Sasha Vezenkov reacts to his Sacramento Kings debut / News - Basketnews.com

After his debut for the Sacramento Kings, Sasha Vezenkov admitted that the NBA is much faster than the EuroLeague, adding that his contribution on the defensive end will be very important.

Credit: USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con - Scanpix Credit USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con - Scanpix

Sasha Vezenkov played his first game for the Sacramento Kings in the pre-season and shared his thoughts after the debut.

Aleksandr Vezenkov

Position:PFAge:28Height:206 cmWeight:102 kgBirth place:Nicosia, Côte d'IvoireProfileNewsStatistics

In a 99-112 loss against the Toronto Raptors, Vezenkov was the top scorer of his team, finishing the game with12 points (2/3 2PT, 2/4 3PT, 2/2 FT), 2 rebounds, and 1 assist in 11 minutes of play.

"It's always different when you played and not seeing it on TV," Vezenkov shared his first impressions after the game. "It was our first pre-season game. We're still trying to collect all the pieces together and trying to play better."

"Obviously, the result wasn't the best, but we keep trusting our process, practice, and we have to improve a lot before our first official game," Vezenkov added.

Vezenkov also compared the NBA with the EuroLeague, highlighting one main difference.

"It's a different game. Even though it's a pre-season, the pace is different. It's [the NBA] a little bit faster. Over there [in the EuroLeague], it's more reading [of the game]. It's two totally different games. Every game has its own beauty," Vezenkov said.

Nevertheless, Vezenkov believes that he will get used to NBA basketball sooner rather than later.

"Yeah, I'm working every day. There's no other way, I said it many times. You have to face it, challenge, fail, race, and go through it. I don't expect to be 100% from the first day. I need to work every day, stay locked in, and help the team," the Bulgarian continued.

Vezenkov also made his first shot right from the moment he checked in into the game.

"It's always nice, but I'm trying to help the team in different aspects. As I said, every game, I will try to be better, and I will be better," Vezenkov said with confidence.

Everyone knows Vezenkov can shoot, but did Coach Brown ask for him to provide in more parts of the game?

"Yeah, of course. His philosophy and mentality starts from defense. Everybody, including myself, has to be very solid in the defensive part. The physicality will be our defensive identity. And on offense, he knows what I can and trying to do, so I think everything will be good," Vezenkov concluded.

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