The Oklahoma City Thunder's Exciting Core Is Even Better With The Long-Awaited Arrival Of EuroLeague MVP Vasilije Micic

Matt Fitzgerald7/19/2023 10:40 PM

It's not often you see a 29-year-old NBA rookie, but that'll be the case when Vasilije Micic suits up for the Thunder this coming season.

After an extremely decorated career in Europe, Micic could be a major X-factor in Oklahoma City's 2023-24 campaign. Or, you know, he'll get buried in the rotation if the Thunder decide to prioritize developing their younger players. I think that'd be stupid, though.

Looking at the other options in OKC's backcourt rotation, it's hard to imagine a savvy, successful coach like Mark Daigneault relegating Micic to mop-up duty. With the understanding that defense is important and wins championships — or so the saying says — the main object of basketball is to, you know, score. And uhh...the guys who Micic is competing with for playing time aren't the best at that.

Tre Mann was drafted back in 2021. In 127 NBA games, he's shooting 39.3% and 33.8% from 3-point range. For whatever defensive value Lu Dort brings to the court, he averaged 13.7 points per contest last season on 38.8% from the field. Rookie lottery pick Cason Wallace is a fine player, but he's only 19 years old. Don't exactly need to press him into duty right away. And uh, do I count Victor Oladipo? I guess? Love the guy but he's always hurt.

All I'm saying is, Sam Presti probably wouldn't go out of his way to pose with Micic for a photo op if he didn't think this recent transaction was kind of a big deal:

Anyway, the only other reserves in OKC's guard group are Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins and TyTy Washington. The latter is not a good shooter. Joe took a major step up in his third year (44.1 FG%/40.9 3P%) after hitting 35.5% of his shots with the Sixers. Wiggins had a nice run of five straight double-figure scoring performances late last season and has done well with the chances he's been given.

Obviously not going to make any guarantees about Micic's playing time because I have no idea what the team's plans are. To me, from the outside looking in, Micic seems like a no-brainer catalyst for OKC's second unit. Not only does this man have literal Steph Curry shooting range, but he's a strong finisher at the rim and has incredible court vision as a playmaker:

Micic's 6-5, 205-pound frame is thicker than all the Thunder guards save for Dort. Plus, he has a 6-7 wingspan, so that should help him make up for a lack of elite athleticism on defense. Again, that end of the court shouldn't matter so much when it comes to Micic's perceived limitations. Chet Holmgren is going to be at least a fringe Defensive Player of the Year candidate as a rookie and elevate the rest of the Thunder so much with his presence alone.

The only issue with Micic's game is he's so ball-dominant, and the Thunder already have a plus-sized distributor in Josh Giddey and a legit superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Giddey and SGA have worked out how to coexist and will only continue to improve their dynamic as Giddey progresses. I personally wouldn't hesitate to push Dort down the depth chart, plug Micic into the starting five and experiment with it a little. However, it's likelier that Micic will begin as a super sub and prove himself in that role before garnering starter consideration.

Check out what this guy has done in the playoffs overseas in a relatively modest average of 28.5 minutes per game:

Pretty damn efficient. Thanks to a larger court size in the NBA compared to the international scene and the wealth of young talent OKC has mined in recent years, there's reason to believe Micic can put up huge numbers even in his first stateside season.

Since the Western Conference is so wide-open and the Thunder managed to finish ninth in 2022-23 despite Holmgren missing the entire season with an injury, I wouldn't put it past OKC to vault into the top six. They're really about to pop. It just remains to be seen how much of a role Micic will have in the squad's anticipated improvement. Given his immense experience and intriguing offensive skill set, I'll be surprised if Micic isn't a key supporting player who gives the Thunder instant scoring and a facilitator who can take some of the burden off of Giddey and SGA.

THUNDER UP.