50 reasons why Nikola Vucevic deserves your All-Star vote

There seems to be some kind of mistake.

The first round of NBA All-Star fan voting results have been released and Nikola Vucevic somehow, someway did not receive enough support to make the top 10 among the Eastern Conference’s frontcourt.

I know, shocking. Particularly for such a sophisticated, foolproof balloting system that in no way favors star power or large markets or other biases. And the whole “losing record” reasoning doesn’t apply here because half of the top-10 frontcourt list play for sub-.500 teams, capped by Jerami Grant of the five-win Pistons.

Perhaps if All-Star fan voting was done blindly, based simply on anonymous stat lines labeled Player 1, Player 2, Player 3, etc., then Nikola Vucevic would fare better and get the respect he deserves. Perhaps that’s how someone who isn’t flashy and doesn’t play for a marquee team and isn’t seen on national TV, but is simply a quality basketball player deserving of your vote, makes an All-Star team.

So, in case those outside of the Central Florida area need a reason to vote for Vooch, here are 50 to choose from....

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1. He’s averaging 22.5 points per game.

2. He’s averaging 11.2 rebounds per game.

3. He’s hitting 2.6 three-pointers a game.

4. Here’s the full list of players currently averaging 20-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and 2 three-pointers per game: Nikola Vucevic.

5. He’s not only taking a career-high 6.1 three-point attempts per game, he’s shooting the best three-point percentage of his career by a wide margin at 43.4%. His previous high was 36.4% on just 2.9 attempts per game.

6. He’s made more field goals than all but four players, and three of those are top-two in voting at their position (Bradley Beal, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic).

7. He recently became the Magic’s all-time leader in field goals made, surpassing the very player he was acquired for in a trade: Dwight Howard.

8. He is top 30 in usage but averages just 1.6 turnovers per game.

9. He averages more points and rebounds, and has a higher PER, than Bam Adebayo, who received the sixth most votes in the Eastern frontcourt.

10. This….

11. He’s made more threes from the top of the arc than Damian Lillard and Steph Curry (worth repeating).

12. He’s the only Magic starter who hasn’t missed anywhere from an extended stretch (Gordon and Fournier) to the entire season (Fultz and Isaac).

13. He had a stat line against the Nets this season that no center in NBA history ever produced: 30-plus points (34), 10-plus rebounds (10), 5-plus assists (7), 5-plus steals (5), 5-plus threes made (5).

14. He averages 6.0 points per game out of the pick-and-roll, the most in the NBA.

15. He doesn’t complain about anything (except occasionally to the refs, and that’s only when they deserve it).

16. He averages more points per game than every center not named Joel Embiid or Nikola Jokic.

17. He has fully evolved as a basketball player to adapt to the modern game.

18. He has three-pointers accounting for 32 percent of his total field goal attempts this season. Five years ago, three-pointers accounted for less than ten percent of his total field goal attempts.

19. He’s trying to become the first center in NBA history to shoot over 43 percent from three while averaging at least four attempts per game.

20. This….

21. He had more double doubles than all but three players (Jokic, Sabonis, Drummond).

22. He has a higher Player Efficiency Rating (23.18) than 6 of the top 10 Eastern frontcourt vote-getters – Embiid (31.40), Giannis (27.29), Durant (26.43), Butler (24.35).

23. He’s the only player in the NBA averaging 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds while shooting at least 50-percent from the field and 40-percent from deep.

24. He celebrates teammates’ game-winning buzzer-beaters as if he hit the shot himself.

25. He’s made 97 catch-and-shoot field goals. No other player this season has hit more than 72.

26. He averages more three-point attempts than any other center in the league (6.1). He shoots a higher three-point percentage than any other center attempting more than 2.5 three-point attempts per game.

27. His three-point shooting numbers this season are nearly the same to those of Kevin Durant. Oh and Kevin Durant enjoys watching Vucevic play, so you should too!

28. He has never played with another All-Star in Orlando. He gets very little spacing. He faces constant double teams. He is asked to do a lot, more than most. And he does it well.

29. He’s loyal.

30. This….

31. He’s averaging a career-best 22.5 points per game.

32. He’s averaging a career-best 1.1 steals per game.

33. He’s posting a career-best offensive rating of 115 points per 100 possessions.

34. He’s posting a career-best 5.8 Offensive Box Plus-Minus.

35. He’s shooting a career-best 43.3% from the three-point line.

36. He’s shooting a career-best 84.1% from the free throw line.

37. He’s shooting a career-best 54.7% effective field goal percentage.

38. He’s averaging a career-high 33.3 minutes per game and a career-low 1.8 person fouls per game.

39. He averaged 28 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three against the Bucks in the playoffs last season. I don’t care if that doesn’t count towards this year’s All-Star voting because it was that impressive of a performance so it’s worth mentioning here. But back to this season….

40. This…

41. His passes have generated more points (189) than anyone on the roster outside of Cole Anthony (190).

42. He has the highest usage rate among rotation regulars but the smallest turnover rate.

43. His weakness may be considered his defense but his 0.9 Defensive Win Shares is tied for 19th in the league.

44. He had the Magic off to a start of 4-0, and then 6-2, before injuries hit the team.

45. He is 13th in the NBA in Box Plus-Minus (5.5), 8th in Value Over Replacement Player (1.4), 11th in Estimated Winds Added (4.6).

46. He is shooting 66.7% from deep in clutch minutes, better than any center who has attempted a three in the clutch this season.

47. He has missed just one free throw since the season opener when he went 2-for-8.

48. He very well could have been flirting with a historic 50-40-90 season if he hit a few more free throws during the opener and traded in a handful of three-point attempts for higher percentage shots along the way. Here are the list of names who have had 50-40-90 seasons: Larry Bird, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Steve Nash, Reggie Miller, Dirk Nowitzki, Mark Price, Malcolm Brogdon. Not very many centers on that list, are there?

49. He deserves it.

50. This….

There are more reasons, too.

If you need another, DM us.

Vote for Vooch!