The red-hot Toronto Raptors may have caught a break for Friday’s game against the Orlando Magic.
Magic center Nikola Vucevic has been ruled out with a bone bruise in his right knee, according to The Orlando Sentinel. Vucevic injured the knee in the third quarter of a game against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, limiting him to 17 minutes of action. An MRI on Thursday revealed the bone bruise and his return is dependent on how he responds to treatment.
Dewayne Dedmon likely stands to start at center in Vucevic’s place. The 26-year-old is a phenomenal rebounder and has protected the rim well off the bench this season, but he represents a serious downgrade from Vucci Mane. Dedmon is also Bismack Biyombo-adjace in the sense that he can be foul prone and is little threat outside of three feet.
Jason Smith and Canadian forward Andrew Nicholson could also see more run in Vucevic’s stead, and head coach Scott Skiles may experiment with a spacey look that has Channing Frye at the pivot. A Magic lineup with combo-forwards Tobias Harris and Aaron Gordon at the three and four could be a lot of fun (they’ve only played six minutes together this year), and playing a stretchy five would help cover up some of the shooting limitations it would present. If you ask him, Mario Hezonja would probably tell you he’s capable of starting at center, too.
Make no mistake, this is a plus for the Raptors. Vucevic is a strong rebounder, a solid passer, and a dangerous offensive weapon who blends strong finishing with the ability to step out nearly to the 3-point line and knock down mid-range jumpers like few other bigs. He has the size of Jonas Valanciunas, but with a better jumper and a bit less to offer protecting the rim. Vucevic and Valanciunas have been compared often, with the four-year, $48-million extension Vucevic signed last year likely standing as a starting point in negotiations for Valanciunas’ own four-year, $64-million extension this summer.
The two centers have squared off nine times to date. Valanciunas is without a loss but has occasionally been nailed to the bench as Vucevic racked up big numbers. To his credit, Valanciunas has worked Vucevic over on the glass, but has otherwise been outplayed.
The line for Raptors-Magic is presently off the board, but don’t sleep on the 1-4 record – the Magic won’t be a cake walk, even without Vucevic.
