OKC Thunder: What Might Vasilije Micic's Impact Look Like Off the Bench?

The Serbian guard has finally made his way overseas to compete in the NBA despite being drafted in No. 52 overall in 2014. His impact off the bench looks promising for Oklahoma City ahead of the season.

A two-time EuroLeague champion and 2021 EuroLeague MVP, Vasilije Micic has not been a stranger to success in his nine years of professional hoops.

And now, taking his experience to the NBA by joining Oklahoma City as a 29-year-old rookie, he has the opportunity to leave a footprint on a team whose future is as bright as any ahead of the 2023-24 season.

He’ll join the likes of Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace as Thunder rookies, who will see substantial playing time. Holmgren more than the others, but Wallace and Micic will certainly still allot for plenty of minutes off the bench — although Micic will be the one with more playing time.

The addition of Micic, as the Thunder signed him to a three-year, $25 million contract in early July, will bring an added cushion of depth, and another productive and crafty playmaker to help facilitate the offense in the second unit.

EuroLeague G Vasilije Micić – one of Europe’s best and most accomplished players – has agreed on a 3-year, $23.5M deal to join the Thunder, Jason Ranne of @Wassbasketball tells ESPN. A two-time EuroLeague champion and an MVP, Micic brings a significant skillset and IQ to OKC. pic.twitter.com/SBjxHHRftJ

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2023

Without a Josh Giddey or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the lineup, Micic will seemingly be the floor general on the court with his ability to create offense and scoring opportunities for himself and others.

As an impressive 46% 3-point shooter in his final season with Anadolu Efes, he’ll also bring another spark to the team’s perimeter shooting alongside Isaiah Joe and Wallace. His catch-and-shoot skill will be another layer of scoring within their offense, able to offer spacing for other ball handlers on the court and act available for the kick-out 3-pointer.

Standing at 6-foot-5, he fits the scheme of OKC’s lengthy, versatile guards who can go both ways and provide added perimeter protection defensively as well. Though he’s not a pick-your-pocket kind of on-ball defender, he does have a solid base thanks to his stature and wingspan.

In the Thunder’s case, Micic was an advantageous pickup over the summer for general manager Sam Presti and head coach Mark Daigneault. It gives Daigneault a sense of higher freedom dealing with a confident playmaker in the second unit like Micic, and allows him to stretch minutes between Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey without sweating over who might facilitate the offense once they sit the bench. 

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