By Kostas Psimoulis
Mega Vizura’s Vasilije Micic has been on the radar of many NBA teams for quite some time. Despite being just 20 years old, Micic is considered very experienced for his age having participated in all of Serbia’s youth squads, while having already represented Serbian senior team in the Eurobasket. Additionally, Micic saw his first minutes with Mega Vizura’s men’s squad back in 2011-2012. This year the Serbian guard has been playing solid basketball, trying to keep his team in the ABA league for the next season. Lately, Micic managed to earn MVP honors in the Serbian Cup final, even though his team lost to Crvena Zvezda. The tricky part when evaluating an NBA prospect is not how many positive characteristics he possesses but which ones will carry over to the NBA. Speaking of how his game will translate to the NBA, there are some questions about his lack of speed and lateral quickness, defensive upside and shot consistency.
What’s his niche
Micic is a tall and strong guard who possesses excellent court vision, ball and passing skills. Standing at 6-foot-5 he has the privilege to see over the defense and make passes most guards are not capable of making. He’s a cerebral point guard in terms of how he can manage the team, set up his teammates and control the tempo of the game. Micic never gets panicked, instead he keeps his head high and probes the defense until options open up. Thanks to size and vision, Micic does have the ability to recognize the position of all the help defenders on the floor, and once he reads how they’re matching up against his teammates he can make the right pass to the right man. He rarely forces the issue, instead he’s steady enough and looks to exploit any cracks in the defense.
Micic is craft with his dribble, knowing how to slow things down or speed up depending on the situation. He’s by no means quick but he can make up for that with the ability to change speeds and directions with his dribble. He can still tighten his handles because he becomes loose at times, but given his age his ball handling is at a solid level. You can’t help but love the poise and steadiness he brings to the table as a point guard. Micic has all the tools to become the next great European Pick N Roll guard if he chooses to stay in Europe. No matter the lever you play at, those attributes are important and can be carried over to the NBA.
Defensive upside
The NBA is filled with freakishly athletic guards who can attack slow-footed opponents and get into the middle of the floor. There are indeed legit question marks about Micic’s capability to hold his own on that end of the floor. Micic has the reputation of someone who competes, brings energy and doesn’t take plays off. His size and strength help him to disrupt opposing ball handlers, however his lack of lateral quickness gives him many problems against shifty guards in Europe, as opponents can blow by him (if he keeps himself close enough), shoot over him (if he keeps a distance) or earn fouls as Micic has the habit to hand check opponents that get a step on him.
It’s safe to assume that Micic will never be a better than average defender in the NBA, however a smart team with a good defensive system can minimize some of his weaknesses. Micic has the suitable size to fit in the shooting guard position, so he can "hide" himself against a much preferred match-up. With the way analytics have flushed NBA, keeping people in front on the defensive end has become a top priority. A smart defensive structure, where Micic would know exactly where and how he should position himself, will indeed hide some of his potentially defensive struggles. Nevertheless, this sounds as the best case scenario. The team that’s going to draft him should accept that Micic might bring some defensive issues to both guard positions.
Suitable comparison
When he entered the NBA a few years ago, most people around the league wondered if has a place in the NBA. Honestly speaking, nothing suggested that he can be an NBA player, but Greivis Vasquez proved everyone wrong and dominated games in both regular season and playoff series. Sure, he’s not that good to stay for many years on the same team, but he’s been good enough (he’s also under the rookie contact) to be considered a nice filler in trades. Vasquez lacks speed, athleticism and lateral quicks, but it’s his ability to run a team that keeps him in the league. He has almost the same size as Micic, excellent court vision and passing skills. Moreover, he’s managed to put up nice Assist Rates every year, even though he’s changed four teams since the time he entered the league. Both know how to play the game and how to make everyone involved. Vasquez is a bit more creative, whereas Micic can be better in terms of foot speed, strength and overall defense. And of course Vasquez still can’t shoot the ball.
Shooting can increase his ceiling
Micic does have a nice form on his shot and a quite high release. Seems that he’s improved since last year in terms of shot preparation as he now does a better job of squaring his body to the basket. He still lacks consistency and balance, especially in off-the-bounce situations as he tends to lean forward after he stops his dribble, something that messes his balance and lets the ball hit the rim hard. His percentages from both the U19 World Championship and last year’s Serbian league were more or less close to 38%. However, this season Micic struggles with his efficiency from beyond the arc. The same can be said for his efficiency from the free throw line, as Micic doesn’t show the necessary focus and mentality every single time. Goes without saying that if Micic manages to make his shot a consistent weapon, passing angles will open up as opponents will be forced to respect his ability to make shots.
NBA or Europe
Draftexpress.com projects Micic an early second round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. While we still don’t know his intentions concerning the timing of his move in the NBA, seems that his side keeps all options open. Micic could sign a great contact in Europe with a high level Euroleague team, and then move to the NBA when he feels ready to do so. Micic has made clear many times that his dream is to play in the NBA, thus the scenario of him moving to the States right away can’t be excluded. Anyway, I can’t see Micic end up being a far better NBA player than the likes of Greivis Vasquez, Gal Mekel or Nick Calathes. All of them are steady guards, who think the game and make the right things without hurting the offensive flow. On the other hand, if he stays in Europe his upside is through the roof.
Twitter of the author: @Gus_bball
Photo: MN Press
