He had the right to turn on the purple laser that pierces the Sacramento night during the Kings’ victories. Sasha Vezenkov was not the best scorer of the match against the Cavaliers but he undoubtedly had his best game in the NBA with 11 points in 17 minutes coming off the bench, 4/6 shooting including 3/5 from distance.
Taking advantage of good gaps, and shooting as fast as ever, the reigning Euroleague MVP notably made a string of successes at the end of the first quarter, to offer his team the first lead of the match.
“I think he’s having a lot more fun.” explained De’Aaron Fox about his teammate. “Obviously, he comes in and he doesn’t know anyone. He came alone, I think. So it’s a different transition for him. It’s hard and it’s something none of us have ever really had to do. It’s different to change state (in the USA), it’s not the same as crossing the ocean. »
“You can see he’s enjoying playing basketball right now.”
An always delicate transition for Euroleague stars, especially when they arrive in the NBA in the middle of their career. They have to adapt to a different environment, different rules and different expectations, with Mike Brown especially calling on Sasha Vezenkov to hold up in defense.
“I have the impression that he is starting to enjoy himself” continued De’Aaron Fox, a fan of his new teammate for many weeks. “Obviously he’s making shots, and I feel like that takes a weight off you. You can see he’s enjoying playing basketball right now. It’s good for him, and it’s good for us.”
For Mike Brown, having Sasha Vezenkov on the field “opens up a lot of space for everyone”.
“It makes opponents think twice before rotating on other players, so guys will have completely open shots when he’s on the court, just because he’s there.”
