Inside The Celtics

Nikola Vucevic Boston Celtics Debut A Work In Progress, But 'It Was Fun'

The Celtics, and Vucevic, started slow, but he was a big part of the Celtics third quarter run, showing he can be the type of player the Celtics need.
John Karalis|
Feb 6, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic enters the game during the first half against the Miami Heat at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
Feb 6, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic enters the game during the first half against the Miami Heat at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

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Boston Celtics

BOSTON — Nikola Vucevic has a perfect basketball name, because it lets fans scream “Vooooooooch” when he does something. Fans really love making that sound during games. 

Something to keep in mind, Deuce Tatum. 

Anyway, fans at TD Garden got to hoot their hearts out when Vucevic checked in for the first time as a Celtic midway through the first quarter.

“It was fun hearing my name getting cheered,” Vucevic said after the Celtics comeback win over Miami. “I really appreciate that. It means a lot as a player to get the support from the fans, and so I think they definitely helped us, even get more momentum and play even harder.”

Getting traded to a new city is always a whirlwind, even if a player is open to the move. Suddenly, you live somewhere else, have new coworkers, and have to learn new terminology. Everything in basketball has to move with such precision that dropping a new person into the mix naturally disrupts the rhythm. 

“I thought he did a great job from the day he got to Boston right to tip off preparing,” Joe Mazzulla said. “Preparing for everything — our language, our coverages, what we needed to do. I thought he put himself in position to help us. And then I think credit to the guys for having a quick understanding about why we acquired him and how he can make us better, and how we can help to make him better.”

It took a little time for everyone to get on the same page. There were probably some openings Vucevic had in the post that Boston didn’t find early on, but they were able to get there in the second half. Vucevic scored eight third-quarter points, often punishing mismatches on switches, that Boston couldn't find in the first quarter. 

“I think just understanding what his strengths are, getting the ball where he could be impactful for himself and for others,” Mazzulla said. “I think that third quarter run where we were able to get paint touches, we were able to get layups, we were able to get deep, deep duck-ins, we were able to get kick-out threes, we were able to use him as a screener. So I think just recognizing, 'Okay, how are you going to impact me? How am I going to impact you?' We took advantage of it with our offensive execution.”

Vucevic fought hard on the boards, grabbing 12 (six offensive). He was active defensively. And most importantly, he found cutters and shooters, which gives the Celtics another hub through which they can run their offense. 

“I thought it went well, considering (we’re) trying to build some chemistry,” Jaylen Brown said, admitting to overthinking a bit while trying to find Vucevic. “He’s only had one practice. We definitely want to find ways to maximize when he's on the floor, so I think our guys are extremely unselfish. Everybody's looking for him, everybody's trying to figure it out.”

More than anything, Vucevic got to see the best of his new home fans. When the Celtics were down 20 in the first quarter, “Let’s go Celtics” chants erupted from the balcony. When the Celtics started to make their comeback, the arena exploded. Vucevic’s numbers didn’t jump off the page, but the numbers he put up are what the Celtics will need moving forward. If he can do more of this, then the Celtics faithful will be happy.

“Once we started making that run, it was really fun to get the crowd into it,” Vucevic said. “It’s very loud – one of  the loudest places in the NBA. I know even from playing against Celtics before, but it's much nicer when the fans are behind you, supporting you. But it was great. Boston fans really know sports. They really know basketball. I could really hear people cheer.”

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John Karalis
JOHN KARALIS

John Karalis is a 20-year veteran of Celtics coverage and was nominated for NSMA's Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year in 2019. He has hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016 and has written two books about the Celtics. John was born and raised in Pawtucket, RI. He graduated from Shea High School in Pawtucket, where he played football, soccer, baseball, and basketball and was captain of the baseball and basketball teams. John graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism and was a member of their Gold Key Honor Society. He was a four-year starter and two-year captain of the Men’s Basketball team, and remains one of the school's top all-time scorers, and Emerson's all-time leading rebounder. He is also the first Emerson College player to play professional basketball (Greece). John started his career in television, producing and creating shows since 1997. He spent nine years at WBZ, launching two different news and lifestyle shows before ascending to Executive Producer and Managing Editor. He then went to New York, where he was a producer and reporter until 2018. John is one of Boston’s original Celtics bloggers, creating RedsArmy.com in 2006. In 2018, John joined the Celtics beat full-time for MassLive.com and then went to Boston Sports Journal in 2021, where he covered the Celtics for five years. He has hosted the Locked On Celtics podcast since 2016, and it currently ranks as the #1 Boston Celtics podcast on iTunes and Spotify rankings. He is also one of the co-hosts of the Locked on NBA podcast.

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