Vasilije Micic reveals his NBA idol, explains importance of passing / News - Basketnews.com

Vasilije Micic revealed Steve Nash was the NBA player whom Micic was drawn to most growing up while adding that passing is something that helps with the transition to the NBA.

Credit: AP - Scanpix Credit AP - Scanpix

Despite having almost 15 years of professional experience and a trophy case chock-full of awards, new Charlotte Hornets' rookie point guard Vasilije Micic is still adjusting to the NBA game, Sam Parley writes on the Hornets website.

Vasilije Micic

MIN:13.85PTS:4.24 (45.56%)REB:1As:3.21ST:0.29BL:0.08TO:1.11GM:38ProfileNBA2023/2024

Like how many fellow Europeans who came before him also did, the 30-year-old Serbian is utilizing a dazzling display of passing, flare, and trickery to assist with his assimilation.

Micic was only 16 years old when he signed with Mega Basket in Belgrade, Serbia, a club that primarily caters to young up-and-coming national-level players.

A handful of other NBAers, most notably two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, have also come through this program. Philadelphia originally drafted Micic with the 52nd overall pick in 2014, then traded his rights to Oklahoma City in December 2020.

Combining domestic league, EuroCup, EuroLeague, Serbian National Team, and then NBA competitions, Micic has probably played about 700 professional games over the course of his career.

But unlike what has become the recent norm here in the United States, Micic's early basketball development was largely centered on practicing rather than just playing games.

"[The Europeans] grow up in an entirely different way than we do here," said Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford. "They go to academies when they're younger. They're picked as elite athletes in their country. They're living in basketball, and I think when you go over there, it's all fundamentals."

Vasilije MicicCredit AP - Scanpix

"It's learning to play without the ball, when to pass, how to pass. They just get so much instruction and spend so much time in the gym that they develop. Right now, our younger guys [in the United States] are playing three-on-three, five-on-five, and playing five games in a weekend, which is really the opposite of what the European guys are doing," Clifford continued.

3-pointers this season

36%12,1Points made:12,1Accuracy:36,1%Place in standings:21Record max:23Record min:6Most made 3FGs:Terry RozierTeamNBAStatisticsSchedule

Clifford added that while the shot-making and creation by American prospects is as good as it's ever been right now, the basketball IQ and understanding of team concepts on both ends has dropped off.

In essence, the modern developmental approach for Americans leans more towards the individual, while the Europeans focus on the team.

Which, especially for a distributor like Micic, means facilitating has been a staple since the onset of his career. It's also a skill that becomes even more refined in group settings compared to solo ones.

"We are playing from a very early age the pick-and-roll game," Micic said. "Being able to read in the moment is something that you must have naturally. We have to find a way to play the game against guys that are very athletic, like Americans. They are very dominant physically. You must find different ways to contribute, and one of those ways is to read the game well."

Another reason passing is so important in Europe is the size of the court. A standard NBA playing surface measures 94 feet long by 50 feet wide (28.7 by 15.2 meters), while the FIBA version is 91.9 feet by 49.2 feet (28 by 15 meters).

It might not seem like much, but that's a difference of 5.05 cubic meters. The floor shrinks even more with no defensive three seconds called in FIBA play, plus a 3-point line that's 0.49 meters closer to the basket than the NBA's.

Games in the EuroLeague are divided into four 10-minute quarters with a 24-second shot clock.

Last season, Serbia's Partizan had the EuroLeague's top offensive rating (123.3 points per 100 possessions), with another seven squads finishing at 117.9 or higher. As for pace, Germany's ALBA Berlin was the quickest (72.2 possessions per 40 minutes), followed by seven additional teams averaging at least 70.0.

The 2022-23 NBA leaders in offensive rating and pace were Sacramento (118.6) and Golden State (102.54 possessions per 48 minutes; 85.45 per 40 minutes).

Interestingly, the top half of the EuroLeague all registered an offensive efficiency comparable to that of the NBA's best, though those marks came in significantly slower, likely heavier halfcourt settings.

