Sasha Vezenkov still is acclimating to the NBA, but he showed positive signs on the offensive end for the Kings during his preseason debut on Sunday.
The Kings brought back many of the same pieces from their playoff roster this offseason, but coach Mike Brown has some things to figure out regarding the different rotations and lineups for the 2023-24 NBA season with a few newcomers, including the reigning EuroLeague MVP.
Brown has a few weeks to figure it out before the Kings' season opener on Oct. 25, but he shared whether Vezenkov will be in the rotation at the beginning of the season.
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"That's a great question. I don't know if he will be or not," Brown said (h/t FOX40's Sean Cunningham). "He's just got to keep fighting his behind off and getting better every opportunity that he gets, whether that's in practice, shoot-around or in the game."
Vezenkov played in his first NBA preseason game Sunday against the Toronto Raptors in Vancouver, BC. Sacramento dropped the preseason opener 112-99, but the 28-year-old forward gave fans something to be excited about in the 11 minutes he played.
The Kings rookie dropped a team-high 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field (2 of 4 from 3-point range), adding two rebounds and one assist.
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While Brown allows Vezenkov to grow and adapt, it's clear that the coach will take it day by day with his rotation.
"He played well for us offensively, I thought, against Toronto," Brown said. "He's getting better. And like I said, we're just taking a look at different combinations. We may throw Sasha in with the second five, and [Chris] Duarte with the third five.
"The only thing that may not happen is I don't think I'll mess with the starting five, but the second to third five can change at any time. But Sasha, again, showed some of his versatility on the offensive end of the floor for us that will expect to see come this year."