Vasilije Micic Is The Other International Philadelphia 76er

Dec 3, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Philadelphia 76ers shorts with logo against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The 76ers defeated the Timberwolves 85-77. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Philadelphia 76ers shorts with logo against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The 76ers defeated the Timberwolves 85-77. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Philadelphia 76ers shorts with logo against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The 76ers defeated the Timberwolves 85-77. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Philadelphia 76ers shorts with logo against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The 76ers defeated the Timberwolves 85-77. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Vasilije Micic Is the Other International Philadelphia 76er

He’s a 22 year old 6′ 5″ 203 pound point guard from Kraljevo, Serbia, (formally Yugoslavia).  He originally signed to play in the Euroleague for FC Bayern Munich.  However, he ruptured his elbow in November of 2014, just months after being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers at the 52nd spot in the 2014 NBA draft.

And that’s about as much as anyone has heard from him.

In the 2014 draft, he was a respected point guard prospect but needed some polish – some refinement.  After all, 6’5″ is a fairly tall point guard.

So how much do you know about Vasilije Micic anyways?  If you are like most Sixers fans, he’s been lost in the shuffle of draft picks and trades and lost in the shadow of power forward Dario Saric.

Strengths

Micic was a solid “pick and stash” in the 2014 draft, a favorite ploy of former GM Sam Hinkie, as he was huge on potential and raw on perfected skills.  Point guard is a favorite position of the NBA nowadays, as he has curious size and skills for a point guard.  He is tall and strong, surprisingly athletic for a taller point guard.  And as is the role for point guards, Micic is a good distributor, creating shooting opportunities for his teammates – he also runs a deceptive pick & roll.  Due to his height, he is a plus when working the boards for the rebound, and he’s not shaken by much going on around him – displaying a maturity beyond his years.

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Weaknesses

Micic has nice accuracy from the floor, but definitely needs to focus on taking accurate three pointers, and in his perimeter shooting overall.  While he does display some physicality, he has room to improve in both strength and in challenging the opposing team for position.  And as is sometimes the case, he can be beaten by faster / smaller point guards.

Highlights

Of course we have highlights for you to watch:

NBA Projection:

An athletic point guard with size is always coveted by the NBA. With the Sixers looking at either Ben Simmons in the front court or Brandon Ingram at the two, Micic is still on the radar for the Sixers.  Whether he can make the bridge from Europe to NBA remains to be seen.

He played a season and a half at Bayern Munich, where he had several injuries – elbow and ankle.  That may have hampered his playing time with the club

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On December 27, 2015, Micić returned to Serbia and signed with Serbian Team KK Crvena Zveda and followed them into the playoffs where they were ushered to the door in four straight games against CSKA Moscow.  Despite 13 minutes per game in the post season, Micic struggled:  shooting just 10% on FG and 14% on 3PT.

Now that he is getting playing time, we can hope that he improves enough to consider offering him an opportunity to play in the summer league and hopefully make the roster.