NBA
Jan Vesely Returning to the NBA?
Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.
All posts by Alan DraperUpdated26 mins ago on April 27, 2024
The Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Dallas Mavericks have expressed interest in bringing Jan Vesely back to the NBA, league sources told Basketball Insiders.
Vesely drew pre-draft comparisons to Andrei Kirilenko and played at small forward and power forward after being drafted sixth overall by the Washington Wizards in 2011. He last played in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets in 2014.
Vesely then signed with Fenerbahce, where he rediscovered his confidence while playing center.
Fenerbahce advanced to the 2015 EuroLeague Final Four for the first time in team history. Fenerbahce ultimately lost to Real Madrid in the semifinals, where Vesely had 20 points and six rebounds in the game.
Vesely was an All-EuroLeague First Team member in 2016, including EuroLeague MVP for the month of January. Vesely averaged 12 points, 6.8 rebounds and one block per game in EuroLeague competition.
A few weeks ago, Vesely and Fenerbahce won the EuroLeague championship under coach Zeljko Obradovic, a nine-time EuroLeague champion and one of the most famous coaches overseas. Vesely had a 20.3 PER and shot a career-high 62 percent from the field while averaging 10.1 points per game in 63 combined EuroLeague and BSL games.
Only took 4 seconds after tip-off for @EkpeUdoh and @JanVesely24 to connect for alley-oop dunk!#FNBOLY #7DAYSMagicMoment #F4GLORY pic.twitter.com/JmdXfTRb62
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) May 21, 2017
The 27-year-old is entering the prime of his basketball career as currently one of the highest paid players overseas but has a buyout clause in his contract, which would allow him to return to the NBA next season.
With the NBA transitioning to more of a small-ball approach than ever before, Vesely can earn a second chance in the league and play center. Returning to the NBA as a more mature player with renewed confidence could help Vesely find a sustainable niche in the league this time around.
