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He didn't fit into the Atlanta Hawks' summer league lineup. However, at the beginning of pre-season ahead of the start of the NBA, the only Czech basketball player in the most famous league in the world, Vít Krejci (24), was involved. And he stole the headlines against the Indiana Pacers after one moment of genius, as the Hawks went on to win 131-130. With six minutes to go, Krejci stopped Kendall Brown's attack and took the ball out of his hands with such ease. But that wasn't all. He flipped the ball over to his right hand, spread it out as if to throw a discus, and swept it across the court with all his might.
The sharp, elusive pass evaded his opponent's slide, bounced off the ground and into Indiana's two-point territory, right into the hands of Kobe Bufkin, who was all alone under the basket and finished easily. "We may have seen the pass of the year," commented American websites on the unusual manoeuvre.
The Czech point guard's star teammate Trae Young, who was resting on the bench at the time, stood up and gestured with both hands, rubbing his eyes intensely, to show his admiration for his teammate's action. Overseas social networks in turn characterized the assist as a "Kuroko special" in reference to the famous Japanese comic about basketball superheroes and its central character, famous for his magical passes. Krejci spent the second most minutes on the court of anyone in the game.
He took another small step in his fight to make it into the starting five. He signed a four-year contract with the franchise in the summer, and it was perhaps the first break between seasons where he had the peace of mind to prepare and not have to dwell on where his future would lead. He gained confidence, which he carried into preseason camp. "Vít's playing great. I have to admit that I didn't know him much before I came here.
I was impressed with the kid," said teammate Larry Nance Jr., who joined the Hawks over the summer from Oklahoma. Krejci stayed in Atlanta for a few weeks over the summer, working on his shooting with the club's assistant general manager instead of flying home. "I want to contribute more and more. I know what's asked of me - to defend, to shoot, to play fast, simple and right," Krejci told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an interview a few days ago.
