This summer, Tristen Vukčević spent his time playing and competing at FIBA’s EuroBasket competition. Playing for the Serbian national team, he learned from one of the best players in the NBA: Nikola Jokic.
“Just seeing how he practices and how he plays really helped me with IQ and how to read the game, especially because we play the same position,” Vukčević said to Monumental Sports Network.
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Serbia lost to Finland in the Round of 16, but Vukčević learned valuable lessons from the two-time Most Valuable Player. The pair spent over a month together in practices, games, and off the court.
Vukčević needs to take what he learned this offseason and apply it on NBA courts for the Washington Wizards.
Last Year Improvements
The third-year forward has appeared in 45 games over his two years in the league. Vukčević averaged 9.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 35 games last season. His lone start came against the Utah Jazz on Mar. 19. Vukčević scored 17 points in that game, but his best performance was 28 points against the Miami Heat in the final regular-season game last season.
The seven-footer has taken a big leap in his shooting the past two seasons. He shot 43.3% from the field in his rookie year, but that number jumped up to 49.6% last season. Vukčević also improved from three-point range after shooting 37.3% last year, compared to 27.8% in the 2023-24 season.
That improvement was seen by the Wizards front office, led by general manager Will Dawkins and the president of basketball operations, Michael Winger. Vukčević agreed to another two-way deal this offseason.
On-Court Fit
Washington traded Kelly Olynyk to the Spurs in July, opening the rotation for Vukčević. The Wizards are a guard and wing-heavy team, with only Alex Sarr, Anthony Gill, and Marvin Bagley III as the other big options. Vukčević can gain starting minutes this season if Wizards’ head coach Brian Keefe wants to run Sarr at power forward and Vukčević at center.
With Vukčević and Sarr being the tallest players for Washington, the Serbian can bring spacing to the offense. However, he relies too much on his jumper. Becoming more dominant in the paint and consistent overall will help Washington. Vukčević can also improve on his rim protection if he wants to get consistent time in the rotation.
The defense-first Sarr and the offense-first Vukčević can work together to be dangerous for Washington. The Wizards’ front office has shown that this rebuild will not be over soon. Giving the 22-year-old more minutes this season will help the front office discover if he should stay for the long run or become a value trade piece around the deadline.
Early Ups and Downs
Vukčević looked lost on the court during the Wizards’ first preseason game against the Toronto Raptors on Oct. 12. He scored nine points, going 2-of-2 on field goals and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. He did improve in the Wizards’ preseason win over the New York Knicks, scoring 15 points, while going 3-of-5 from three-point range. In Washington’s last preseason game on Oct. 16 against the Detroit Pistons, Vukčević produced seven points in eight minutes.
However, the big man only saw two minutes in the Wizards’ first game of the season. Vukčević has a chance at the beginning of the season to develop more in the G League and show his ability to perform to force Keefe to play him more. If Vukčević improves on his 14.7 minutes per game last season, the Wizards will see this second-round pick turn into a hidden gem. Alas, so far this season, he’s only averaging 6.7 minutes per game.
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