Kevin Durant, Devin Booker praise Vasilije Micić after Hornets rookie crossed up vet

Vasilije Micić showed a flash of potential against one of his favorite basketball players of all time.

Micić caught the ball on the wing, where Kevin Durant was waiting for him during a 107-96 Phoenix Suns win on Friday night. The Charlotte Hornets’ 6-foot-3 rookie from Serbia was trapped in the corner, being swarmed by Durant.

Micić bounced the ball behind his back, and it was the 14-time NBA All-Star who crumbled to the hardwood. As the 18,613 inside Spectrum Center started to erupt, Bradley Beal approached him down low, and a quick up-fake had Micić with two of his 21 points.

“Durant is such an amazing player and one of my favorites,” said Micić, who scored more than 20 points for the second game in a row. “One of the most talented I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Durant, who made his Suns debut in Charlotte (17-50) last March, was held to 13 points, and Devin Booker led Phoenix (39-28) with 21 points.

After the game, Durant spoke to The Charlotte Observer about what stood out in Micić’s performance.

“Crafty, knows how to play the position,” Durant said. “Smart. Taking advantage of his opportunities. I’m happy for him.”

Booker, the four-time NBA All-Star, said that Micić was all over the Suns’ scouting report ahead of Friday night’s game.

In 30 minutes, Micić made seven of 12 shots, collected three assists and a rebound. His 21 points led the Hornets.

“Played his a-- off,” Booker said of Micić. “But we knew that coming into the game; he played really well last game, too. He was one of the guys that was top of the scouting report, and he still played well.”

Like many players over the years, Micić has worked closely with Bruce Kreutzer, a longtime coach in the Charlotte area who has been the Hornets’ shooting coach since 2015.

Kreutzer, known as the team’s “shot doctor,” has a way of teaching shooting that is different from most coaches, but his method has worked for a number of players over the years. Brandon Miller has benefited from Kreutzer this year, and Micić is starting to as well.

“He’s a very accomplished player,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said of Micić. “He’s getting a good opportunity and he’s taking good advantage. ... He’s becoming more confident. He plays more and more, we’ll see more of that.”

Despite being a rookie, Micić is 30 years old. He was drafted late in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and played professionally overseas until joining the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2023.

“I play in the moment,” Micić said. “Points and everything about statistics, I’m not such a huge fan. I don’t think this is something that makes me happy for a long time. I feel like the improvement during the game, the improvement as a player, especially now that this is a completely new challenge for me being in the NBA and competing against those guys today, who I just know about from the newspapers.

“Being able to compete and improve, hopefully I get better every day. I think playing efficiently, it’s something you have to use from the minutes you get and you have to understand your strengths, use your strengths as a main weapon. I think today I was aggressive in the paint and that’s how I ended up with 20 points.”