The Sacramento Kings’ biggest move in the offseason so far was to re-sign forward Harrison Barnes. But it’s another signing – that of Sasha Veznekov – that may be one of the most underrated moves of the NBA offseason.
The Kings signed the forward to a three-year, $20 million deal. ESPN reported. It is expected that he will attend this season after a series in the Greek League and the Euroleague with Olympiacos.
Vezhnikov is not some random European player who is finally ready to come. While the 27-year-old is no spring chicken, the Bulgarian basketball player has honed his craft overseas to become one of the deadliest shooters in professional basketball.
Last season, Vesnikov was named the best player in the Euroleague, basketball’s analogue in the UEFA Champions League. Over the course of his Euroleague career, he has hit 40 percent from three. He’s effective indoors, too, with the 6-foot forward hitting 9 percent of his shots.
What does European striker Sasha Vesnikov bring to the Sacramento Kings after his three-year, $20 million contract?
Vezhnikov has caught the attention of the NBA before. The Brooklyn Nets drafted him at the end of the 2017 NBA draft. Four years later, his rights were shipped to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the complex trade that brought James Harden to Brooklyn. Last year, the Kings acquired the rights to his 49th pick, which Cleveland used on Isaiah Mobley.
There will certainly be a Veznekov mod where he trades one basketball continent for another, but his style of play is a perfect fit for today’s NBA. His ability to shoot lights out from the perimeter, combined with his height from the outside, instantly makes him a formidable offensive weapon that should instantly turn into Mike Brown’s rotation.
Veznikov should be a good fit for the Kings. Their boost last year was helped by the ability to offload the floor with Malik Monk, Kevin Huerter, and more, giving De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis room to work. He could prove to be the best shooter on the list and his quick shooting means defenders can’t fall far behind, especially with his range.
He’s not the most athletic player in history, but he doesn’t need to be. He just needs to be able to get into his spots, which he hasn’t shown any problem doing in Greece or Europe.
The biggest problem with Veznekov is his defense, where his lack of explosiveness can sometimes get him caught. He will likely need to be paired against slower off-the-ball players at that end of the field, lest they burn him. If he could avoid being an obstacle, his offense would offset the defensive warts.
Besides adapting to the game, he will also need to adapt to not being the top choice or even the secondary option on offense. During the game in the Euroleague, he made more than five three-pointers per game. This shot size is not going to be easy in Sacramento.
Veznekov reached an interesting point in his career, accomplishing everything he could individually in Europe. The NBA is the next step, and it’s a path it’s likely to go down for only a few years.
Veznekov is not the most amazing signature. But his shooting ability and experience could make him the most underrated signing of the offseason, pushing the Sacramento Kings to the next level.
- Posted on 02/07/2023 at 19:00 PM
- Last updated on 07/02/2023 at 19:00 PM