Sixers Performance Review: Nikola Vucevic

The latest in a series recapping the Sixers' season by evaluating each member of the roster:
Nikola Vucevic
Position: ForwardCenter
Status: On his rookie contract, Vucevic is set to earn 1.8 million during the 2012-13 season.Signature game(s) of 2012
Nikola Vucevic had two double-doubles -- points and rebounds -- this past season and both came against the Celtics. The 6-foot-10 rookie appeared in 51 games and made 15 starts, but in those two games against Boston he was aggressive and shot the ball extremely well (13-for-25 combined). In both contests, he came off the bench, a role he said he prefers. He scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds on March 7 at the Wells Fargo Center and then on Easter Sunday at TD Garden made 6 of 10 field goal attempts for 14 points and grabbed 13 boards.

For as well as Vucevic played against Boston in the regular season, he saw just two minutes and 51 seconds of playing time against the Celtics during the seven games the Sixers played against them in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Vucevic in 2011-12
From the moment Vucevic joined Doug Collins' roster, his teammates always talked of trusting him on the court, despite being new to the system. Having two parents who both played basketball at the National level in Europe clearly had an impact on the rookie's basketball IQ being high. Additionally, for a big man, he is very coordinated and possesses an NBA body.

Vucevic was thrown into a role of playing significant minutes for the 29 games that starting center Spencer Hawes missed because of his Achilles' injury.

Towards the end of the regular season, the rookie fell out of favor with Doug Collins. Vucevic may have hit the rookie wall. He went from playing for USC, to being drafted, to playing for the national team in Montenegro, to joining the Sixers for the 66-game condensed season after the NBA lockout.

Glimpse into the future
Vucevic has a soft touch from the outside and a nose for the ball. Like many European players, he can play too passive at times. He and Lavoy Allen will be teamed up in Orlando this July playing on the Sixers' summer league team. It will be interesting to see ifa well-rested Vucevic, as well as Allen, appear to be upper-echelon in terms of participants in that league.

I predict Vucevic will have an increased role on the Sixers next year. He should return to his form that posted those two double-doubles, as opposed to the player that was an onlooker in the postseason.