Kings media day: Sacramento buzzing over Sasha Vezenkov’s shooting as training camp begins
Sacramento is buzzing over Sasha Vezenkov’s shooting ability as the Kings prepare to open training camp Tuesday.
Vezenkov, a 28-year-old rookie who was named EuroLeague MVP last season, received ringing endorsements from the team’s two biggest stars when the Kings reconvened for media day Monday at their Golden 1 Center practice facility.
All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis said Vezenkov is probably the best shooter on the team. All-NBA point guard De’Aaron Fox went even further, calling Vezenkov one of the best shooters on Earth.
“Man, he shoots the (heck) out of the ball,” Fox said. “It’s crazy. One of our shooting drills, I think it’s like 150 shots, and I think he missed seven. … We want him to be comfortable and we want him to know he has a green light to shoot the ball.
“He’s one of the best shooters in the world. That’s why you’re here. We want you to shoot the ball. If you think it’s a bad shot, it might not actually be a bad shot, but once he gets it going, man, it’s like the net’s not even moving. It’s crazy watching him shoot the ball.”
Vezenkov was a three-time Greek League MVP with Olympiacos. The Kings signed him to a three-year, $20 million contract in July, a year after acquiring his draft rights in a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward is settling in nicely and getting acclimated with his new teammates.
“I feel great,” Vezenkov said. “I’m already one month here. Everything is going good. This whole organization of Sacramento make me feel like my second family here, so I’m really thankful. Thankful to my family, too, who are here with me and helping me, and I can’t wait to start.”
Vezenkov has wasted little time in making an impression on his teammates. He has even impressed Kings guard Kevin Huerter, who was chosen to participate in the 3-Point Contest last season at All-Star Weekend.
“Sasha shoots the hell out of the ball,” Huerter said. “He’s come in here and broken all our shooting records that we had last year. … He’s a shot maker, so he’s really exciting.”
The Kings reached the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference last season while leading the league in scoring (120.7 ppg) and recording the highest offensive rating (119.4) in NBA history. Their offense might be even more lethal with Vezenkov, who could be dangerous in the dribble-handoff game with Sabonis.
“That’s going to be big,” Sabonis said. “I feel like he’s a really smart player and he’ll know how to exploit defenses on the things they throw at him, and he can really shoot it. He’s probably the best shooter on the team and we’re going to have to use that to our advantage.”
This story was originally published October 3, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
