If there was any sort of wait-and-see period with Nikola Vucevic to start the year, it’s all over now. The Orlando big man is a reliable producer -- even with a pricier salary nowadays -- and he’s been one of the top fantasy scorers in the game this season.

Although I’ve always been a fan of Vooch the raw totals accumulator, this year has jump-started a career year for the 28-year-old center, averaging 21 points, 11 boards, almost four assists, and two blocks-plus-steals a game.

There’s a couple factors working in favor of Vucevic and his fantasy outlook this season. For starters, contract years are always a positive and Vooch is working on his next big payday. And on the (much) more surprising hand, the Magic are playing decent basketball at the moment, which lends a hand to his long(er) term outlook.

It’s tough to argue against Joel Embiid as the game’s top fantasy center, but Vucevic makes a case given his combination of offensive prowess and lower salary. Although we’d love to see his salary trend down as close as it can be to the $9,000 mark, Vucevic has proven himself as one of the game’s top-producers at his position and there shouldn’t be any reservation slotting him in your lineups.

The Magic take on Indiana tonight, followed by the Mavericks and Bulls next week.