Vasilije Micic, a two-time EuroLeague champion, two-time Final Four MVP, and the most valuable player of the elite competition, begins the NBA season as a “rookie.” He faces a challenging path despite his reputation, considering how legendary European guards have historically fared.
As we gradually prepare for the 77th NBA season, it brings a record number of non-American basketball players, with 120 players from six different continents. Ever since the times of Vlade Divac, Drazen Petrovic and Toni Kukoc, who slowly paved the way for European players to the promised land, Americans have viewed the rest of the world with skepticism.
With time, this perception changed, and after the first wave of non-American stars, another fantastic generation emerged. Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, and the Gasol brothers came onto the scene. This generation collectively earned eight NBA championships, the league’s Most Valuable Player award, two Finals MVP awards, the regular-season scoring title, five assists leader titles, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, and a combined 39 All-Star appearances.
If Drazen, Vlade, and Toni were pioneers for Europeans in the NBA, then this generation of the 2000s has undoubtedly left its mark, showing that the rest of the world knows how to dominate and win a trophy in the world’s most prestigious league.
Something that cannot be controlled by money…
The tables have turned a bit, and now American players, mostly guards who didn’t succeed in the NBA, have headed to the Old Continent. Across the ocean, the United States still continues to produce a plethora of world-class players. Leading the way are Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, Jamal Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Domantas Sabonis, Rudy Gobert, Karl Anthony-Towns, Kristaps Porzingis, and very likely in the future, Victor Wembanyama. It’s not hard to notice that they are primarily power forwards and centers.
On the other hand, the EuroLeague has fought to come closer to the NBA, initiating a closed competition system in the early 2000s where the wealthiest European clubs would participate. This had its ups and downs, but what remained is the pure level of player quality. Something that cannot be so easily controlled by money.
As we previously mentioned, there is a record number of foreign players in the NBA, and in this season, there is also a record number of American players in the EuroLeague. There are 81 American players out of a total of 292 competing in the competition. The United States is the most represented country in this regard, followed by Serbia and France with 24 players each, while Spain and Germany have 20 representatives each in the EuroLeague.
Kemba Walker, Shane Larkin, Mike James, Scottie Wilbekin, Markus Howard, Darius Thompson are just a few of the American superstars in the EuroLeague. We can also mention the return of players like Nikola Mirotic and Serge Ibaka, as well as the Hernangómez brothers, which further confirms the theory you mentioned.
European guards in the EuroLeague have found it challenging to secure significant opportunities in the NBA
Throughout history, European guards from the EuroLeague haven’t had an easy time making a significant impact in the NBA. In the past two decades, players who have left the most profound mark in the EuroLeague include Vassilis Spanoulis, Juan Carlos Navarro, Nando De Colo, Sergio Llull, Sergio Rodriguez, Milos Teodosic, Alexey Shved, Facundo Campazzo, Rudy Fernandez, and, among others, Vasilije Micic.
When you add players like Nick Calathes and Dzanan Musa to the list, you get a comprehensive picture. European guards from the EuroLeague have struggled to find substantial opportunities in the NBA. These players have consistently achieved significant feats in the EuroLeague, winning multiple MVP awards and setting records in various statistical categories. They are absolute legends of European basketball. What unites them all, except for Micic, who is still waiting for his NBA debut, is their limited role in the NBA.
Looking at their combined appearances and points per game, these players have made a total of 1392 appearances in the NBA, with an average of 5.8 points per game. Navarro stands out as the most successful, averaging 10.9 points per game. Alexey Shved had a season where he averaged 14.8 points, but it was based on only 16 games, which is a relatively small sample size. While statistics don’t tell the whole story, they aren’t too far from the real state of affairs.
The legendary “La Bomba” left such an impression that he wouldn’t have any trouble adapting and could continue to progress. However, he decided to return to Barcelona. One conclusion that can be drawn as a reason for his “failure” in the NBA is certainly the limitations of physical nature compared to the competition that fills the wing positions.
