Its pretty uncommon for a rookie to walk into a locker room and immediately be embraced by a veteran-laden basketball team. Often, rookies are admonished for overstepping imaginary bounds or for allowing their naivet to stand at the fore.
But when Sixers rookie Nikola Vucevic got finished talking to some writers after the 96-86 victory over the Pacers at the Center on Monday night, Thad Young gave him an earful.
Shoot the ball, rookie! Young shouted, playfully. When I pass you the ball, shoot it!
Its actually a bit of a revelation, or maybe even points to the character of the Sixers team, that there is no pecking order or silly ego games the rookie must be subjected to on a day-to-day basis. Nevertheless, as one of only two newcomers on a team that surprised many by getting into the playoffs last year, Vucevic looks like he has been around for a long time.
I thought it would take them a little longer to get to know me because we didnt have a lot of time, but my teammates surprised me by how much they trust me, especially on the offensive end, Vucevic said. They want me to be aggressive and to shoot, and that means a lot to me as a rookie to come in and have the older guys want me to shoot the ball.
There might be something to that, too, considering Vucevic is the son of two professional basketball playing parents, who both played for the Yugoslavian national teams in the Olympics. Vucevics father, Boris, spent 24 years playing pro ball in Europe.
In other words, basketball is like the family business for Vucevic.
NBA
As a result, head coach Doug Collins says its difficult not to like the kid. Actually, Collins says he knew he wanted Vucevic as soon as he saw him at the Chicago pre-draft combine.
I fell in love the first time I saw the kid, Collins said. He has a real nice demeanor about himself, hes very ball friendly, he knows how to play, the guys on the team like him and trust him and the coaches like him and trust him, and he just plays in a nice rhythm."
He certainly displayed a lot of court savvy during 17 minutes of action against the bruising Pacers on Monday night. Often matched against 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert as well as 6-foot-10 Tyler Hansbrough, Vucevic stood his ground. He didnt leave his feet on ball fakes and didnt mind mixing it up on the low block when things got physical.
When starters Spencer Hawes and Elton Brand got into foul trouble during the second quarter, Vucevic came in and helped the Sixers extend their lead. During one three-minute stretch, Vucevic grabbed four rebounds.
He was our ace of spades tonight on a night when we needed some guys to be able to help on the front line, Collins said.
Better yet, Collins says Vucevics presence on the low block allowed Young to take a few more risks on defense. When Young got steals or deflected passes, the Sixers transition game ratcheted up that much more simply because he didnt have to stay grounded to guard the paint.
On the other side of the ball, Vucevic has the ability to play with his back to the basket and can play pick-and-pop if asked. In Monday nights win over the Pacers, Vucevic stepped out and drained a three-pointer to cap off a game-changing 11-0 run midway through the third quarter.
Now we have two big guys in Hawes and Vucevic as we continue to be able to play those guys, they both have good ball skills where they can make passes and shoot the ball, Collins said. I mean, he popped out and shot a three tonight and he didnt even hesitate. I felt good about him the first time I saw him. There are just certain guys that you see them and you like them and thats why we were planning on draft night to take him.
But from draft night through the quick preseason and exhibition season, Vucevic has made adjustments on the fly. He spent the summer playing in Montenegro and after some jetlag during the first few days of training camp, Vucevic quickly became one of the guys.
More importantly, he has become a cog in Collins rotation, too. Though he only logged 17 minutes behind Hawes and Brand on Monday night, Vucevics presence has allowed the veteran Brand take his time in finding his legs through the early going. Considering the Sixers are in a stretch where they play five games in six nights, Vucevic wont be begging for court time.
I might not have expected to play as much as I am because its early, but coach is confident in me and I believe in myself, and I just want to do good things to help the team win, Vucevic said. I didnt expect to play this much so early, but Im glad its worked out so well.
So far its been a smooth transition for the rookie, though he admits to struggling a bit with things like defensive three-seconds calls and overall speed of the NBA. But, perhaps the best illustration of Vucevics basketball smarts came when asked what aspect hed most like to improve in his game.
Get better on the pick-and-roll defense, he said.
Good one, rookie.
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com.