By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Vasilije Micic excelled in Europe, winning the EuroLeague MVP and becoming European champion twice with Anadolu Efes. He decided to try his luck in the NBA from the upcoming season, signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder and already getting a taste of NBA basketball in preseason games.
“It’s open space, with a much higher pace of play compared to the EuroLeague. The paint is more open, providing a lot of opportunities for creative players to penetrate and gain an advantage, especially for skilled ball handlers. It’s also a bit easier to create from that spacing. I’m still trying to adjust. Everything is still new for me, but my teammates are helping me learn as quickly as possible. I believe that, together, we will get there eventually,” Micic said.
The Serbian playmaker also explained that some defensive adjustments are needed.
“Defensively, NBA basketball is played more in isolations, one on one. In the EuroLeague, there’s no defensive three seconds, the paint is always filled, and the rim is constantly protected.”
Luckily for him, he has a fellow countryman, Aleksej Pokusevski, by his side in Oklahoma, who is entering his third season in the NBA with the Thunder.
“He is mature for his age; he gave me several important pieces of advice. I am not a shy person and I like to ask anything that interests me. Poku is a really good friend of mine here.”
Micic also touched on the differences in schedules between the NBA and EuroLeague.
“They are similar, except in Europe there are no back-to-back games played.“