Nikola Vucevic already feels good in the Celtics game

“Ovation”, the best mark of one’s training and above all else win against the Heat. The first of Nikola Vucevic with the Celtics, he went perfectly, and the Montenegrin immediately fit into the team in the role of the 7th man in the relay of Luke Garza and Neemias Cueta.

“I felt quite comfortable on the pitch”, admitted Nikola Vucevicwho met with the Celtics staff on Thursday for a detailed review of the team’s game system. “I think as the game went on, the guys also felt more comfortable with me and could identify some things that we wanted to put in place. For the first match, it was good. Obviously, we can continue to build on that, to adjust certain points and get into a rhythm by playing together on the court. In general, I thought it went pretty well, and above all, we are happy to win.”

Led by Heat with 21 points, the Celtics effectively turned the tide of the match and eventually won by two small points (98-96). With 11 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists off the bench, the former Bulls center was valuable, and Joe Mazzula blamed himself for putting his players in bad situations.

“I was stupid” he failed. “I put the guys in a tough situation at the beginning of the match, just trying to deal with every possible scenario. I feel like we got a little bogged down in that and it affected us. Once we simplified things, and as the match went on, when we were able to read the situations better, I thought the players did a much better job.”

Capabilities as a power forward

And especially Nikola Vucevic, who received praise from his new coach. “I have two things in mind. First of all, I thought he did a great job from the time he got to Boston until the intervention period, preparing, assimilating our language, our reports, everything that was expected of him. He really put himself in a position to help us.” details by Joe Mazzulla. “Then you have to give credit to the guys for quickly realizing why we drafted him, how he can improve us and how we can help him get better. Both aspects were evident tonight, on both sides of the court. He had a direct impact on the win. Now we have to continue to improve in several areas, and that starts with cohesion, communication and execution.

Otherwise, Joe Macula explained that the arrival of Nikola Vucevic would allow him to play more with two interior players, and the Montenegrin could find himself in position 4.

“We have to switch to different options, which has been the strength of our team since the start of the season” he concludes. “Against Houston, for example, it worked very well. Now, with Vucevic, playing with two insides can become another option that we throw out from time to time. It’s simply a matter of finding the right balance between what we predict, what we work on and what we observe. And we have to build Vucevic on all of that, depending on whether he will play or that position in the 5 position.