In the EuroLeague, these players dominate in a considerably slower pace of play, with many more structured offenses. Also, there are slightly different rules compared to the NBA. Their playing style simply doesn’t fit the NBA, where players often rely on speed and athleticism, as they are more cerebral players. Vasilije Micic falls into this category as well. Despite being tall for a point guard, he lacks the speed and athleticism of modern NBA guards. From all of this, questions arise about potential defensive issues against players with contrasting attributes.
Proven winner
Vasilije Micic has established himself as a playmaker who can score in various ways and has excellent passing skills. He’s also known for his composure in clutch situations and possesses leadership qualities. He could potentially serve as a mentor to Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, although there’s a potential hurdle: he’s a rookie, and Giddey and Gilgeous-Alexander are already considered stars on the team. This might make it challenging for them to accept advice from someone they don’t perceive as being on their level.
The Oklahoma City Thunder has been building a young nucleus in recent seasons, where players in Micic’s age group haven’t had prominent roles. Micic is entering his prime at 29, with a rich EuroLeague resume and a silver medal from the 2017 European Championship. He’s a proven winner.
Coming into a team that had the youngest average age in the league last season at 23.5 years, there are only two players older than Micic in this Thunder roster. These are Davis Bertans (31) and Victor Oladipo (31). Considering that Micic would likely cover both point guard and shooting guard positions, it seems like he won’t get the chances he deserves.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey have the potential to become one of the best backcourt duos in the league in the coming years, and that’s what the Thunder is likely to prioritize. Off the bench, they have Lu Dort and Victor Oladipo, three of the four guards known for their strong defensive capabilities. Victor Oladipo might still have more to offer, but it remains uncertain due to his injury history. Shai and Dort have already proven themselves in the NBA, particularly on the defensive end, which puts Micić at a disadvantage. Giddey, given his physical attributes, has substantial defensive potential, and each of these four guards brings more in terms of speed and athleticism in the defensive aspect of the game.
The game Vasilije Micic isn’t accustomed to
In a small-ball lineup, Vasilije Micic might be ideal alongside Shai and Giddey, as the defense’s full attention would be on them. However, when considering that Oklahoma utilizes proven Dort as the ideal 3&D player in the small ball lineup and the versatile, playmaking abilities of the towering Aleksej Pokusevski in the higher lineup, it’s challenging to envision Micic in a significant role that he’s accustomed to in Europe.
Bogdan and Bojan Bogdanovic successfully made the difficult transition from the EuroLeague to the NBA, primarily due to their excellent three-point shooting. Micic also possesses a good three-point shot, but not at the level of the mentioned Bogdanovic tandem. It’s possible that Micic might be envisioned as a specialized three-point shooter. However, this isn’t the style of play he’s used to. He’s a creative player who enjoys having the ball in his hands, and it raises questions about how much he’ll be able to do so.
The cruel world of the NBA
Micic might get his chance due to an injury to a more prominent player, and, at the end of the day, they play 82 games in a season. It is expected that at some point, he will need to enter more meaningful minutes, but far from the leadership role he is accustomed to. The fact is that the Thunder team still doesn’t have championship ambitions, which Vasa is used to. The real question is whether Micic will spend the prime years of his career on the bench in a supporting role when he could still dominate Europe and strengthen his already impressive legacy?
On the other hand, the lack of ambition is understandable given everything he has accomplished in Europe, as well as his desire for new challenges and better financial terms. We believe that Vasilije Micic could have contributed much more to European basketball.
We only hope that he won’t end up in the role of Evan Fournier, who spent almost the entire season on the Knicks’ bench, or Dennis Schroder, who gets limited minutes wearing the Los Angeles Lakers’ jersey. Vasa could soon experience the cruel world of the NBA after the family atmosphere he had in Efes.
Writter: Bruno Feliks