Sasha Vezenkov is exactly what the Sacramento Kings need

Euroleague MVP Sasha Vezenkov is exactly what the Sacramento Kings needed this offseason and a great fit with De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.

Six years ago, Sasha Vezenkov was one of the final picks of the 2017 NBA Draft, selected by the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets.

In the time since he was drafted, a lot has changed. Vezenkov’s rights were traded twice — to the Cavaliers in 2021 and then the Kings in 2022.

Vezenkov himself signed with Greek Basketball giants Olympiacos in the summer of 2018 and has since blossomed into one of the best players in the world not in the NBA, culminating in leading Olympiacos to the Euroleague championship game and being named the 2022-23 Euroleague MVP.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report on Saturday, July 1, that the Kings have signed Vezenkov to a three-year deal worth $20 million. While Vezenkov is leaving Europe with some unfinished business his skills and fit with the rising Sacramento Kings is tantalizing.

What can Sasha Vezenkov bring to the Sacramento Kings?

Let’s start with his most NBA-ready skill: shooting. He is not just a good shooter, but a great one, with a wide-ranging shot profile — catch-and-shoot, movement/off-screens, and even one-dribble pull-ups are all in the Bulgarian’s repertoire.

He’s a good mid-range shooter as well, primarily in catch-and-shoot or operating quickly out of the mid-post, particularly on undersized guards.

Vezenkov has been a great shooter for a while, but what has made him an MVP-level player is how he’s expanded his game around his shot. If you closeout to hard he’ll let you fly by and dribble into his floater or mid-range pull-up with ease.

If you’re overplaying his shot and denying him the ball beyond the 3-point line he’ll back cut and finish at the rim, or into open space for a quick catch-and-shoot.

This skill set is what makes Vezenkov a very desirable player for most NBA franchises, not just the Kings. His ability to score in bunches, without needing the ball in his hands, makes him a very malleable offensive player for NBA stars, and in the Kings’ case, a perfect complement to De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.

Vezenkov’s offensive arsenal could go beyond his shooting and cutting. He could potentially be a threat in pick-and-pop, dribble handoff, and pick-and-roll, particularly in the short roll.

The pick-and-pop threat and dribble handoff threats are easy to see based on Vezenkov’s skill as a shooter. Making a defensive mistake in action involving Vezenkov, Fox, Kevin Heurter, or Malik Monk will likely lead to an open shot for a good shooter or open drive.

His potential as a short-roll threat is perhaps the most intriguing to me. Vezenkov didn’t exactly showcase a ton of short roll play last season, or in season’s before for that matter, and he’s not renowned as a great passer.

However, he has shown a clear ability to consistently make the right reads and passes to set up teammates for good shots.

We’ve also seen throughout these clips that he’s got a good floater and mid-range game and is very comfortable passing and relocating quickly to open space.

This means that at the very least, Vezenkov possesses the skills to score out of short roll scenarios and if not taken seriously enough he will likely capitalize. If defenses do close out to him, we will have to see if he makes the right reads consistently enough to be a high-level threat from this position.

Defense is the big NBA question mark for Sasha Vezenkov

We’ve talked a lot about offense so far, not so much about defense, and that is intentional.

Simply put, Vezenkov is not a good defender. He’s not awful! He’s tall, has decent length, and is a good rebounder. But his lateral movement has room for improvement, he’s not an impressive leaper, and his hips are stiff.

His build (6-foot-9, 225) is a smidge below former Golden State Warrior Nemanja Bjelica (6-foot-10, 235). No, Bjelica was not a good defender, but as he became more experienced in the NBA he figured out how to use his strength and length to hold his own even in mismatches with quicker players.

The slow-footedness pairing with Sabonis will for sure be a concern for the Kings, but if Vezenkov’s offensive output is optimized I’m sure coach Mike Brown will find a way to hide their defensive inefficiencies.

This leads to the final question of how exactly does Vezenkov fit with the Kings? Will he be a plus for their rotation? If so, whose minutes AND shots is he taking?

Let’s work backward on those questions. For starters, Terence Davis is likely on the way out. That’s roughly 13 minutes, 6 field-goal attempts, and 4 3-point attempts per game that have now opened up. From there, Trey Lyles played 16.9 minutes and averaged 5.5 field goal attempts per game; Kessler Edwards played 13.9 minutes and averaged 3.1 shots per game.

At a minimum, the expectation would be that Vezenkov takes the bulk of Davis’ minutes and shots. Should he play very well, it would not surprise me if he took minutes and shots from Lyles and Edwards, more the latter than the former.

Is that a plus for the Kings’ rotation? Probably. In a league heavily dedicated to the 3-point shot — both in volume and in accuracy — Vezenkov is an upgrade over Davis. The Kings were sixth in the league at 37.3 3-point attempts per game last season and shot 36.9 percent from deep, which was good enough for ninth-best in the league. Vezenkov’s addition should provide an opportunity for improvement on those numbers.

That dovetails into the final question: Is Vezenkov a good fit for the Kings? He is. And that’s more a testament to what was discussed earlier about how malleable his game is and also the Kings’ star duo of Fox and Sabonis.

Sabonis is arguably the best passing big man in the league not named Nikola Jokic. He averaged 7.3 assists per game last season, and Vezenkov’s off-ball intelligence, quickfire release, and overall shooting threat will fit perfectly with Sabonis’ ability to set up teammates. Fox is one of the best drivers in the league, an absurdly good finisher at the rim, and that pressure will force defenses to collapse which will leave Vezenkov open and give him space to move into.

In short, Vezenkov will very likely be a bonus for the Kings. He’s a lights-out shooter, great cutter, and overall intelligent player who will play well off of Fox and Sabonis. At less than $7 million per year, he’s already good value.

If he’s able to hold his own defensively, become a better off-hand finisher at the rim, and potentially become a viable threat in pick-and-pop, DHO’s, and in the short roll he’ll be a steal at the price.

For the first time in a long time, there’s been plenty to be happy about for Kings fans, and Vezenkov’s signing should only add to the good vibes radiating through the capital of California.

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