BRIGHTON — Nikola Vucevic has always liked Boston. And Boston has always liked Nikola Vucevic.
“I liked it a lot, actually,” Vucevic said at his introductory press conference on Friday afternoon.
The 35-year-old big man was traded to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. Anfernee Simons was sent to the Chicago Bulls in return. Second-round picks were also swapped in the deal.
Vucevic spent the last five-and-a-half years in Chicago. Before that, he was with the Orlando Magic for nearly a decade. Before that, he was on the Process Philadelphia 76ers.
Now, he’s in another new city. A city and fanbase that, despite never having suited up for the Celtics, always embraced him. Or at least, embraced the idea of him:
“I was in a lot of rumors connected to Boston over the years, and whenever we played here, honestly, [I] would go walk in the streets or whatever, go to a restaurant, the people would come up to me and be like ‘We need you in Boston. Come to Boston.’ So, yes. Some of those wishes came true.”
So, after almost a decade of fans urging him to come to Boston, Vucvic will finally be donning the green and white.
Vucevic was in Milwaukee when the trade happened. Artūras Karnišovas, the Bulls’ President of Basketball Operations, called him around 20-30 minutes before the deal was reported. The Bulls lost to the Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Bucks that night, but Vucevic didn’t play.
Instead, he jumped back in a car.
“Luckily for me, we were in Milwaukee when the trade happened,” Vucevic said. “I was able to drive down to Chicago, see my family, pack up, and then the next morning, I came straight here.”
The trade for Vucevic was, in part, a tax-cutting move for Boston. They dipped under the first apron by swapping Simons for him, and in a string of three subsequent trades, they got all the way under the luxury tax line.
But more importantly, it was a deal to improve the team’s big-man depth.
“First and foremost, that was a move done, in large part to balance out our positional needs,” Brad Stevens said on Friday. “And it’s a hard decision when you have to move a person like Ant, who’s been so good, such a great teammate.
“Thought we had a little bit more depth and opportunity at the guard to cover that, and if we were able to get a big that had a similar impact, from the standpoint of filling different statistical needs, and gave us a little bit more insurance in case of any big depth issues, felt like that was the right thing to do.
Boston already has Neemias Queta and Luka Garza. Queta has transformed into one of the better rim protectors in the NBA, and Garza has become an every-night backup big, capable of draining threes and dominating the offensive glass.
Both are capable of giving the Celtics important minutes. And Vucevic’s presence won’t change that. In fact, he sees his addition as an opportunity to add to it.
“I think we can also complement each other in the court, playing together,” Vucevic said. “I can also play inside-outside. My shooting abilities [are] something that [are] going to help the team. Also, being able to play inside against some of the switching, and things like that. But I do believe I have a pretty versatile offensive skill set, which I think will benefit the team in a lot of ways.”
Vucevic has no intentions of disrupting what Boston has going on. The rhythm they’ve developed.
Despite losing a bunch of core pieces this past summer, the Celtics have remained one of the best teams in the East. They are currently tied with the New York Knicks for the second seed (but in third because of tiebreakers).
Queta has been the starting center all year. And based on Vucevic’s early conversations with head coach Joe Mazzulla, that’s not going to change right away. Vucevic will be coming off the bench in his first game: Friday night’s contest against the Miami Heat.
All Vucevic cares about is winning.
“I don’t know what’s going to be the rotation going forward,” Vucevic said. “He told me it’s flexible. To be flexible. So, I imagine maybe some games I start, some games I don’t, but I’m fine either way with it. It’s not a big deal to me, to start or not, to come off the bench. Like I said, however I can help the team best, that’s what I want to do.”
And he believes his skill set will fit in beautifully with what the Celtics want to do on both ends of the court.
“I think, with my skill set, I think I’m going to be able to fit in pretty well with the way they want to play, the way we want to run our offense,” he said. “A lot of it fits right within my skill set. A lot of it is read-based, which I think will be good for me. Obviously, the talent that’s here is going to help me as well and make my job a lot easier.
