How the Toronto Raptors have stifled Nikola Vucevic and the Magic offense

Through two games, the Toronto Raptors have shut-down Nikola Vucevic and the Orlando Magic offense. How have they been so effective?

The postseason is a different game than the regular season. With more time to scout and design team-specific gameplans, defenses can scheme away certain aspects of an offense. The Toronto Raptors scheme has taken away Nikola Vucevic.

Vucevic has been the offensive hub for the Orlando Magic all season. He averaged 20 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists per game during the regular season. When he was on the court, the Magic had an above-average offense. When he sat, they were the worst offense in the NBA.

Stopping Vuc has been the Raptors first priority on defense so far this series. Currently, he’s averaging only 8.5 points per game, sixth on the team, and behind guys like Michael Carter-Williams. During the regular season, he posted a true-shooting percentage of 57.3. So far this series, he’s shooting just 36-percent.

How they’ve stopped him

How exactly have the Raptors turned the All-Star center into a liability on the offensive end? One of the biggest reasons is the Raptors quick, consistent double teams.

Marc Gasol isn’t in trouble on the above play. He’s one of the league’s best post defenders, and Vucevic doesn’t have particularly deep position. This isn’t a matchup the Raptors fear.

The Raptors send a double-team not out of necessity, but because they spot an opportunity. Double Vuc, force the ball to a lesser offensive option. Make a lesser player beat you. Don’t let the big man get rolling.

The Magic attempt to force Vucevic back into the action later in the play with a D.J. Augustin pick-and-roll. After a scramble, he picks the ball up to attack a 4-on-3. He’s swarmed by multiple defenders, and the correct play would be a kick-out.

Instead, he forces a contested shot and is called for a charge. At that point, Vucevic had two points on four field goal attempts. Players force shots when they get frustrated. His frustration might have cost him a turnover in this situation.

How they’re able to do this

One reason the Raptors can double Vucevic without consequences is the Magic’s lack of surrounding talent.

Jonathon Isaac, Wes Iwundu, and Michael Carter-Williams are all non-threats offensively.  Averaging a combined 64 minutes per game, they make up a significant part of the Magic’s rotation.

Whenever one of them is on the floor — at least one has been on the court for all but five minutes of the two games so far —  they provide a relief valve, a weakness for the Raptors to attack. They give Toronto an extra defender. If one of those three goes off, then so be it.

As Fournier cuts, he brings Kyle Lowry right to the post. With Leonard sagging off a non-threat in Iwundu, he can cover for Lowry’s man. Kyle applies the hard double-team, and boom. A forced jump ball.

During the regular season, Vucevic averaged 9.2 post ups per game, scoring .93 points per possession. He shot the ball just over 44-percent of the time, passed it on 43-percent of possessions, and turned it over less than 6-percent of the time.

League average in terms of efficiency, his post-up game was a nice weapon for an Orlando team who struggled to consistently score.

This postseason, it’s given the Magic nothing. Vucevic has attempted just 12 post-ups total through the first two games and has been absolutely horrendous in those possessions. He’s turned it over twice, missed three field goal attempts, and gotten to the line once.

Twelve possessions, one assist, two points scored. Yikes. 

It’s a small sample size, but nothing from the tape suggests that he is going to put the pieces together soon. Perhaps abandoning it all-together is a step too far, but you can only go to a dry well so many times before you search for water elsewhere.

The pick-and-roll

Vucevic is a versatile offensive player. Posting up isn’t the only way he’s able to score.

One way Orlando has tried to get him involved is by using the 1-5 pick-and-roll. It’s the only action the Raptors are refusing to switch and a method for Vucevic to attack a defense which isn’t set.

The problem is Toronto’s willingness to send three defenders. Because the Raptors don’t fear other players on the Magic offense, they can send additional bodies to clog up the paint.

Ignore the foul by Lowry. If he comes out under control, it’s still almost certainly going to be a miss (Isaac is 1-10 from three so far this series).

Look how much attention is going to the pick-and-roll on this play. Toronto sends four bodies to swarm the paint. Fournier has no opportunity to get Vucevic the ball and is forced to kick it to the corner, where Kyle leaves Isaac WIDE open. If that’s a respectable shooter, Toronto is in trouble.

But he’s not, and that’s why the Raptors are playing this style. Toronto wouldn’t be able to execute this gameplan if it weren’t for the other weaknesses on the court.

The attention to Vucevic has opened up other opportunities. It’s one reason why Augustin was able to have such an effective game one.

That’s a trade-off the Raptors are willing to make. Orlando hasn’t shown the ability to consistently score without Vucevic, and until they do, stopping him should be priority one.

Orlando posted an offensive rating of just 96.4 during the first two games. If Toronto can continue to hold them to that number, the defense has done their job. At this time, the gameplan is working.

Will Vucevic continue to play this poorly? Probably not. At some point, he’s going to hit a couple of difficult shots. But his issues so far aren’t just a result of poor play. The Raptors are forcing his struggles.