What can the OKC Thunder expect from Vasilije Micic?

Who is Vasilije Micic and how did he end up here?

Chances are you haven’t seen much of Micic up to this point. Since going pro as a 16-year-old, Vasilije Micic has played his entire career in Europe. Now at 29 years old, he is preparing for his NBA debut.

Micic is a 6’5” Serbian guard who led Anadolu Efes to two EuroLeague titles in 2021 and 2022. Despite the incredible last few seasons, his career was fairly unremarkable throughout much of his 20s. He was drafted 52nd overall in 2014 by the Philadelphia 76ers, who were still in the early phases of The Process. Micic stayed overseas, bouncing across European leagues.

That is, until an unexpected 2018 3rd place EuroLeague run for him and the Lithuanian squad BC Zalgiris earned Micic acclaim and a contract offer from Anadolu Efes. It was here that Micic was able to start playing serious minutes and rack up some hardware: Two EuroLeague Championships, Two EuroLeague Final Four MVPs, Three Turkish League Championships. Since 2020, Micic has become very acquainted with victory.

His ability to elevate his game during crucial moments is something that sets him apart. During both championship runs, Micic averaged more points, rebounds, and assists in the Final Four games than he had across the regular season. Clearly, he is a very accomplished player, but how exactly is he able to impact the game?