Latest Nikola Vucevic vanishing act might be even more concerning than it looks

The Boston Celtics are now 11 games into the Nikola Vucevic era, and the best word to describe the returns thus far have been satisfactory. He hasn't been putting up the 20/10 numbers he put up in Orlando and Chicago, but his gravity as a scorer, passer, and rebounder has helped the Celtics' second unit thrive when he plays.

But "satisfactory" is far from synonymous with "perfect." Funny enough, many were concerned about Vucevic's defense, and while it has reared its ugly head, it hasn't been that detrimental to the Celtics as a team. Something else has: Vucevic has effectively no-showed against Boston's three best opponents since the trade.

The Celtics aren't counting on Vucevic nearly as much as the Magic and the Bulls did, but against tough opponents, they at least want to see him hold his own, and against the three toughest teams they've gone up against since acquiring Vucevic - New York, Denver, Charlotte - he has not done that.

He's not the primary reason why they lost those games, but Boston likely expected better than this from him.

Vucevic's struggles should not go unnoticed

Not only have the Celtics lost their hardest games since trading for Vucevic, but in three of their worst losses since the trade deadline, his numbers have not been impressive. The two-time All-Star's numbers have gone as follows:

Vs. Knicks: 11 points, six rebounds, five-for-13 shooting, including shooting one-for six from distance
Vs. Nuggets: two points, eight rebounds, one-for-seven shooting, including shooting zero-for-four from distance
Vs. Hornets: seven points, four rebounds, two-for-10 shooting, including shooting one-for-three from distance

Yes, the Knicks and Nuggets have inarguably better records than the Hornets, but unless you've been living under a rock since the start of the calendar year, you should know how good the Hornets have been lately.

Regardless, this is a troubling trend. Again, the Celtics aren't asking Vucevic to be the same guy he was at his last two stops, but he was brought in as a reinforcement to Boston's frontcourt. He has done just that in that regard, but not against their stiffest competition. In that context, he's been so bad, you would have sworn he was doing a Myles Turner impression.

Vucevic playing this badly against the Celtics' best competition is a bad sign for everyone when the playoffs come around, because regardless of how minimized his role is in Boston, they still expect him to do his part in the best way he can. If he can't, it could spell trouble.

This upcoming stretch of games will put Vucevic to the test

Many will be quick to point out that it's only three games, so Vucevic deserves the benefit of the doubt, and that's true. He doesn't deserve all that much flak when he's still getting adjusted. Luckily, he'll get more shots at proving himself against Boston's competition in no time at all.

Boston will be up against Dallas on Friday, whose season is already going down the drain, but after that, they have a stretch going up against a buzzsaw that is Cleveland, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City.

Jayson Tatum might be back before or during that stretch, but whether he is or isn't, Vucevic will get the chance to prove how valuable he can be against the best of the best. If he can break out of this funk, Boston had to feel even better about their chances of going on a playoff run.