CHARLOTTE — Just a month ago, Vasilije Micic’s future with the Charlotte Hornets appeared uncertain.
The Serbian point guard struggled with his ball handling and production all throughout the Hornets’ preseason as he racked up four turnovers in each of his squad’s final three preseason games.
Making a minimal impact on the court, Micic appeared in just four of his team’s first 11 games of the 2024-24 season as Hornets head coach Charles Lee took him out of the team’s rotation, relying on LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann at the point guard position.
However, with Ball (calf) and Mann (back) now sidelined due to injuries, Micic has been given another chance to shine — an opportunity he has taken advantage of as his numbers steadily improve.
The 30-year-old has averaged 12.3 points, 7.2 assists, and 3.3 rebounds over his last six games, as well as 15 points, 9.3 assists, and 2.7 rebounds across his last three outings.
“I stick by what I said in terms of how good of a basketball player he is,” Lee said of Micic during his cold start to this season. “He is continuing to work on his body and work on his game. On top of being a great basketball player, he’s been a total professional right now. He continues to just bring the right attitude and mindset to our gym and to our team every game, talking to our players during timeouts about what he sees.”
On Sunday afternoon, the Hornets (7-17) snapped an eight-game losing skid as Brandon Miller hit two free throws in the final seconds and Charlotte pulled away from Indiana (10-15) in a 113-109 road win.
Miller and his 26 points were undoubtedly the highlight for Charlotte, but Micic was a close second; the former two-time EuroLeague champion and MVP scored a season-high 18 points and commanded the floor with nine assists.
After the win, Micic was asked by a reporter what had changed in his game.
“Minutes,” he responded in a word, acknowledging his increased floor time as of late. “I didn’t chase points, I just played. I feel like right away I shared the ball and found some open looks for my teammates, and then the game just came to me. It was one of those days where you feel a little bit better.”
Micic reflected on the Hornets’ series of close losses throughout their 24 games this season; six of the team’s losses during its eight-game losing streak were by six points or less.
“To be honest, I feel like we are the team that has lost the most games in the last minute,” he said. “We are always right there and we always have the chance to win. Somebody has to win, and once you lose, you have to find that inner motivation and team chemistry to keep fighting and keep believing in the player next to you. I think today we just kept playing the right way and we got a win.”
Micic’s current stretch of play over the past few weeks ranks as some of his best on-court output since coming to the United States in 2023.
In 30 games with the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2023-24 campaign, he had a limited role averaging just 3.3 points and 2.5 assists per game.
His debut NBA season picked up once he was packaged in a trade to the Hornets — along with Davis Bertans, Tre Mann, a 2024 second-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick and cash considerations — in exchange for Gordon Hayward.
Across 30 regular season games for the Hornets last season, Micic averaged 10.8 points, 6.2 assists, and 1.8 rebounds on 43.7% shooting from the field.
There are still no clear timetables set for the return of Ball and Mann, who have averaged to combine for over 45 points a game in their explosive starts to the 2024-25 season. That leaves the door open for Hornets guards Josh Green, DaQuan Jeffries, Isaiah Wong, KJ Simpson, Nick Smith Jr. and Seth Curry to increase their minutes and production.
As of now, however, it appears that Lee trusts Micic to take up the bulk of that work, as evidenced by his 30-plus minutes in five of the Hornets’ past six matchups.
“For me, every game in the NBA is like a final,” Micic said. “I want to do my best and try to prove that I’m capable of playing here. I don’t even know how it looks from the outside, but I just know I gave my best.”
