggressiveness. I felt like tonight, I was just able to put a little more together, just play off teammates when I was getting good looks.”
Those good looks gave Boston a huge boost, as he and Payton Pritchard combined for 50 points off the bench.
“Shots were falling, which obviously helps. Just have to find the right balance between playing my game, being aggressive, and using my instincts, while making it fit within what we want to run. I think the more we play together, the more I learn my teammates’ tendencies, and the more they learn what I like, the more it’ll help us. But I thought tonight it came together pretty well. I think the offense was running pretty smoothly.”
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Vucevic is in the final months of his three-year $60 million contract. If he can sustain the type of production we saw against Brooklyn, it’s fair to assume Brad Stevens will look to negotiate a longer-term stay for the veteran big man.
For now, though, Vucevic’s focus will undoubtedly be on helping Boston secure itself near the top of the Eastern Conference and then making a deep playoff push. From what we’ve seen so far, he’s been a key addition to Joe Mazzulla’s rotation.
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Featured image via Usa Today