“But so far, from all this stuff that I’ve watched, playing against the Celtics over the years, and here the last two days. [Everything] I went through and worked on, I think, is things that I will be able to pick up on pretty quick, and like I said, fits pretty well with the way I like to play.”
This is a new chance for Vucevic. But it’s also a new chance for the Celtics.
Boston has been playing at an extremely high level all season. Now, they have even more big-man depth, and though they lost a high-character guy in Simons, they added another in Vucevic.
Vucevic’s Bulls peaked as a first-round exit team. The same can be said for his Magic teams. The furthest he’s gone into the postseason was his rookie year in Philly, when he lost to the Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett-led Celtics in the second round.
He only appeared in one game during that postseason.
Regardless of whether Jayson Tatum returns or not, this Boston group has a great chance at making a deep run into the playoffs. Vucevic is ready to be a part of that. And he’s eager to do whatever it takes to make the Celtics better.
“I am 35, but I still feel like I have a lot left in the tank, and I can still play at a high level,” he said. “So, to have an opportunity to play in the playoffs, to play for something big, I think it’s extra motivation for everybody, and I’m just excited to have that opportunity. I’ve never really had it in my career.
“So, it’s something that I do wish had happened sooner, but it’s now, and so I’m going to try to make the best of it, and be the best version I can of myself and help the team.”
FULL PRESS CONFERENCE RESPONSES
How do you feel about your role in the Celtics’ system?
“Yeah, I think, with my skill set, I think I’m going to be able to fit in pretty well with the way they want to play, the way we want to run our offense. A lot of it fits right within my skill set. A lot of it is read-based, which I think will be good for me. Obviously, the talent that’s here is going to help me as well and make my job a lot easier. But so far, from all this stuff that I’ve watched, playing against the Celtics over the years, and here the last two days. [Everything] I went through and worked on, I think, is things that I will be able to pick up on pretty quick, and like I said, fits pretty well with the way I like to play.”
How excited/motivated are you to (potentially) compete in the playoffs?
“It motivates me a lot. Very excited to have a chance to be in the playoffs again. It’s something I think every player wants to get a chance to do, and make deep runs, and unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to do that in my career. So, I’m excited to be here, be around a championship team, around players that have done it before, a coaching staff [that has done it before] as well, and the Celtics, throughout their history. So, excited to have that chance, and I hopefully I can help the team have a lot of success.”
How did you find out about the trade, and what excites you most about being part of the Celtics organization?
“So, AK [Artūras Karnišovas], the President of Basketball Operations in Chicago, he called me. We were in Milwaukee. It was about two o’clock. He called me maybe 20, 30 minutes or so before it actually released, to let me know that I was going to the Celtics. Very excited for the opportunity. Obviously, a team that’s aiming for the top, trying to win it all, third East right now. It’s a very unique opportunity for me. I didn’t expect it to happen. There wasn’t a lot of talks going on around me that I’d heard of. But yeah, very excited. Always enjoyed playing here against the Celtics and at TD Garden. Great fans. I think the uniqueness is that they just respect the game a lot. Obviously, they cheer for the Celtics, but they respect the opponent as well when they have the game. And over the years of, there were a lot of talks with me being connected to the Celtics, and a lot of times, when I was in Boston, just throughout the city, I’d hear fans telling me to come here. And so, it happened now, and I’m very happy, and I’m just gonna try to do the best I can to help the team.”
You said fans would come up to you in Boston?
“Yeah, over the years. I was in a lot of rumors connected to Boston over the years, and whenever we played here, honestly, [I] would go walk in the streets or whatever, go to restaurants, the people would come up to me and be like ‘ We need you in Boston. Come to Boston.’ So, yes. Some of those wishes came true.”
What have the last couple of days been like, getting to Boston?
