The question is already being asked and it will be necessary to wait a few months before having an answer: can Vasilije Micic really succeed in the NBA? For his now ex-teammate in Istanbul, Shane Larkin, it is possible if he does not deny his style and his game.
The playmaker went through the NBA, for four seasons and 256 games played between 2013 and 2018, and advised him to land in the United States with the same ambition as he displayed in Europe.
“He asked me how he should play in the NBA, what his state of mind should be, and I told him to come with the same one he had at Efes”, explains Shane Larkin for Basketball News. “You have to come up with the idea of being aggressive as soon as you touch the ball. Never take possession lightly. Offensively, he will have to be himself. And defensively, do what is asked of him. »
The former Brooklyn or Boston knows that Vasilije Micic, in Oklahoma City, will probably not be the dominant player or the star he was in Turkey.
However, he must impose his qualities and not withdraw as he did before.
“Anyone who has been in this situation knows that he will have a different role in the NBA, but that should not change the player he is,” he continues. “My biggest regret when I arrived in the NBA was telling myself that I was going to play with Vince Carter, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, so that I had to leave the ball to them. They were All-Stars, superstars, who had been in the league for 12, 15 or 20 years, and I was just a rookie. Therefore, I did not take advantage of this opportunity. I don’t want him to go through this. »
Shane Larkin therefore hopes to see Vasilije Micic in the NBA, a strong attacker, pick-and-roll expert and decisive player that he knew in the Euroleague, and not a pale copy, shy next to his American teammates…
“I don’t want him to go to the NBA and not be himself. That he does not turn into a setter above all, who is not aggressive and does not take his shots at 3-pts. If he is not himself, at the end of his adventure, he will have regrets. My advice is: be yourself. At worst, what can happen to you? You will come back to Europe and you will be the highest paid player in the team you want. »
