Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown impressed with Sasha Vezenkov’s game at EuroBasket 2022
Kings owner Vivek Ranadive and coach Mike Brown have been in Europe to watch Domantas Sabonis and Alex Len represent their countries at EuroBasket 2022, but there’s another player in the tournament worth watching.
The Kings also hold the rights to reigning Greek League MVP Sasha Vezenkov, a 27-year-old forward who has been sensational while putting up big numbers for Bulgaria. The Kings were unable to reach an agreement to bring Vezenkov to Sacramento for the upcoming NBA season, but they plan to revisit those talks next summer.
Vezenkov had 28 points and 14 rebounds in a 92-80 victory over Georgia on Tuesday, helping his team improve to 2-2 in pool play. Vezenkov has recorded three double-doubles in four games for Bulgaria, averaging 27.0 points and 12.0 rebounds. He is shooting 54.1% from the field and 43.3% from 3-point range on 7.5 attempts per game.
“He’s big and versatile,” Brown told Eurohoops.net. “He can shoot the ball. He’s a veteran and he’s just smart. He just knows how to play the game.”
Vezenkov ranks first in rebounding and second in scoring in EuroBasket competition. Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo (31.0 ppg) is the only player with a higher scoring average. Antetokounmpo moved ahead of Vezenkov with a 41-point performance in Tuesday’s 99-79 victory over Ukraine.
The Kings acquired the rights to Vezenkov on June 23 when they traded a second-round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers on the night of the NBA draft. The Kings invited Vezenkov to Las Vegas to meet with team officials during the NBA Summer League, but Vezenkov ultimately canceled that meeting and elected to remain in Europe.
“We were hoping he could come out so we’d get to know him a little bit and take a look at him, but he had other commitments this summer, especially with the national team and all this stuff,” Brown said. “We have his rights, so we’ll circle back at him next summer.”
Vezenkov, a 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward, was named Greek League MVP for the second time in July after leading Olympiacos to its first championship since 2016. Vezenkov was recently asked about the possibility of signing with Sacramento next summer.
“It’s a big season,” Vezenkov told Eurohoops.net. “I have a big priority with my team, Olympiacos, in what will be a very difficult year. My only thought is to stay focused and stay healthy, to give everything I can (to Olympiacos). And then we will see. Next summer is 10 months away. The first thing is to be healthy and we will see.”
This story was originally published September 6, 2022 at 1:23 PM.