“Luckily for me, we were in Milwaukee when the trade happened. I was able to drive down to Chicago, see my family, pack up, and then the next morning, I came straight here. It’s been a lot, just [you have] to kind of change your life on the go. Just meeting tons of people, trying to remember names, and on top of that, trying to get acclimated to a new system, new offense, new defense, new style of play with new players. It’s been a lot, but it is part of the process. It takes some time to understand that. I think the good thing is, we have three games and then the break, [which] I think will help me settle a little bit and get more accustomed to everything. But, yeah, obviously, I think when you get traded mid-season, there’s obviously a hard part to it, but you just got to be patient with it, take your time, and obviously, I have more experience now, been around a lot, so I know what it takes, and I just slowly take the small steps to get accustomed to everything. But I’m looking forward to the day where I know everybody’s name so I don’t have to keep asking them their names every time I see them.”
Do you have a good sense of what your role will be like here?
“I think you know that will come more with time. Be able to kind of see how I can fit best with this team. I think, just as it’s new for me, it’s also new for the rest of the players and the coaching staff. For everybody involved. And so, I think it will take some time to be established. Talking to coach, he does like to be flexible. Different lineups, different rotations. It’s something we talked about, and I told him I was totally open to that. I totally understand that my role will be different than what it was for most of my career in Chicago and Orlando before, and I was fine with that. And that might take some time to adjust to. Like tonight, coming off the bench, and maybe playing different minutes, and things like that. But it’s all part of the process, just getting acclimated to the new system and new role, and like I said, I’m here to really help in any way I can for this team to be the best we can and hopefully get a deep playoff run. So, [whatever] that requires me to do, I’ll try to do it.”
What do you think the biggest adjustment will be, getting used to the Celtics’ offensive and defensive systems?
“I think, for me, would be the way we, Chicago, played [and] the way we play here now in Boston, it’s pretty different. A lot of different things. The way the big man is used is a little different. Obviously, just the players are different. So, it’s just, again, it is basketball at the end of the day. I think once I get [on the court], I get playing, I start to get a feel for everybody, and they start to get a feel for me, we’ll be fine. But just kind of rewiring my brain of some of the stuff that they wanted me to do in Chicago, that I was used to do last five years. Some of it is different. Just have to break certain habits and adjust to new ones. And so, that’s going to be the main thing for me. Some stuff are pretty similar, some stuff that was run in Chicago [and some stuff] that’s here are pretty similar, and I’ll be able to do that, no problem. But yeah, whenever you change teams with a different system, it always takes a little bit of time. But again, I like that they were very detailed here. They go over a lot of stuff. The game prep was very thorough, which, it’s all stuff I expected, all stuff I’ve heard about Boston in the past, so I was happy to see that.”
What are your impressions of Neemias Queta and Luka Garza, and how can your skill set complement theirs?
“Yeah, they’ve obviously both had very good years so far for Boston. Luka, I watched him, actually, when he was in college. He was at Iowa and was playing really good ball, so I’ve watched him for a long time. And then, when he was in Detroit and Minnesota, we’ve known each other on the court. Good player, I think he’s played well over the years, and he’s played great this year. But Queta as well, he’s really established himself this year. He’s huge for the Celtics, had a lot of huge games rebounding and playing as well. I think in different ways, I think we can also compliment each other in the court, playing together. I can also play inside-outside. My shooting abilities [are] something that [are] going to help the team. Also, being able to play inside against some of the switching, and things like that. But I do believe I have a pretty versatile offensive skill set, which I think will benefit the team in a lot of ways that can be utilized and that can help the team and the rest of guys as well. And again, it’ll also be an adjustment for me to play with guys like Jaylen. So, it’ll just take time for me to get adjusted to that. But I think that, as far as the three bigs, I think there’s ways we can play together, complement each other. They played big in Houston, [and] it was really good. So, I think it’s something that the league also does a little more and more now, playing two bigs, and it’s worked well, so it’s something that we’ll try and see how it goes.”
When did you incorporate the three into your came and how has that helped/extended your career?
