By Mihalis Stefanou/ info@eurohoops.net
SACRAMENTO – In a lengthy interview with Eurohoops, Sasha Vezenkov opened up on his playing status with the Sacramento Kings.
“For sure, the first year is always complicated, especially as a more experienced player who learned basketball differently. At 17 or 18, you came to join the league and adapt to their standards. I believe I have some solid showings. And when I got the necessary playing time, I was able to help the team. Certainly, it is not ideal for me, but I have learned to fight in my life. This is not the first difficulty nor that last,” he mentioned.
Vezenkov, 28, was named season MVP of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague as a the star of Olympiacos before moving his talents to the NBA. Besides discussing Mike James as a potential successor, he weighed on himself and Vasilije Micic, also a former EuroLeague MVP, looking to prove themselves in the league based in North America.
“They don’t care if you are Vezenkov or Micic, whoever comes from Europe. You are going to be the next Giannis. Some people have seen EuroLeague games more than others, but they do not care. You start from scratch. That is why I said adjusting in the first year is complicated,” he said, “You can feel on the wrong end, that you deserve more opportunities. It is tough. You either do it or not.”
On the verge of being cleared following a right ankle sprain, Vezenkov tallied 5.6 points and 2.5 rebounds over 12.6 minutes per contest in the 2023-24 Regular Season, before landing on the injury list. He came off the bench in all 35 appearances under the guidance of head coach Mike Brown.