Kings’ Jay Triano on Sportish: “Vezenkov is an all-rounder with a high level of intelligence, Olympiakos impressed me”

Sacramento Kings assistant coach Jay Triano watches Sasha Vezenkov on the sidelines of the quarterfinals of the OPAP Greek Cup Final Eight between Olympiakos and Aris.

The 64-year-old coach, who has worked with both Alec Peters and Isaiah Cannon in the past, used the NBA break for the 2023 All Star Game to look at the Bulgarian forward, for whom the royals retain his NBA rights .

In front of the Sportish camera, Mr Triano quickly christened Vezhenkov as MVP of the EuroLeague, while also expressing his belief that if he takes the plunge and moves to the other side of the Atlantic, he will not have the slightest problem adapting to the team’s rotation to join .

Interview with Vasiliki Karamouza

I assume you’re here to see Sasha Vezenkov. Correctly;

“Yes, him and some other players. I coached Isaiah Cannon and Alec Peters when they played in Phoenix. So it’s a chance to see a lot of people. But I came to see Sasha.”

What exactly is the story with you (the Sans) and Sasha? There were a few talks last summer. Can you tell us something else?

“To be honest, as a coach, I have no idea about that. That dictates the front office. It was an opportunity with the NBA All Star Game break to come here and watch some basketball games and see him play live.”

So what’s your favorite thing about him since you saw him today?

“Well, he’s an all-around player. He did a great job seeing his teammates and sharing the ball. He’s a good rebounder and obviously a great scorer. He has a little bit of everything in his game and it’s really nice to see him do. He’s also a basketball player with high intelligence.”

One dilemma Sasha faced was whether to play the “3” or the “4” when he comes to the NBA. What do you think?

“You know, we don’t separate threes from fours anymore. It’s either on the edge or on the post. Many teams in the NBA only play one man at the 5 and four other men around him. We do that in Sacramento, so he has no problem fitting into the different rotations.”

Do you see it as an advantage that he has a lot of experience in the EuroLeague, Europe’s top competition?

“He is very well trained, which is great. He took his game to an extremely high level. Players who were MVPs in the EuroLeague and went to the NBA have been extremely successful. So we expect nothing less from him.”

Has anything impressed you about Coach Barzokas since you mentioned that Sasha is in very good shape?

“Everything. I’ve been watching (Olympiacos) from afar this year because of Sasha and seen how well they’re playing in both the Greek league and EuroLeague. They’re obviously having a great year. I like the ball movement and the way they do it they play”.

Are there any other EuroLeague players that have piqued your interest?

“I haven’t watched too much apart from Olympiacos. I keep in touch with Alec Peters and Isaiah (Canaan) so it’s fun to watch them play and continue their basketball careers.”