Bulgaria’s No. 1 athlete Alexander Vezenkov faced the American media for a press conference where he talked about his first season with the Sacramento Kings and the NBA. The native national revealed the difficulties and problems he encountered in the strongest basketball championship and shared his plans for the coming months. He also found a positive side to the early end of the season for the Kings.
“I can say that it was a strange season. With highs and lows. For me it was the beginning of a new life and a touch with a completely different style of play, and also I got two injuries. I tried to adapt as quickly as possible. Unfortunately we ended the season too early. We all wanted to go further in the playoffs. My goal was to get better every day, but there were situations that were difficult and different for me,” he began Vezenkov..
“The NBA differs with the quality of the talented players. It’s just crazy. It’s one thing to watch it on TV, but in reality it’s very different – the pace of the game, the speed of the transfer. I personally need to improve in every aspect. The only thing, which is good that we will have a long break until next season. This allows everyone to work and get better,” added the second Bulgarian player in the NBA.
“I don’t have any plans for the break between seasons yet. I really feel at home here, but first I’ll go home and then we’ll see. I always train during the break. In Europe we don’t have that much time as the seasons end in mid-June . Now I have enough time. That’s the big difference. I have 5-6 months until the next season and I will use them to improve my performance overall,” the Sacramento Kings player admitted.
“It’s difficult when there’s a core team of seven and the rest of us are waiting for our chance. Today it could be me, tomorrow someone else. That’s what we’re paid for and that’s what we have to do, but it’s hard to keep a rhythm as you play today, and then you have a chance after five games. You have a limited time to show what you can do. It’s very difficult to be mentally strong, and only after that you have to be physically fit. to get through the year,” said the 28-year-old native.
“There’s no doubt that I made the right decision to play in the NBA. I certainly doubted other things, but at no point did I think that my choice was wrong. It’s a big opportunity that you can’t turn down. It’s NBA! What I want to get in terms of playing time and what I’m given are different things. If you ask me about the role I had during the season, you play well, you don’t 10 minutes, or maybe less, and you have to show your best. I’m a positive person and I try to be like that all the time to help my teammates this season I fulfilled 100% what was asked of me,” Vezenkov analyzed.
“Malik Monk is a great guy. When I was injured and he had an injury, we talked a lot. We sit next to each other on the bench and we have a lot of time to talk during the games. He is an excellent basketball player and a wonderful person. I hope he comes back to our team , if not – I wish him the best. He deserves everything he has achieved – the best reserve of the season. He is missed and you can see how important he is to the team. In just two and a half weeks, we collapsed from fifth in ninth place,” said the Bulgarian.
“It’s still difficult to go from MVP in Europe to the NBA level. Everyone likes to be in the center of attention, to be the best, to show their qualities and play more. Although the level is different, one it feels like that in every field. I knew where I was coming from. Sometimes I felt like I could play better. But I look at my own mistakes first. Even the players who play 35 minutes each, they will say that they want to play more. I will say once again – it was a difficult year,” concluded Alexander Vezenkov.
