Tag: Vasilije Micic

Recap: Sunday’s 2023-24 OKC Thunder training camp

Here’s a quick recap of Sunday’s Thunder training camp as Mark Daigneault, Kenrich Williams and Aaron Wiggins spoke to media.

The Oklahoma City Thunder held the final day of training camp on Sunday ahead of their preseason opener against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, Oct. 9.

After camp, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and wings Kenrich Williams and Aaron Wiggins spoke with the media.

During the session, Daigneault revealed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss their preseason opener for rest purposes, and Vasilije Micic will miss it due to an ankle sprain.

Practice footage was also recorded and tweeted by media who were in attendance on Sunday.

Let’s recap what the trio had to say as the 2023-24 training camp comes to a close.

Vasilije Micic explains decision to finally join the OKC Thunder

“I’ve been honestly working for nine years to reach NBA.”

One of the biggest questions heading into the 2023-24 Oklahoma City Thunder media day centered on Vasilije Micic and the timing of his NBA arrival.

After being drafted late in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft, Micic spent the following nine years slowly working to become one of the best international players in the world.

In his time overseas, the 29-year-old won several accolades — both as an individual and as a team. In the meantime, the Philadelphia 76ers owned his draft rights until a late 2020 trade with the Thunder.

Since that trade, questions have flourished whether Micic would ever join the NBA. He finally did this summer when he signed a three-year deal with OKC.

For Micic, a common desire by both parties is the biggest reason he finally made the NBA jump — citing aligned goals.

“Honestly this was last summer I was looking for NBA because I felt like I’m 29 years old, and still I feel very excited about basketball and enthusiastic.

But after this summer I would not think obviously to consider NBA because I felt like reaching out the highest level in Europe is very hard, too, staying there and being able to play on that level is very, very difficult thing. I was very happy there, too.

But I’m very happy that this finally happened because I’ve been honestly working for nine years to reach NBA, so I think it was worth it.”

Prior to joining the Thunder, Micic said he heard positive reviews about the organization from Serbian NBA players. The feedback helped him get comfortable with the decision to join OKC this offseason.

“Before I came, I’ve heard many positive things from the other people, especially from Serbians who were already in the NBA about the organization. They all had very positive comments and opinions. I’m completely on the same page with them.

I think this organization, it’s a very, very good organization in terms of facility, the approach to the players, starting from the gym with trying to do his best and then coaches. I feel every day when I come to the gym that everybody does their best that day.

It kind of gives you extra motivation, too. And then the players, they are so humble, they are so competitive and ready to work, that also can give me additional boost even though I’m a little bit older to them that’s the main thing.”

The 29-year-old also mentioned wanting a new challenge after reaching the mountaintop of international basketball already with several championships and MVP awards.

“But I feel like somehow I’ve got to challenge myself once again, and I feel like that I said to the coach, too, I can be maybe this year the most excited guy on the court even though I’m older than that.

Yeah, that’s the main thing that drives me. When you reach some level of success over there, you kind of want to spread your potential out, and I feel this call came on time. As I said, if I didn’t get this one, I would probably stay there until the end.

But with the conditions that they gave me and with the respect they gave me so far from Thunder, I feel like it’s more than enough for me to come and challenge myself.”

After endless speculation, seeing Micic in a Thunder jersey felt like a moment years in the making. Now that he’s finally in OKC, the next step in their relationship will be determining his role throughout his tenure with the Thunder.

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Sam Presti explains why now was the right time to add Vasilije Micic

“I just think it kind of lined up and made sense.”

The Oklahoma City Thunder threw a curveball to their fans this offseason with the addition of Vasilije Micic.

After years of teasing, Micic finally made the jump to the NBA when he signed a three-year deal with the Thunder. OKC acquired his draft rights in a 2020 trade with the Philadelphia 76ers headlined by Al Horford.

The former EuroLeague MVP established himself as one of the best international players since being drafted late in the second round in 2014. The 29-year-old is a highly decorated guard who has won the EuroLeague championship twice (2021, 2022).

When asked about why the move happened now instead of previous offseasons, Thunder general manager Sam Presti spoke about how the timing worked out this time around, which wasn’t always the case as Micic had other obligations and goals.

