{"id":588612,"date":"2026-02-07T16:27:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T16:27:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/588612\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T16:27:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T16:27:19","slug":"nikola-vucevic-labels-celtics-transition-a-work-in-progress-after-solid-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/588612\/","title":{"rendered":"Nikola Vu\u010devic labels Celtics transition \u201ca work in progress\u201d after solid debut"},"content":{"rendered":"

BOSTON \u2014 It took only 3:02 before Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla called upon Nikola Vu\u010devi\u0107, 48 hours after acquiring him from the Bulls, into Friday night\u2019s game against the Heat.<\/p>\n

Vu\u010devi\u0107 was greeted with a warm welcome. Chants of \u201cVooch\u201d echoed through TD Garden as the 15-year veteran checked in for the first time in a Celtics uniform, with anticipation surrounding the team\u2019s newest frontcourt addition. He rewarded that enthusiasm with an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double in Boston\u2019s 98-96 come-from-behind win<\/a> over Miami, playing 28 minutes off the bench.<\/p>\n

Still, with 41 regular-season games remaining, Vu\u010devi\u0107 wasn\u2019t inclined to overhype his debut. If anything, he viewed it as only a glimpse of what the Celtics \u2014 and their fans \u2014 can expect as the season progresses.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a work in progress,\u201d Vu\u010devi\u0107 said. \u201cIt\u2019s not gonna happen overnight. It\u2019s gonna take some time, but I can already see certain things were on, and certain things we do where I\u2019ll still be able to find my actions \u2014 still be aggressive, and do different things.\u201d<\/p>\n

First impressions of the Celtics experience proved misleading amid an uncharacteristic first-half slump. Boston opened the night shooting an atrocious 6 of 24, managing just 15 points in the first quarter. That struggle carried into the second, as \u2014 over a brutal 24 minutes \u2014 the Celtics looked like the NBA\u2019s worst 3-point shooting team. They made just one of their first 20 attempts from deep, entering halftime at 5 percent and drawing a drizzle of (deserved) boos from the home crowd.<\/p>\n

The optimism and cheers that followed an Anfernee Simons ovation against the Bucks \u2014 and were later passed on to Vu\u010devi\u0107 \u2014 quickly turned into Vu\u010devi\u0107\u2019s first pop quiz at \u2018Celtic University.\u2019 The test centered on adversity, a required course in the developmental process and a focal point of Mazzulla\u2019s coaching philosophy, which treats basketball and its challenges as a reflection of life.<\/p>\n

Trailing by more than 20 points in the third quarter wasn\u2019t a brand-new experience for this Celtics team. But with Vu\u010devi\u0107 now part of the equation, Boston once again turned a steep deficit into a learning opportunity \u2014 and, for Vu\u010devi\u0107, his first lesson abroad the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a first game, it was good,\u201d Vu\u010devi\u0107 said. \u201cObviously, we can continue to build on it and figure things out and get a feel for playing alongside each other out there on the court. But overall, thought it went pretty well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BOSTON,<\/a><\/p>\n

BOSTON, MA – FEBRUARY 6: Nikola Vucevic #4 and Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics talk during the game against the Miami Heat on February 6, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and\/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau\/NBAE via Getty Images) NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

The quick turnaround from departing Chicago to flying out to Boston left Vu\u010devi\u0107 with limited time to absorb everything he needed before taking the floor Friday night. With less than two days to prepare, he was tasked with immersing himself in Celtics basketball and its demands \u2014 a weight carried not only by Vu\u010devi\u0107, but by his new teammates as well.<\/p>\n

That shared responsibility was what stood out most to Mazzulla afterward.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo thoughts: One, I thought he did a great job from the day he got to Boston until tip-off, preparing for everything \u2014 our languages, our coverages, what we needed to do \u2014 and I thought he put himself in position to help us. And then credit to the guys for having a quick understanding of why we acquired him, how he can make us better, and how we can make him better. I thought those two things were on display tonight on both ends of the floor, and he impacted winning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vu\u010devi\u0107 did what he could in the hours leading up to his Celtics debut, maximizing the little time he had at his disposal. That included a brief meet-and-greet at the Auerbach Center before an immediate shift into familiarizing himself with Boston\u2019s system.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as I met with the coaching staff after they landed from Houston, all of them came straight to the facility,\u201d Vu\u010devi\u0107 revealed. \u201cWe did a detailed walkthrough, went over a lot of stuff, watched a lot of film. Then Amile Jefferson, whom I played with in Orlando, took me through some stuff, and they sent me a bunch of film, a bunch of stuff to look over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vu\u010devi\u0107 and Jefferson shared two seasons with the Magic before reuniting six years later in Boston.<\/p>\n

However, Vu\u010devi\u0107\u2019s familiarity with Jefferson wasn\u2019t the only factor smoothing his transition. Boston\u2019s need for an elite stretch five to help space the floor adds a new layer to the frontcourt that the team believes will click over time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll flow,\u201d Jaylen Brown envisions. \u201cWe\u2019ve done well with shooting fives in the past, so I think it\u2019ll flow. I think we have a lot of room for improvement, so I\u2019m looking forward to finding that sweet spot. We don\u2019t even have to force it; it\u2019ll just flow naturally. His game fits in with our team well, so it\u2019ll happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

The track record speaks for itself. Centers capable of generating offense from the perimeter have thrived in Boston, as Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is and Al Horford can attest. Vu\u010devi\u0107 fits that mold as a versatile pick-and-pop threat, reliable from mid-range and 3-point territory. He\u2019s a career 35.1% shooter from three, and is connecting on 37.4% of his attempts this season.<\/p>\n

Over time, the goal is to gradually integrate Vu\u010devi\u0107 and his skill set into the team. His debut against Miami was just the first step in that process \u2014 a challenging one, onboarding on the fly as Boston faced a 22-point hole, the only thing standing between them and a fifth straight win and reclaiming the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried to take as much as I could to be able to play out there, and not negatively impact the team,\u201d Vu\u010devi\u0107 said. \u201cSo I think I did a pretty good job absorbing a lot of information they threw at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t Vu\u010devi\u0107\u2019s first rodeo at the Garden, but it was the first where Boston fans were rooting for him instead of against him. The difference was immediate, and Vu\u010devi\u0107 saw firsthand why his teammates and coach Mazzulla emphasize the impact of the home crowd\u2019s energy in helping the team grind out wins, like their comeback over the Heat.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of the loudest places in the NBA,\u201d Vu\u010devi\u0107 said. \u201cI know from playing the Celtics before, but it\u2019s much nicer when the fans are behind you and supporting you. Boston fans really know sports; they really know basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BOSTON \u2014 It took only 3:02 before Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla called upon Nikola Vu\u010devi\u0107, 48 hours…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":588613,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3766],"tags":[7,45,75,37650,3798,46,21388,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-588612","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boston-celtics","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-boston","10":"tag-boston-celtics","11":"tag-boston-celtics-articles","12":"tag-bostonceltics","13":"tag-celtics","14":"tag-celtics-news","15":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116030292365072748","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=588612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/588612\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/588613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=588612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=588612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=588612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}