MILWAUKEE – Nikola Vucevic felt restricted and tense at times in his first NBA season, bogged down by the game-to-game pressures under Doug Collins. The Philadelphia 76ers had traded Vucevic last offseason in the Dwight Howard deal, gambling – and, ultimately, losing – on Andrew Bynum and his knees. They had no idea Bynum’s knees were ailing to this extent, but to provide further regret has been Vucevic.

With an increased role and elevated minutes for the Orlando Magic, Vucevic doesn’t allow his mistakes to put him down. Instead, the focus has been on not letting errors or losing dent his confidence, but finding correction.

Vucevic couldn’t consistently become part of the 76ers’ rotation a season ago, but he has cemented himself as a significant role player this season. He’s earned the respect and appraisal of LeBron James, putting up two 20-point, 20-rebound performances against the Miami Heat. For Vucevic, there was no pressure to replace Howard as the next Magic center, but he knew he had to prove himself in a way he insists even the 76ers projected.

“No pressure at all, because you can’t replace Dwight,” Vucevic told RealGM. “He’s the best big man in the NBA and I knew coming in here that I wasn’t going to replace him. I just wanted to come to Orlando and show what I can do and get a chance to play.

“Philly knew what I am capable of.”

For his part, Vucevic credits a boost in playing time and the Magic's coaching staff. The emphasis on getting to the playoffs last year helped Vucevic learn during critical parts of a season and a playoff run. And even so, he was encouraged about joining a team on which he could play free, play to develop without constraints.

“I improved over the summer and last year by getting experience in the NBA, and then worked hard in training camp,” Vucevic said. “I’ve gotten better, but I think the main thing is I got minutes. I’m able to play out there, play through stuff, and I don’t think about [mistakes] as much so it’s a lot easier for me to play.”

The Magic played their biggest game of the season last Tuesday when Howard returned to Orlando, losing in front of a sold out home crowd. Still, Magic veterans believed Tuesday had the anticipation of a critical regular season game, never mind the immense media presence. As Jameer Nelson told RealGM, “It was fun to play. It was a big time game and the atmosphere was great, and it was an opportunity for these guys to actually play in a packed arena at home.”

In the days leading up to the game, Vucevic heard people saying he could turn out to be the best player in the trade, due in large part to Howard’s struggles at times with back and shoulder issues. Yet, Vucevic wasn’t fooled – despite how terrific the praise sounded.

“It’s nice to hear that, but I still think Dwight is a better player than I am and I still got a lot of ways to go to get to where he is,” Vucevic said. “It’s nice to hear stuff like that.”

Vucevic put behind him Sunday back-to-back efforts with at least 20 points and 14 rebounds against two playoff teams, and he already has a grasp on which areas he’ll need to continue to improve. At seven feet, he plans to add strength in the offseason, but also sharpen the accuracy on his mid-range jumper – a stroke that has balance and needs growth by getting constant repetition.

“I’m going to put a lot of time in the weight room and work on my post game and add a couple moves to that,” Vucevic said.

“Definitely, the [jumper] is something I work on every day and I’m going to keep working on it. That’s something that’s really going to help my game, just being able to stretch our offense and help my game as well as the team. If I can stretch the floor, the guards have more room to drive. It’s definitely going to help.”

The 76ers knew what they lost in him, Vucevic insists, and still there has to be some regret over trading him. Now, he’s headed toward consideration for Most Improved Player, an award he says isn’t particularly a goal.

As Bynum is lost for the season with surgery on both knees, Vucevic continues piling up double-doubles, tied for fifth-most in the league. Maybe Philadelphia indeed understood Vucevic’s capabilities, and yet leaving has released some tension, allowing him to play and learn through his mistakes, develop and focus on his game.