By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Wrapping up his first NBA campaign, Sasha Vezenkov reiterated most of his views shared in a recent lengthy interview with Eurohoops.
“Overall, I can say it was a weird season. Ups and downs, new game, new life. A couple of injuries,” he explained in his exit interview following the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign for the Sacramento Kings, “I tried to adjust as fast as possible.”
Vezenkov, 28, tallied 5.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest over 42 appearances.
“First of all, the talent the players have here. It is insane. You see that on TV, but live it is something else. Other than that, the pace of the game. How fast the transition, everything,” he said on differences between Europe and the NBA, “I need to improve everything.”
“I will work on everything, as I do in every offseason,” continued the Bulgarian international, “When I was playing in Europe, we did not have that time because the season ends in the middle of June. Now, I have plenty of time. That is the biggest difference. That is why NBA players have so much time, especially if you do not make the Playoffs, five or six months to work on your game. I want to improve my game in general.”
“We are human beings”
Shifting from Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP to a role player with the Kings, Vezenkov confirmed struggling with the transition.
“Sometimes, I was thinking that I could help more. Sometimes, I was thinking that maybe I deserved to play more. But first of all, I see myself in the mirror and first see my mistakes,” he stressed.
“It is tough. We are human beings. Everybody needs this attention to play,” added Vezenkov, “We love the game. We like to play. If you ask any player, he wants to play more. Even the guys who play 35 minutes, if you ask them, they will say maybe play 40.”
Missing the Playoffs
At 46-36 in the Regular Season, the Kings were three games shy of a direct ticket to the Playoffs. In the Play-Ins, they defeated the Golden State Warriors at home but the late bid for the eighth seed of the Western Conference bracket was stopped by the New Orleans Pelicans in Smoothie King Center.
“Unfortunately, we finished too early. Everybody wanted to continue and go deep in the Playoffs, but we have to learn from that,” mentioned Vezenkov.
“It is definitely very disappointing how it ended,” confessed Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis, the league leader in triple-doubles and double-doubles.
Both players carry guaranteed contracts into the offseason, Sabonis until 2028 and Vezenkov until 2025.