“This is one thing about personnel decisions in the NBA. You don’t get to choose when things happen. In another point in time, in a hypothetical situation, oh, we’d really like to have this type of player to complement the team. Like we don’t just get to go pick that player off the other team. Because if we really want them, the other team really wants them too and they have value. Just because you have a specific want at a given time and you might know there’s a player that fits, the other people have to participate.

In his case, he had a contract overseas. He had goals, I think, personal goals and team goals to try to achieve overseas. We always had pretty good communication, and there was one year where there was no out in the contract.

I just think it kind of lined up and made sense.

But there’s just all these different factors. Like I always say, everything is kind of always moving. Nothing stands still. To get a trade done or a signing done, so many things have to fall into place, and in this case, a lot of things kind of just fell into place and it made sense.

As far as his game goes, I think everybody knows the NBA is very, very favorable to skill players that know how to play, that are really good with the ball and can anticipate how to serve the game.

He has a lot of that.

Now, how will that translate? I can’t give you that answer. I certainly know that we’re not going to see him play in the first 10, 20 games and go, we have our answer. It’s going to be something that he has to learn, we have to learn him. There’s no fixed mindset on what exactly he can do or can’t do.

It’s also relative to who he’s on the floor with, too.

You can have elite skills in some area, but you’re never going to have complementary skills to your elite skills. That comes from other people.

Team are really good when they’re very complementary. It’s not just like an assembly of talent. At some level it has to find its sea level together, and we’ll see if he has some good combinations with us.”

Micic enters his rookie season as the biggest wild card on the Thunder roster. He could be the sixth man, completely out of the rotation or anywhere in between by the end of the season.

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OKC Thunder 3 goals: What Vasilije Micic has to accomplish in 2023-24 season

Here are 3 goals Vasilije Micic can achieve this upcoming season.

In this continuing series, Thunder Wire assigns three goals to each of the 21 players, per Spotrac, that make up the Oklahoma City Thunder roster.

The Thunder’s season kicks off on Oct. 25 against the Chicago Bulls. After a surprising 40-42 campaign that ended a win shy of the playoffs, OKC enters this year with playoff aspirations.

Let’s assign three goals for Vasilije Micic. The 29-year-old was OKC’s biggest free agent signing this offseason. After years of teasing, he finally decided to play in the NBA after an illustrious overseas career that involved championships and individual awards.

The Thunder own a young roster, so Micic is one of the rare players above the age of 25. Which means his best years of basketball are right now and not in the distant future.

Vasilije Micic’s OKC Thunder jersey number revealed

Vasilije Micic’s jersey number was finally revealed.

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The biggest outside addition to the Oklahoma City Thunder outside the draft this offseason finally revealed his jersey number.

After years of speculation, decorated international player Vasilije Micic finally made the jump to the NBA. He signed a three-year, $23.5 million deal with the Thunder.

Now we know what his jersey number will be. Micic will wear No. 29 for the Thunder. He becomes the first Thunder player since Mike Wilks in 2010 to sport the number.

Micic wore the No. 22 with Anadolu Efes, his former club. But that number was taken by first-round lottery rookie Cason Wallace after he was drafted  10th overall by the Thunder in the 2023 NBA draft.

The 29-year-old Micic will provide the Thunder with depth at the guard spot; the former EuroLeague MVP was one of the best non-NBA players around the world prior to officially signing with OKC.

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Aleksej Pokusevski listed on Team Serbia’s roster; Vasilije Micic sits out FIBA World Cup

Serbia will have Aleksej Pokusevski but not Vasilije Micic on its FIBA World Cup roster.

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The 2023 FIBA World Cup will feature several Oklahoma City Thunder players. The latest addition to the list is Aleksej Pokusevski, who was listed on Team Serbia’s roster on Monday.

Notably, Vasilije Micic was not listed on the roster. He reportedly is opting out of the event to focus on transitioning to the Thunder. He signed a three-year deal with OKC this offseason.

Pokusevski has spent most of the offseason rehabbing a small right humerus fracture he suffered in June. It looks like the rehab process on his shoulder has gone smoothly; he was listed on Serbia’s roster.

