In this continuing series, Thunder Wire assigns three goals to each of the 21 players, per Spotrac, that make up the Oklahoma City Thunder roster.
The Thunder’s season kicks off on Oct. 25 against the Chicago Bulls. After a surprising 40-42 campaign that ended a win shy of the playoffs, OKC enters this year with playoff aspirations.
Buy Thunder TicketsLet’s assign three goals for Vasilije Micic. The 29-year-old was OKC’s biggest free agent signing this offseason. After years of teasing, he finally decided to play in the NBA after an illustrious overseas career that involved championships and individual awards.
The Thunder own a young roster, so Micic is one of the rare players above the age of 25. Which means his best years of basketball are right now and not in the distant future.
Be 6th Man
In recent years, the Thunder haven’t had a traditional sixth man on their roster. Minutes distribution usually changed on a nightly basis as a chance to mix and match certain lineups throughout the season.
At 29 years old though, Micic is primed to be one of the Thunder’s better players this upcoming season. His long list of overseas career achievements speaks for itself. There’s a high chance that the Thunder added a top-seven rotation player in Micic.
The best-case scenario for the former EuroLeague MVP is eventually playing himself into the top of the rotation as OKC’s third-best guard. If that happens, then the Thunder will gain a rotation piece for essentially free.
Embrace new role
Micic will undergo quite a change of pace this upcoming season. He’s been the unquestionable best player on several highly-talented international teams.
One of the biggest reasons why it took Micic this long to finally make the jump to the NBA after being drafted in 2014 was concerns over his role. In OKC, he’ll have to experience a culture change from going as the undisputed top option to someone who isn’t guaranteed a rotation spot to start the season.
This is a very volatile situation that could go badly. It could be a bitter pill to swallow for a former EuroLeague MVP in his prime to be fine with younger and unproven players being ahead of him in the rotation. But considering he signed this offseason, odds are he’s already had a conversation with the Thunder on what his role will be this season.
Make All-Rookie Team
How funny would it be if the Thunder had multiple entrants on the two All-Rookie Teams? Barring something crazy, Chet Holmgren will likely make it.
The 2022 No. 2 pick might not be alone as unconventional OKC rookies to earn accolades though. At 29 years old, Micic could see himself get a spot as he’s a win-now player in the middle of his prime.
Traditionally, NBA rookies have very volatile seasons due to their age and inexperience. That won’t be the case for Micic.
Speaking of Thunder rookies who could make All-Rookie, this conversation doesn’t even include Cason Wallace! The 2023 No. 10 pick definitely has a chance to also receive votes. All in all, this is a pretty unique Thunder rookie class that involves three separate drafts that span nine years.
