Report: Former USC Hooper Joins NBA All-Star Skills Challenge
Orlando Magic big man Nikola Vucevic will have a busy weekend ahead of him in Atlanta. After being named a reserve for the 2021 NBA all-star game, Vucevic will be competing in another event as well.
The participants for the All-Star Skills challenge were announced Wednesday night, and Vucevic is one of six players that will be showing off their skills.
This will be the second time in his career that he will be competing in this event. In 2019 Vucevic faced off against Denver Nuggets Center Nikola Jokic in the first round. Unfortunately Vucevic got eliminated as Jokic hit the three-point shot right before him.
The Skills Challenge puts six players through an obstacle course that tests their dribbling, passing and shooting abilities. Players will compete against each other one-on-one over three rounds. The player who finishes each individual matchup in the fastest time advances to the next round, leading to a one-on-one final round for the Skills Challenge trophy.
Vucevic has the skillset to do well in the challenge. He's a good dribbler for a 7-footer, as the center is averaging an impressive 1.7 turnovers per game. Especially for how often he has the ball in his hands.
The Magic star is also a very good passer, especially from the top of the key and in the post. Vucevic is averaging 3.7 assists per game which is third among centers in the NBA this season.
Finally, Vucevic is one of the best shooting big men in the league. His three-point field goal percentage is at an impressive 41.8% which puts his at the top of the leaderboard among qualified centers. His 57% overall shooting percentage from the floor will help him with the intermediate shots as well.
Sunday will be a loaded day for Vucevic, as he'll get warmed up in the Skills Challenge starting at 6:30 Eastern time on TNT. Followed by him playing in the All-Star Game that will start an hour and a half later at 8 ET.
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