Vucevic Anticipated Selection By Sixers
PHILADELPHIA — Nikola Vucevic had an idea he would end up with the Sixers. And long before that, he had an idea he would find his way to the NBA.
Born in Switzerland, the 7-foot center came to the Sixers with the 16th overall pick in Thursday’s draft, via Belgium and Montenegro (where he grew up) and USC. He played three seasons with the Trojans, generating 17.1 points and 10.3 rebounds a game last year. The latter number led the Pac-12.
He worked out for the Sixers on June 8, and immediately had a good feel for the team — particularly coach Doug Collins.
“I could tell the two times we talked that he was a great person and that I would really fit well in his system,” Vucevic said on a conference call with reporters.
As a result, he said, “I kind of had an idea that I could land in Philadelphia. They liked me a lot, and Doug Collins, I felt like he wanted me there. I didn’t know for sure until they called my name, but I kind of had an idea.”
His dad, Borislav, had long ago given him the idea he could play professionally. Borislav, besides playing for the Yugoslav national team (as had Nikola’s mom, Ljiljana), played overseas for 24 years, until he was 44. He told his son to “work as hard as anybody else,” Nikola said, and to “just keep believing.”
But it wasn’t until his sophomore year at USC that the younger Vucevic really thought an NBA career might be possible.
“I showed a lot of improvement,” he said, “and people started talking about it, and I started to believe I could play there.”
While others have been most impressed by his sheer size and basketball IQ, he believes low-post play is “the best part of (his) game” — that he can score with either hand and pass effectively out of a double team — and that he is a better defender than advertised.
He would still like to increase his shooting range, out to the NBA 3-point arc, and also improve his strength and quickness. In that way he can make the best of things, now that he is in a place he always thought he could be.
“A lot of people ask me would you play in Europe first?” he said. “No, I want to play in the NBA. That’s why I declared for it, that’s where I want to be. That’s my dream, and I feel like I’m good enough to play there. I just have to put the hard work in.”
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