It took plenty of convincing for Vasilije Micic to join the Oklahoma City Thunder. It makes sense, considering Micic was a euro-league MVP that was having tons of success overseas.
He was rewarded with a solid contract in Oklahoma City and an opportunity to earn playing time. Before Micic came over, the main concern with his camp seemed to be guaranteed money and guaranteed playing time. He got his money this offseason, but the playing time probably wasn't quite what he had in mind to start the season.
There's probably a reason behind it, given the Thunder's overflow of guard talent and Micic needing to adjust to the NBA speed. He mentioned how tiring the NBA stretches were, and the amount of games would be exhausting for anyone not used to the grind.
It finally looks like Micic has his legs under him, though, and his playing time is beginning to reflect that.
Micic has recorded nearly 15 minutes in each of the past three games and is starting to settle into a distributing role off the bench for the Thunder. He has recorded two points in each appearance, but his real value comes in sharing the rock. In the last three games, he has totaled 10 assists and just one turnover.
He has only appeared in 13 games this season, so three straight appearances seems noteworthy.
In a perfect world, Micic can be another creator off the bench to start the offense when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is out or a knockdown shooter to spread the floor with SGA. His shot hasn't fallen yet, but he has been too good of a shooter across his career to think he won't turn it around.
Mark Daigneault will certainly have playing time to hand out in December, as the team plays five back-to-backs and 17 total games.
Micic will continue his stretch of playing time, and with impactful minutes, he could lock down a rotation spot for the foreseeable future. Having Micic in the playoffs and trusting him to play meaningful minutes would be a big deal for this young Thunder team.
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