By Achilleas Mavrodontis/ info@eurohoops.net
After two years in the NBA, Tyler Dorsey moved to Europe and joined Maccabi Tel Aviv. He’s been experiencing his first EuroLeague season and the 23-year-old guard has already noticed the difference between the two basketball styles:
“I would say it’s very different. I think it’s a way slower pace. Obviously players can stay in the paint so driving the lanes is harder. It’s way harder to score here,” he said and explained how he likes playing under coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos.
“It’s been well. It’s still my first year, he’s still fully getting to know my game and I’m getting to know he’s philosophy, style. He’s been doing it for years, so, being more adjusted to what he likes to do game-in and game-out,” he said and added: “It’s been up and down virtually for me but it’s getting better. I’m learning every day and it’s getting better slowly, and as a team, we’re getting better.”
Dorsey was traded to Memphis in February 2019 and he played 21 games for the Grizzlies averaging 9.8 points in around 21 minutes of play. However, despite that, he didn’t manage to stay in the NBA:
“I don’t know. It’s something that is a part of my journey. I guess it was a crazy summer. Everybody’s seen what free agency is, so many free agents. That played a part in it but it just came down to me wanting to come to the EuroLeague and not wait any longer. I could’ve waited longer and see what happens but I wanted to come over here.”
Free agency was also the reason he missed the 2019 FIBA World Cup: “I wanted to have a team before I did anything. Unfortunately, it was bad timing and I didn’t have a team. I needed to be in Greece but I was still pursuing, trying to be in the NBA. If a team needed to come see me, talk to me, I wanted to be available.”
However, now that he’s settled in with Maccabi, Dorsey noted that he would welcome an opportunity to play at the 2020 Olympics: “I want to be here. I won’t have any difficulty on having to know where I’m going to be next year. I never know but I want to be there for the Olympics”, he said.
Take a look at the full interview: