The Magic Quietly Solved a Problem That Haunted Them Last Season

The Orlando Magic are going to look different in the second unit after signing Nikola Vucevic to a one-year deal, allowing him to return to the City Beautiful.

Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic warms up prior to the game against the Toronto Raptors | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Orlando Magic fans are thrilled about the signing of backup center Nikola Vucevic, who agreed to a one-year deal to return to the team that helped build his NBA career.

Vucevic spent nine seasons with the Magic from 2012-21, becoming an All-Star twice during his tenure in Orlando. Vucevic comes back to the Magic in a different role than he had when he was first with the team. Now entering his 16th year in the league, Vucevic is expected to back up Wendell Carter Jr., but that should give the bench unit something they didn't have last year.

Nikola Vucevic Adds Spacing to Bench Lineup

Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic receives a pass against Toronto Raptors forward Collin Murray-Boyles. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Magic struggled to get the right amount of spacing in their bench lineup last season with Goga Bitadze as their primary center. The vision for the Magic was to have Moe Wagner back in that role, but he did not live up to the offensive production he had before he tore his ACL. Therefore, the Magic were stuck with a non-shooting center on the floor, which limited them on offense over the course of the year.

Vucevic should split backup duties with Bitadze this season, but when he is on the floor, it will give Orlando another strong shooter on the perimeter. Vucevic shot just under 37 percent from beyond the arc in 64 games last season with the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics, proving to be a strong shooter from distance.

As a team, the Magic were one of the worst three-point shooting teams last season. They made just 34.4 percent of their looks from beyond the arc, which ranked 26th in the NBA. Only the Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings struggled more with shooting from distance in the league this past season.

With Vucevic on the perimeter, it will give more operating space for players like Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane to drive into the paint. That will be a key part of elevating the Magic's offense from where it was last season. Orlando ranked 18th in offensive rating last season, which isn't good enough if the team wants to be a true contender for the NBA Finals.

Adding Vucevic is not going to immediately make the Magic a contender in the Eastern Conference, but it is a small adjustment that Orlando hopes will lead to long-term success on the offensive end of the floor.