“It started in my fifth year, sixth year. Something like that. All the years kind of [blend] together. But yeah, I think it was a time where the whole NBA just started to be going towards the three, obviously, especially when Golden State was just shooting a lot of it. At that tim,e we had gotten a new front office in Orlando that’s still there now, and they were big on me just starting to work on the three. And at first, I was a little bit pushing back because I was a big mid-range guy, inside guy, and it wasn’t something I was comfortable with. And it just took time for me to get comfortable shooting a lot in games, become good at it. When you first start shooting the three, you miss one, you miss two, it’s like, I want to go back to what I’d like to do. But I think over time, I’ve just put a lot of work in and gotten more confident. I could shoot the mid-range really well and closer to the three, but I think it was also a mindset thing. To accept that it’s a three and to not worry so much about making and missing early on. And each year, I shot more and more and more and more, and it became a huge part of my game, and I don’t think it’s just the three itself, [because] now that I start making them, teams are getting to switching, which then opens up mismatches, giving me the dive, or [if] the guard, they have five on them, they can put him in different action. They can attack him straight off the dribble… Enables me to space, which will pull the big with me, open up space for small-small action, enables me to drive. If the biggest closing at me, I can drive, kick, do different actions. So, it really gave me a lot of whole different options offensively, which I think enabled me to really take a whole other step as a player. And yeah, it’s become a pretty [big] part of my game. I think it helped me stay at a high level for much longer now, and hopefully will continue to do that for me. But the thing nowadays, it’s a big luxury to have a stretch five. Everybody’s looking for that. And hopefully, [that’s what I can do here].”
What are/have been your impressions of Boston?
“I liked it a lot, actually. I do like to, wherever I go, most cities, not all of them, in most cities, I do like to go out, and visit, and sightsee, and see what’s going on. And actually, my rookie year, when I was in Philly, we played against Boston. We lost in Game 7 here. Still had Rondo, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, KG, and all of them. So, it was a lot of games here. So, I’ve always liked Boston. I’ve always felt people here were very proud of being from Boston. Just feel it. Big sports town, obviously. When Brady was here, I liked to watch the Patriots and them. But yeah, it’s a great city. A very European feel as well. By the water. So, I’m excited for that as well, to get to visit a city, see more of it. Yeah, it’s one of the good cities in the NBA, so that’s a good part as well.”
At 35, starting over and with a new chance to go deeper into the playoffs, how does that change your approach?
“For me, I look at it as, it motivates me to even try to get to a higher level. I am 35, but I still feel like I have a lot left in the tank, and I can still play at a high level. So, to have an opportunity to play in the playoffs, to play for something big, I think it’s extra motivation for everybody, and I’m just excited to have that opportunity. I’ve never really had it in my career. So, it’s something that I do wish had happened sooner, but it’s now, and so I’m going to try to make the best of it, and be the best version I can of myself and help the team.”
Is the plan for you to come off the bench full-time?
“That I don’t know. Just, he said it for tonight. I don’t know what’s going to be the rotation going forward. He told me it’s flexible. To be flexible. So, I imagine maybe some games I start, some games I don’t, but I’m fine either way with it. It’s not a big deal to me, to start or not, to come off the bench. Like I said, however I can help the team best, that’s what I want to do.”
What have your conversations with Joe Mazzulla been like, and what has been your initial impression of working with him?
It’s been very positive. I like that he’s very straightforward. From the talks we had, he established the expectations he has of me, how he sees me. I like his approach. In the film session we had today, I could tell us he likes to joke around as well, and also, he’s serious when it comes to work, so I like that mix. First impression, very positive. All the coaches I’ve met here, all the players as well, honestly, even the front office, everybody [was] very welcoming to me. And so, very happy about that. A lot of people reached out when I came here, so it’s been great. But yeah, all the talks with Coach Joe have been very positive. I like the way he thinks, I like the way he sees the game, I like the way he coaches, and I think that’s something that I’ll be able to do well with that type of style.”
