The Portland Trail Blazers will have their newest addition in the lineup Tuesday night when they host the Phoenix Suns at Moda Center.
Vít Krejčí, acquired over the weekend in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks, will wear uniform No. 27 and come off the bench against the Suns.
Krejčí landed in Portland on Monday after a series of travel delays, then spent his first hours in the northwest undergoing a physical and meeting his new teammates. A day later, he went through a crash course of the Blazers’ offensive and defensive sets.
Roughly 90 minutes before tipoff of Tuesday night’s game, Krejčí spoke to local reporters for the first time. Here’s what he had to say:
On his reaction to the trade:
“I mean, obviously surprised. It was a long, long 48 hours. But everybody in the organization is helping me (adjust) as smoothly as possible. It’s been really great meeting everybody and getting to know everybody. And I’m looking forward to the next few days, where things calm down a little bit and just get to know everybody on a deeper level and just build some connections around here.”
On his NBA journey:
“I started with a torn ACL in OKC. I played in the G-League, got waived, signed a two-way, worked my way up to a standard contract. So there’s been a lot of up and downs. But I’m grateful for the journey. Obviously, I learned a lot during this stretch and hopefully there’s a lot more lessons and years left.”
How did you get through the lows?
“I had amazing support from family, especially that first year when I got drafted with the torn ACL while I was in OKC. They helped me a lot to keep my confidence up and just rehab the right way and just keep working on my game, keep getting better, keep getting better and just stay with it. Obviously I love the game of basketball, so that’s what kept me in it.”
On his three-point shooting and how that became a strength:
“Coming to the NBA, I wasn’t really known as a shooter. That was kind of actually my flaw. But the last couple of years I just kept working on it. I was always the guy that tried to shoot every day like a thousand shots, a thousand shots. What I changed the last couple years, instead of shooting a thousand shots, I shot 300 shots, but made them game-like. So that’s the thing that helped me get more confidence, just making sure that every shot that I shot feels like (in) a game.”
Three hundred?
“Around 300, yeah. Obviously it depends on the day. But just making sure that every shot that I take is not just a lazy shot, but it’s really a game shot. And that’s what helped me become a better shooter.”
On his game beyond his shooting:
“Well, I think, because … I wasn’t known as a shooter, I was always (getting) into the lane to find open shooters. And now with the shooting, people obviously close out closer to me, and that opens up driving lanes and getting to the rim and finding open shooters. So it goes hand-in-hand. Everything is working together. So I think that’s a perfect skillset to help this team to get some more wins.”
On his role with the Blazers:
“We haven’t talked about it yet. We talk (in) general about just how we play defense, how we play offense. Obviously, there’s a lot of information in the last couple days. But, like I said, I’m excited to get to know everybody, get to know how this team plays a little better and just understanding what my role is with the team.”
On playing Deni Avdija in Europe:
“I remember, especially that one game in Under-18s. But I still think he beat me more times than we beat them. It’s awesome. I’ve also been at some basketball camps overseas with him. So I’ve known Deni for a very long time. And I’m super happy for him and super happy that he made the All-Star (team) this year. He’s an unbelievable player and I’m looking forward to play with him.”
What are your thoughts on the roster?
“I think it’s a really great roster. The guys play hard. That’s what they’re known for; their defense and just playing hard 48 minutes. So that’s the guys you want to play with. And I’m very excited.”
How can this trade be good for you?
“I think this team has a lot of good drivers and that opens (things) up. As a shooter, you love playing with guys like that, because they keep slashing, they keep going at the rim. So everybody’s got to collapse and that opens up an open shot. As a shooter, you always want to play with guys like Deni, that’s on the rim all the time, penetrating, penetrating.”
On the challenge of hopping off a plane and playing with a new team the next day:
“It was tough. My flight got canceled twice. I had to stay overnight in Miami. I slept like two hours. So it’s been a long 48 hours. But, like I said, I’m excited. Just getting more and more comfortable. Obviously, it’s going to take a couple days to get to know everybody, get to know the system, start to feel more comfortable on the court. But everybody in here is trying to make it more comfortable, as smooth as possible, and I’m excited to play.”
Do you have a relationship with anybody here besides Avdija?
“I know Sidy played with a friend of mine from Czech Republic, so he knows a little bit of Czech. Mostly bad words (laughs). But it’s nice. Obviously, when you play in the league for a while, you get to know people and you play against them again and again. So I know a couple guys on the team, also the coaches. One coach, he was in Prague or in Czech Republic coaching for four years, so he knows Czech pretty well, even more than just the bad words. So it’s nice. I never thought I’d hear so much Czech in the league, so it’s awesome.”
How is your English so good?
“I’ve been here for a while. Five years. And then, obviously, when I was in Spain, when I transitioned to that first team, it was mostly English anyway. But I appreciate it. Thank you.”
Did CJ McCollum tell you anything about Portland before the trade?
“Yeah, yeah. We’re also going to hop on a call soon and he’s going to help me with the transition. He’s an amazing guy, really, really helping me with this transition. So I know he’s a really good guy. So I’m glad that I have some connections here with a guy that had been in Portland for a long time, knows the city and knows the organization really well.”
On what he did this morning to learn the plays and get ready for the game:
“I’m still learning the names. There’s a lot of new names. But I went through offensive sets, defensive sets, just the basic stuff. Obviously you don’t want to rush it on the first day with too much information. The from the coaches was just play with confidence, play freely, and just go out there and have fun and compete.”