The scoring numbers only further accentuate this gap. Spain's Baskonia led the EuroLeague with 103.3 points per 48 minutes, a mark well behind the NBA's last-place-finishing Miami Heat's 108.8.

So, smaller courts, less spacing, less game time, fewer possessions, and a much slower tempo all contribute to points being a premium commodity in the EuroLeague. But often, simple ball movement isn't enough.

Players must use their imaginations and intuition to manufacture these precious scoring chances artistically. Charlotte fans have already witnessed several of Micic's drive-and-kick, no-look highlight passes, with a few ball-fake layups also mixed in.

There's a visible dissection of the opposing defense whenever Micić has the ball, almost as if one can tell in real time he's moving the metaphorical chess pieces in his mind.

"For my specific game, passing is something I'm mainly showing here because it's a way of transition," explained Micić, who was seventh in both points (16.0) and assists (5.4) and third in minutes (31.3) over 31 EuroLeague outings last year. "Over there, I was also a really aggressive scorer and that's something that helped me to be very productive with passing."

"You have to find a way to break the defense. We have a lot of hedge defense and a lot of trap defense, which forces everyone to be creative with their passing abilities. There aren't as many isolation plays. It's a different type of game, but it definitely forces you to think faster and create off the passing," Micic added.

The NBA player whom Micic was drawn to most growing up was two-time MVP and Hall-of-Famer Steve Nash.

He also sampled from other Europeans like fellow Serbian and 2010 EuroLeague MVP Milos Teodosic, who played with the LA Clippers from 2017-19, and Lithuanian Sarunas Jasikevicius, a four-time EuroLeague Champion and his former Žalgiris coach.

Another was Greek guard Dimitris Diamantidis, a two-time EuroLeague Final Four MVP, a three-time EuroLeague Champion, and a member of the EuroLeague's past two All-Decade Teams.

Measuring six feet, three inches tall, has opened Micic's passing inventory, as it did too, for Nash (6'3"), Teodosić (6'5"), Jasikevičius (6'4") and Diamantidis (6'5").

Taller point guards usually have clearer sightlines over defenders and, thus, more available passing windows. European players are also taught ball-handling early on in development, which is usually another skill that stays with them even as they start growing and separating themselves physically.

Through Tuesday night's action, three of the NBA's top-five nightly assist leaders were all European (Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Domantas Sabonis), in addition to four of the top 12 in passes made (Jokic, Sabonis, Dennis Schroder, and Doncic).

Scanning the NBA's assist leaderboard for centers, nine of the Top 15 are either from Europe or were raised there (Jokic, Alperen Sengun, Jusuf Nurkic, Nikola Vucevic, Victor Wembanyama, Jakob Poeltl, Jonas Valanciunas, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Kristaps Porzingis).

These special passing abilities have helped many past European big men with their adjustments to the NBA. Vlade Divac's ball-handling immediately meshed with the high-octane Showtime Lakers.

Toni Kukoc and Pau Gasol thrived in Phil Jackson's Triangle offense, a formation that stresses passing, cutting, and spacing. Though injuries had begun taking a toll on seven-foot, three-inch center Arvydas Sabonis when he came over in 1995, his sensational footwork and court vision allowed him to play seven NBA seasons for Portland.

Of the 29 all-time NBA players, six feet ten inches or taller with at least 2,500 assists, more than a third are European (10).

Over the past decade or so, the NBA has become inundated with increased ball movement, an area that Europeans are more than well-equipped for.

"I think there was a lot of unknown 15 or 20 years ago," said Toronto Raptors Head Coach Darko Rajakovic, another Serbian native. "Now that the game has become such a global thing, there is so much more information. Players know what to expect with their transition to the NBA. There is a much better support system that is ongoing now. I think it's just going to continue to help bridge the difference between international basketball and the NBA."

Right now, Micić is receiving almost double the minutes he did in Oklahoma City, where he was an on-and-off-again member of the rotation. The crafty maestro has instantly capitalized on his heightened role, posting averages of 8.6 points, 5.6 assists, and only 1.7 turnovers in seven reserve appearances.

A propensity for making brilliant passes has opened the NBA door for Vasilije Micic, and now, a change of scenery should help him take the next steps through it.

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