Sasha Vujacic is all about the journey these days. He cites the journey from his backyard in Slovenia, where he attempted shot after shot on a slab of concrete. And his journey to the Los Angeles Lakers, for whom he filled gaps as a shooting guard on two championship teams. And his more recent journey back to Europe, where he played for clubs in Turkey, Italy and Spain.
“I was on a journey,” he said, “and I enjoyed the journey.”
Vujacic seems to catalog his many journeys as separate journeys that make up one grand journey, destination unknown. His latest journey? A fresh start in the NBA with the New York Knicks, where two familiar faces — Derek Fisher, a former teammate, and Phil Jackson, his former coach — hope he can provide leadership and guidance, a change from his early days with the Lakers.
“Once I heard about what’s going on here,” Vujacic said here at training camp, “I wanted to be part of the journey.”
Vujacic, 31, who signed a one-year deal in August for the veteran’s minimum of $1.4 million, was a low-cost, low-risk addition to the Knicks. Grateful to be back in the NBA, he said he would do whatever Fisher, the team’s coach, asked of him. Vujacic has another clear advocate in Jackson, who, as team president, has emphasized the need for improved chemistry this season.
“He has a real understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish,” Jackson said. “He has the energy and the grit that we like about his game.”
None of this is to suggest that Vujacic will be a transcendent force. Largely absent from the NBA since 2011 — he had a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers in February 2014 — Vujacic is a known quantity at this stage of his career, having made his living as a reliable 3-point threat. But as the Knicks seek to ascend from the depths of last season’s sinkhole, they could use a few guys who offer stability.
“Everybody on our team is a piece of the puzzle,” Vujacic said.
The well-traveled Vujacic seems to carry himself with the quiet confidence of a self-help guru. When a reporter from China asked Vujacic a question at the team’s media day last week, Vujacic prefaced his response by offering his greetings.
“Ni hao,” he said.
Vujacic said he had come a long way since he was drafted by the Lakers in 2004, at age 20. He had his most productive season in 2007-08, when he averaged 8.8 points in 17.8 minutes a game. His contributions gradually waned, though, and he averaged just 2.8 points in limited minutes during the 2009-10 season.
“I’m a little bit wiser now,” he said.
Vujacic, who described himself as just a kid when he played for the Lakers, recalled looking up to Fisher, then one of the team’s sage voices. Nobody on the Lakers, Vujacic said, worried about the future that awaited Fisher once his playing career ended. He always carried himself as if he were in charge. Their lockers were close to each other, separated by the one that belonged to Kobe Bryant.
“Interesting, right?” Vujacic said.
After a brief stint with the Nets, Vujacic signed with a team in Turkey at the start of the NBA labor lockout in 2011. He did not necessarily want to leave for Europe.
“I was young and impatient,” he said. “But I have no regrets about it.”
In recent months, Vujacic bounced around Europe, playing for Reyer Venezia Mestre (Italy), Laboral Kutxa (Spain) and Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyespor (Turkey), whose season concluded in June. Vujacic maintains a residence in Los Angeles, where he lives near his younger brother, Aljosa Bjekovic, a senior forward at the University of Redlands, a Division III program in Southern California.
“He’s taking that journey seriously,” Vujacic said. “I’m excited for him.”
Vujacic’s enthusiasm appears contagious among the Knicks. He pointed to several teammates who were waiting for him to wrap up an interview so they could resume their postpractice set of planks, an abdominal exercise.
“I’m destroying our plank time,” Vujacic said. “They’re kind of mad because plank time is postponed a couple of minutes.”
Vujacic, who works with a trainer every offseason, said he had learned to take care of his body. He said he felt fit — more fit, in fact, than he felt when he first left for Europe. He dismissed the suggestion that he might be susceptible to the toll of age and experience.
“I’ve heard being in your early 30s is your prime for a guard,” he said. “I feel very, very young, to be honest with you.”
Fisher said Vujacic had been impressive in camp. When the team scrimmaged toward the end of Thursday’s practice, Vujacic settled into a rhythm. He sank two 3-pointers and a pull-up jumper before dropping a crafty bounce pass to Lou Amundson for a layup.
“He’s much more of a leader than he was when we played together,” Fisher said. “I think he’s helped a lot of our guys to feel more comfortable with what we’re trying to do offensively, because Sasha recognizes where the shots are, what kind of plays can be made. You should shoot the ball and you shouldn’t be second-guessing yourself. Just go out and play with some confidence.”
Vujacic said that these were the lessons gleaned from long years in the sport. He has returned to the NBA, he said, with greater perspective and more appreciation.
“Every journey has ups and downs,” he said. “It’s your decision. You can stay stuck in the moment and start blaming everyone around you that things are not going your way, or you can work hard and you can go where you want to go.”
Vujacic has made his choice. Another adventure awaits.
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