It was always a longshot that the Boston Celtics would find a way to piece together the kind of frontcourt that worked so well for them in recent years, with do-everything veteran Al Horford bolstered by the likes of Luke Kornet and, when healthy, Kristaps Porzingis. But Neemias Queta held his own in a starting role and backup Luka Garza proved to be effective in stretches. The same can’t be said, though, for Nikola Vucevic.
When it comes to the swings that team president Brad Stevens has taken in recent years, most have been successful. But it was a swing and a miss on Vucevic, who was acquired at the trade deadline for Anfernee Simons in a deal that helped Boston get under the luxury tax while also giving the team the depth at center it was lacking.
But Vucevic’s career in Boston probably peaked in his first game in green, back on February 6 when the Celtics pulled a massive comeback win over the Heat. Beyond that, he never really found his footing, and a broken finger suffered two minutes into the Celtics’ game on March 6 really sapped any chance of Vucevic and the team finding its fit.
Nikola Vucevic Not a Celtics Fit
Now, it is expected that Vucevic will head elsewhere in free agency. It is possible that momentum and a lack of other options could nudge the Celtics to keep Vucevic, but after his showing in the playoffs ended with coach Joe Mazzulla benching him for all of the Game 7 loss to the Sixers on Saturday, that would be a surprise.
“He was a misfit with them from the beginning,” one Eastern Conference executive said. “He is a big, slow, offense-first kind of player. He is not going to protect the paint, he didn’t shoot it great from 3 (34% with the Celtics). It was kind of a marriage of convenience where they traded for him because he was a big guy who could maybe change things up for them and help them cut back on salary and get out of some of the (repeater) tax stuff they’d been in.
“But on the floor, he was never athletic enough, never versatile enough to fit what they wanted to do. You look at the numbers and he is not someone you figure they’re bringing back.”
Bench Adjustment Went Badly
Vucevic, at age 35, was in the final year of a three-year, $60 million contract, one that paid him a bit more than $21 million this season. He is likely to still find a worthwhile contract to play in the NBA, but he is not a starting caliber center anymore, and his stint in Boston will hurt him because he did not show he can play off the bench.
Before coming to the Celtics, Vucevic had not been a bench player since 2014, his third season in the league. With the Celtics, he averaged just 9.7 points and shot only 39% from the field in 16 regular-season games.
In the playoffs, those numbers plummeted, to just 6.2 points and 37.8% shooting. Vucevic made only 29% of his 3s in the postseason.
Celtics Expected to Cut Ties With $21 Million ‘Misfit’