Vasiljevic played for the Kings in the playoffs, nailing an NBA ranged three to win Game 2 of the best-of-five series. Since returning to his family in Melbourne, he has begun to realize that he is an NBL championship winner.
He re-signed with the Kings but with NBA and European opt-out clauses as he aims to be in the NBA next season. If not, he will choose the best option between Europe or helping the Kings face each other.
“I was able to bounce back to where I think I was better this year than I was last year,” Vasiljevic said.
“I hit my recovery full force. I didn’t get emotional. I knew I had a long recovery coming up and I just wanted to attack it.
He speaks to multiple teams and is confident his accomplishments with the Kings are highly valued by American teams, who use the summer league to decide which players to sign for preseason deals.
“Some teams have me on their board as one of the best international shooters, so it’s a big compliment for my work ethic,” Vasiljevic said.
“It’s cool, but I have so much more to prove. When you go there, you play against different athletes who are much faster, much more athletic. I can’t wait for it.
Boston’s meteoric run to the NBA Finals
The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors announce their best of seven NBA Finals on Friday (AEST).
The Warriors will have home-court advantage, which means they will host the first two games as well as, if necessary, games five and seven. But the Celtics’ winning run should not be overlooked.
In 100 regular season and play-off games, the Celtics have gone 25-25 [win-loss] to start the season, then 38-12 in their last 50 games after bringing in guard Derrick White and center Daniel Theis late in the season.
Jayson Tatum’s Celtics will face the very experienced Warriors in the NBA Finals.Credit:PA
But the Warriors have a huge advantage in NBA Finals experience thanks to championship winners Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Kevon Looney, who have a combined 1,930 points in NBA Finals games. the NBA. Everyone in the series, including the full Celtics roster, has zero.
Could Snyder leave the Jazz?
Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder coached Australians Joe Ingles and Dante Exum during his eight years in Salt Lake City.
ESPN reported Wednesday that Synder could leave the team if contract extension talks do not improve. ESPN also said there were no threats to walk away or end the talks from either side.
Snyder is recovering from hip replacement surgery, which he underwent in the days following the Jazz’s elimination from the playoffs.
Snyder and Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr have eight seasons with their current NBA employer, and Utah has a six-year postseason streak.
Only Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs) and Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat) have been employed by their current team as head coaches longer than Snyder.
Difficult week for Australians in the WNBA
Seattle Storm duo Ezi Magbegor and Steph Talbot were put on WNBA COVID-19 protocols on Sunday, while Alanna Smith was let go by the Indiana Fever.
Magbegor and Talbot are yet to join their team and have missed two games so far. They were joined in protocols by Storm stars Sue Bird and Mercedes Russell, while Fever’s decision to waive Smith came as a surprise after signing her off-season and seeing her put in promising performances in the first matches.
COVID-19 Protocols: Ezi Magbegor.Credit:Getty Images
All three are in contention to play for the Opals at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Sydney in September, although they will all want to return to the pitch to stay in top form.
Australian guard Kristy Wallace bucked the trend of having a career-high 17 points in Atlanta Dream’s win over Phoenix on Monday AEST.
Wallace entered the starting lineup and she continues to carve out a place for herself on the Opals team.
WNBL coaches, key dates locked
The WNBL has announced key dates and format for the 2022-23 season.
The pre-season kicks off on September 21 with the first leg kicking off on November 3, just over a month after the World Cup ends in Sydney.
The regular season will end on March 5, with each club playing 21 games. The semi-finals and the grand final will be played in the best of three series.
Adelaide Lightning and Bendigo Spirit have named their coaches for the upcoming WNBL season: retired Opals guard Nat Hurst and former New Zealand coach Kennedy Kereama will take on those roles, respectively.
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