The 2023 FIBA World Cup is scheduled to take place from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10. The full Serbian roster can be viewed below:

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OKC Thunder officially sign Vasilije Micic to multiyear deal

The Thunder have officially added Vasilije Micic.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Monday they had officially signed Vasilije Micic.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the signing on July 1. Micic signed a three-year, $23.5 million deal.

With the addition, the Thunder adds one of the best international players. The 29-year-old is a highly decorative guard who has won the EuroLeague championship twice, 2021 and 2022, and the Turkish League championship three times in 2019, 2021 and 2023. He also won the EuroLeague MVP in 2021.

Micic spent the last four seasons with the Anadolu Efes. In 34 games last season, he averaged 17.5 points on 46.1% shooting, 4.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds. He also shot 33.9% from 3.

The Thunder acquired Micic’s draft rights from the Philadelphia 76ers in 2020 in the Al Horford trade. He was drafted in the second round (52nd) of the 2014 NBA draft.

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NBA Twitter reacts to Thunder signing Vasilije Micic

Here are the best tweets reacting to the Thunder adding Vasilije Micic:

The Oklahoma City Thunder made a splash on the second day of free agency as they finally brought in Vasilije Micic.

After years of speculation, the Thunder signed Micic to a three-year, $23.5 million deal. The former EuroLeague MVP immediately strengthens OKC’s depth as the third-best guard on the team.

It felt like momentum was starting to build up in recent weeks over Micic finally making the NBA jump. He recently visited OKC for the first time ever and Thunder general manager Sam Presti spoke glowingly about the 29-year-old.

Let’s look at some of the best tweets surrounding Micic’s official arrival to the NBA nine years after being drafted.

Grading the OKC Thunder’s 2023 offseason additions

Handing out a grade for the Thunder’s newest faces.

The Oklahoma City Thunder had a busy first couple of days of free agency.

It started off on Friday night when they completed a trade with the Miami Heat to acquire the injured Victor Oladipo’s $9.5 million expiring salary and two future second-round picks.

On Saturday, the Thunder finally landed international superstar Vasilije Micic after years of teasing with a three-year deal. Later that day, the Thunder also added Jack White to a two-year deal after spending last season with the Denver Nuggets on a two-way contract.

On Sunday, the Thunder continued to fortify their draft resources by acquiring Patty Mills‘ expiring salary for additional draft compensation.

Barring something dramatic, this should relatively end the Thunder’s notable offseason moves. The Thunder will likely carry the allowed 20 players on standard deals into training camp and let them battle it out for the 15 spots.

With that said, let’s look at all of the new Thunder additions and give them a grade. For the draft edition of grading the selections of Cason Wallace and Keyontae Johnson, click here.

Report: OKC Thunder sign Vasilije Micic to 3-year, $23.5 million deal

The Thunder finally bring on Vasilije Micic after years of speculation.

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After years of speculation, the Oklahoma City Thunder finally added former EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micic to their roster.

The Thunder and Micic agreed to a three-year, $23.5 million deal, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Over the last several weeks, it felt like momentum was heading in this direction. Micic visited OKC for the first time, which Thunder general manager Sam Presti commented on following last week’s rookie introductory presser.

“I don’t really have anything specific I can get into right now. He was obviously here, which is great because it’s been something we wanted — to have him on-site at some point — but he’s such an accomplished player. He’s always playing in a tournament or a national team or deep into the summer, but it was great,” Presti told reporters following the presser. “We know him very well. He’s got a great relationship with our organization. But it was really nice to spend some time with him while he was on our soil and it was great. But I couldn’t tell you exactly what that means as of yet.”

With the addition, the Thunder adds one of the best international players. The 29-year-old is a highly decorative guard who has won the EuroLeague championship twice, 2021 and 2022, and the Turkish League championship three times in 2019, 2021 and 2023. He also won the EuroLeague MVP in 2021.

Micic spent the last four seasons with the Anadolu Efes. In 34 games last season, he averaged 17.5 points on 46.1% shooting, 4.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds. He also shot 33.9% from 3.

The Thunder acquired Micic’s draft rights from the Philadelphia 76ers in 2020 in the Al Horford trade. He was drafted in the second round (52nd) of the 2014 NBA draft.

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