Vasilije Micic is out of the Hornets' rotation, indicating an uncertain future in Charlotte

Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee discusses the slow start by Vasilije Micic.

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Veteran Charlotte Hornets guard Vasilije Micic has had a rough go of it to begin the 2024-25 season, appearing in just four of the team's first eleven games of the campaign.

The disappointing play showed up immediately in preseason action, where Micic turned the ball over 14 times in four games, including four turnovers in each of the final three preseason games. He has cut back on the turnovers in the regular season, but he still doesn't have the same impact that he had in 30 games with the team last year following the trade from Oklahoma City.

Hornets head coach Charles Lee is well aware of his early season struggles and has essentially kept him out of the rotation when the team has enough healthy guards available.

Lee's thoughts on Micic's slow start

“I stick by what I said in terms of how good of a basketball player he is. He is continuing to work on his body and work on his game. On top of being the great basketball player, he’s been a total professional right now. As much as he wants to play, he wants to compete, unfortunately, he hasn’t been in our rotation but it has not stopped him from being the ultimate professional, the ultimate teammate.

"He continues to just bring the right attitude and mindset to our gym and to our team every game. Talking to our players during timeouts about what he sees. He and I have had a couple sit-down conversations postgame and stuff, so I greatly appreciate everything that he’s doing right now in a situation when unfortunately he’s not playing.”

🎙️ Charles Lee on Vasilije Micic:

"Unfortunately, he hasn't been in our rotation, but that has not stopped him from being the ultimate professional and teammate. He continues to bring the right attitude and mindset to our gym and our team every game." pic.twitter.com/n50eYYWGkV

— /r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) November 10, 2024

Fortunately for Lee, the Hornets are getting way more than they could have ever hoped out of Tre Mann, who is going to play his way into the Sixth Man of the Year conversation as long as he doesn't swap spots with Josh Green in the starting lineup at some point.

When Mann is healthy, the Hornets feel pretty good about him being the primary backup to LaMelo Ball, with Micic serving as the third or maybe even fourth option. Cody Martin and Seth Curry also have the ability to run the point if needed.

If Micic struggles to find consistent minutes when Mann or other backcourt members are on the shelf, the writing may be on the wall in regards to his future with the organization. As a matter of fact, it may already be.

Depending on how the next month or two of the season goes, the Hornets could look to add another veteran backup point guard to replace Micic, or they could opt to go young, giving more opportunities to Nick Smith Jr. and/or KJ Simpson.

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