As a 15-year NBA veteran who’s performed his total profession within the Jap Convention, Nikola Vucevic is nicely acquainted with the ambiance at TD Backyard.
The 35-year-old middle has performed 25 video games in Boston since breaking into the league in 2011. These not often resulted in wins for his workforce (total report: 5-20), however he at all times loved his journeys to town and appreciated its ardour.
Celtics followers, Vucevic mentioned, appeared to understand him, too.
“I used to be in a variety of rumors related to Boston through the years,” Vucevic mentioned Friday. “At any time when we performed right here, truthfully, if I’d go stroll within the streets or no matter, go to a restaurant, there can be individuals that might come as much as me and be like, ‘We’d like you in Boston. Come to Boston.’ I assume a few of these needs got here true.”
Certainly.
Boston acquired Vucevic from the Bulls forward of Thursday’s NBA commerce deadline, transport productive third guard Anfernee Simons to Chicago in return. The Celtics anticipate him to offer depth, size and offensive upside to their frontcourt as they push towards the playoffs.
“(I’m) very excited for the chance,” Vucevic mentioned in his introductory information convention. “Clearly, (the Celtics are) a workforce that’s aiming for the highest, attempting to win all of it, third within the East proper now. And it’s a really distinctive alternative for me. I didn’t anticipate it to occur. There wasn’t a variety of talks occurring round me that I’d heard of. However very excited. … I’m very glad, and I’m simply going to attempt to do the most effective I can to assist the workforce.”
Vucevic is an achieved scorer and defensive rebounder with floor-stretching functionality, averaging 17.2 factors and 10.4 boards per recreation in his profession and capturing 39.1% from 3-point vary over the past two seasons. He was a two-time All-Star with the Orlando Magic (2019 and ’21) and a gradual starter for the perennially mediocre Bulls, taking part in in additional than 85% of Chicago’s video games over the past 5 seasons.
Although he expects an adjustment interval as he adapts to Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla’s system, which operates at a a lot slower tempo than the Bulls’, Vucevic believes his talent set will slot in nicely in Boston. He’ll initially come off the bench, he mentioned, and will shuffle out and in of the beginning lineup shifting ahead.
It’s not but clear how Mazzulla plans to separate minutes between Vucevic, Neemias Queta and Luka Garza, who’ve loved profession years because the C’s beginning middle and prime backup, respectively. Double-big lineups that includes two of the three — a staple of earlier Celtics groups — additionally might grow to be extra prevalent.
“Speaking to (Mazzulla), he does wish to be versatile with totally different lineups, totally different rotations,” mentioned Vucevic, who will put on Simons’ previous No. 4. “That’s one thing we talked about. I instructed him I used to be completely open to that. I completely perceive that my position can be totally different than what it was for many of my profession in Chicago and Orlando earlier than. I used to be wonderful with that. That may take a while to regulate to. Like (Friday night time), coming off the bench and possibly taking part in totally different minutes and issues like that.
“It’s all a part of the method of getting acclimated to a brand new system and a brand new position. Like I mentioned, I’m right here to actually assist in any manner I can for this workforce to be the most effective we will and hopefully get a deep playoff run. So no matter that can require me to do, I’ll attempt to do it.”
A deep playoff run is one thing Vucevic has by no means skilled in his decade-and-a-half within the NBA. He was a rookie backup on a Philadelphia 76ers squad that took the Celtics to seven video games within the 2012 convention semifinals (“They nonetheless had Rondo, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, KG and all of them”), however since then, his groups have gained simply three complete postseason video games and 0 sequence.
The Bulls have been within the play-in event in every of the final three seasons. They sat 4 video games under .500 on commerce deadline day, nearer to the draft lottery than postseason relevance.
With Boston, Vucevic can have an opportunity to be a key piece on a respectable contender. The Celtics carried a 33-18 report into Friday’s matchup with the Miami Warmth, tied for second-best within the East and fifth-best within the NBA. Their web ranking and level differential each ranked second within the league behind defending champion Oklahoma Metropolis.
“I’m 35, however I nonetheless really feel like I’ve rather a lot left within the tank and may nonetheless play at a excessive stage,” Vucevic mentioned. “So having a possibility to play within the playoffs and play for one thing large, I feel it’s additional motivation for everyone. I’m simply excited to have the chance. I by no means actually had it in my profession. It’s one thing I do want occurred sooner, nevertheless it occurs now, and so I’m going to attempt to make the most effective of it and be the most effective model I can of myself and assist the workforce.”
