Sasha Vezenkov spoke in an interview with Mundo Deportivo about various topics with a focus on the NBA and Barcelona.
The Bulgarian entered the best basketball league in the world as the reigning MVP of the EuroLeague, but things definitely aren’t going as he imagined. Due to injury, Sasha Vezenkov has only played 35 games, averaging 5.6 points.
“It’s hard, no doubt. You have to learn. They don’t care that you come as an MVP. You have to build everything from scratch. If you adapt, you have a chance, otherwise, everything is much harder. It all comes down to whether you’ll get an opportunity or not, look at Micic’s performances in the Charlotte Hornets. I don’t know if he can be a starter, but he can certainly have serious minutes and a role in any team. He knows the game.”
Vezenkov also touched on whether the age at which one enters the NBA league has an influence.
“That has a lot to do with it because the league is different. In Europe, they teach you that every possession matters, while here there are many more possessions, so everything is different. The sooner you come here, the chances are that your adaptation to the American way of life will be faster. Everything is hard, and everything depends on opportunity. You have to be ready every day, there are a lot of games, travels, physical and mental readiness are decisive factors.”
This isn’t the first time the Bulgarian has gone through a tough period. He had a similar situation back in his Barcelona days.
“I had difficult years in Barcelona, I feel like I wasn’t treated well. Of course, I’m not talking about people from the organization, I’m still friends with Navarro, for example, I’ve learned a lot from him. I have friends within the organization. It was a tough time for both the team and me. Life goes on, but a few individuals didn’t give me a chance even when I was giving my 100%. I won’t say who treated me poorly, they know it well themselves.”