Too good for Europe: Why Vasilije Micic should be playing in the NBA / News - Basketnews.com

June 2021. Vasilije Micic has just won everything with Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the EuroLeague: the championship, MVP & Final Four MVP. NBA is the next logical step, right? Yet, he's still in Europe. Why? Why do the best international players have such difficulty transferring overseas?

Vasilije Micic

MIN:28.13PTS:16.89 (56.44%)REB:2.44As:3.56ST:1.28BL:0TO:3.06GM:18ProfileEuroLeague2021/2022

BasketNews invites you to take a dive into Micic's career, getting to know the following answers: why Vasilije Micic should be playing in the NBA, the influence of Sarunas Jasikevicius on his career, and why Ergin Ataman was the coach he needed to break out in Europe fully?

"They do not know me so well. Even though I can play 10 more years as MVP in Europe, they still have doubts about players from EuroLeague," said Micic regarding NBA clubs' approach to Europeans in early September in 2021.

Unfortunately, this is the sad reality about the best international players, which needs to be shaken up.

The Serbian guard, who was actually selected with the 52nd pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, is a tall playmaker and is best with the ball in his hands. His promising youth days immediately projected a solid career, but the development was not as quick as everyone expected.

After being selected in the NBA Draft, Micic had to go through the up-and-down period until 2017, when he finally joined Zalgiris Kaunas. There he was coached by Sarunas Jasikevicus. This is where Micic took a huge leap, and he credits Saras up until this day.

"It feels like I spend five years playing in that one season on the EuroLeague level; that's how much I feel like I learned. Saras molded me and simplified basketball for me so much," Micic spoke about his experience in Kaunas.

There is one thing that he became the master of in his time with Zalgiris - Pick & Roll. Especially, the one on the side, which is a trademark of Jasikevicius' offensive system.

Points this season

46%81,3Points made:81,3Accuracy:46,3%Place in standings:3Record max:98Record min:67Best scorer:Vasilije MicicTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Great habits were learned that year, but the real explosion happened after his transfer to Anadolu Efes. He transformed the last-place team into a real contender in only one year.

Coach Ergin Ataman gave total freedom to Vasilije Micic. Greenlight in offense, good habits from Saras, and elite size for his position were the recipe for total dominance. 7.7 points average (2017-18) converted into 12.4 (2018-19), then into 14.5 (2019-20), and even 16.7 (last season).

Micic became super smooth on selling the movement with the body and changing direction at the last moment, while the defender is already leaning to another side. The variety of finishes around the rim is another strength of the 28-year-old.

Being able to shoot is a must in the modern NBA. Even though Micic has never had a higher than 40% conversion rate from long distance, he can light up at any moment. Moreover, he can do that successfully from the NBA range too. Going under the screen is definitely not an option against him. Micic can also pull up from different ranges.

However, he is a streaky shooter that possesses huge confidence in his abilities, and that sometimes can result in games where he goes 0 from 7.

When it comes to scoring, Micic always has an additional option to rely on. The Serbian point guard is one of the best (if not the best) in all EuroLeague, getting inside the paint after the screen.

There is one important detail. Micic grew up in a mountain area in Serbia and practiced skiing a lot during his childhood. His slaloming skills are beneficial, as he can maneuver through the tiniest spaces and change his movement's direction without many problems.

Contact with the opponent is something that he is not afraid of too.

As well as adding 17 points per game in EuroLeague, Micic creates a similar amount of points for his teammates. He has a perfect size and wouldn't lack height even in the NBA.

Often he sees and makes passes that point guards, who are 5 centimeters shorter, wouldn't be able to make.

Anadolu Efes' offensive game resembles modern NBA basketball: Pick & Roll-heavy offense with everyone spacing out in four corners and one big diving the rim after the pick. Whenever Efes have Shane Larkin and Tibor Pleiss, a center with a soft touch from distance, playing - the Turkish powerhouse is just unstoppable due to superb spacing.

We can only imagine what Micic could do in an even bigger NBA court.

Last but not least, Micic has an isolation bag of skills. The Serbian athlete mastered three moves, which could be called signature ones: Lillard-style step-back after between the legs dribble, hesitation & explosion to the left, and left-to-tight crossover.

If there's one thing Micic could improve, it would be taking care of the ball. Sometimes Anadolu Efes playmaker is too careless with the ball: simpler often meet more efficient, and Micic could improve his assist-to-turnover ratio.

To conclude, the reigning EuroLeague MVP has been dominant three seasons in a row and deserves a rotation role in the NBA.

It all depends on finding the right spot, something Oklahoma City Thunder that own his rights can't offer right now, as they are all in on developing other young guards like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey.

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