OKC Thunder Rookie Struggles in First Two Preseason Games
When 29-year-old Vasilije Micic announced that he was making the jump to the NBA this summer, Thunder fans rejoiced.
The 6-foot-5 ball-handler enjoyed an extremely successful career in the EuroLeague before deciding to transition to the NBA. With two EuroLeague Finals MVP awards and a EuroLeague regular season MVP award under his belt, Oklahoma City believed they found a player who would be able to instantly make an impact in the team's lineup.
Micic was originally selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2014 NBA Draft, but his rights were traded to OKC. Finally, nine years later, Micic made the choice to finally join the Thunder.
With his impressive offensive game centered around passing and shooting, Micic seems like he would be a perfect fit in the Modern Frontier. The one area of the Serbian star's game that left Oklahoma City fans and media members with apprehension was his defensive ability.
After missing OKC's first preseason game, Micic has been back in the lineup for the Thunder's last two contests. The 29-year-old rookie played 17 minutes off the bench against the Detroit Pistons on Thursday and 26 minutes as a starter against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday evening.
In these two games, Micic has struggled, going 5-of-17 from the floor and 2-of-11 from 3-point range. Additionally, the former EuroLeague star has looked shaky on defense, having trouble staying in front of his man in transition.
Micic has tallied a total of 13 points, 11 assists, three rebounds, two steals and seven turnovers in his first 43 minutes of NBA Preseason action. While these numbers may make some Thunder fans nervous, and understandably so, Micic has still looked like a solid passer thus far.
If the 6-foot-5 guard is able to stay in the corner on defense and guard kick-out shooting threats who don't run a lot of off-ball motion, Micic should be playable on defense. Fortunately for Sam Presti and company, the Thunder have Cason Wallace, Lu Dort and a handful of other talented defenders who can take on the opposing team's more versatile offensive weapons.
While Micic hasn't been what the team had hoped for yet, there is still plenty of time for the former EuroLeague star to fix the hitches in his game prior to the start of the regular season.
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