A couple of preseason games in, Vasilije Micic played a familiar brand of basketball that made him one of the best international players before he joined the NBA.
The traditional point guard has played a facilitator role for the Oklahoma City Thunder when on the court. Dissecting pick-and-rolls, he’s also shown a willingness to shoot if the opportunity presents itself.
The 29-year-old rookie had his best preseason outing yet against the Charlotte Hornets, where he finished with six points on 3-of-10 shooting, eight assists and three rebounds. He also went 0-of-5 from three and committed five turnovers.
When asked about adjusting to the NBA a couple of weeks into his tenure, Micic said space and pace are the two biggest areas of the game that differ from EuroLeague basketball.
“It’s a very high pace of game compared to EuroLeague,” Micic said. “The paint is more open. So there are a lot of opportunities for creative guys to reach the paint and create the advantage — especially good ball-handlers. But also, it’s kinda a little bit easier to create from that spacing. For me, I’m still trying to adjust.”
Micic later joked he’s still getting accustomed to the high-pace environment, noting how he only played 26 minutes against the Hornets but it felt like he played 45.
Once Micic adjusts to the differences in the NBA, there’s a real possibility he will turn into a solid rotation piece for the Thunder. When neither Shai Gilgeous-Alexander nor Josh Giddey are on the floor, Micic could provide valuable backup guard minutes running the second unit.
