1. He’s Motivated As Hell
Teletovic has the potential to spread the floor as a stretch-4, he’s a comeback story in the making and he’ll garner the fans’ support merely for being a power forward not named Markieff Morris (fair or not). But the biggest reason that Mirza Teletovic might already be a fan favorite is that he’s more motivated to play basketball than 99 percent of the players in this league.
Just a couple of looks at the quotes he’s given since entering the league will cement his status as one of the most respectable individuals in the NBA:
Ok, Mirza is immediately one of my favorite Suns for this quote about his tough childhood. #IfIDieIDie #BallIsLife pic.twitter.com/qWB7gxLvxF
— sreekar (@sreekyshooter) July 10, 2015
Come on. The guy said he would die to play this game. What fan doesn’t love to hear something like that?
As someone who grew up during the Bosnian War, Teletovic would play at his local basketball court until bomb sirens sounded, prompting him and his friends to run home for their very lives.
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” Teletovic told Coro. “With the things that have happened to me in my life, I don’t have a scare. Some people get scared and back down or give up. I don’t have that in my mental structure.”
Sir Charles In Charge
That quote sounds like something pulled out of a Rocky movie. Or maybe even a Rambo movie, but in any event, we can agree that it’s an incredibly powerful quote that belongs in some type of Sylvester Stallone movie. It’s not just that Teletovic is excited to play basketball fully healthy, or that he has a profound love for the game. He’s also stressed his optimism about his fit in Phoenix, a city with a sizable Bosnian population.
“Coach Jeff (Hornacek) has the center rolling and the four-man (power forward) popping and spreading the court,” Teletovic told Coro. “They like shooting 3s. I like the energy around the team. Goran really liked the place and the people around the place. And Phoenix had wanted me before I went to Brooklyn (in 2012).
“It’s just a different vibe for me here. I feel more comfortable. I definitely can teach these younger guys some things. They really listen when you talk to them. I don’t mind coming to practice. I’m getting up in the morning smiling and excited to come in. That hadn’t happened in a while.”
Teletovic is passionate, he’s dedicated and he’s already been through so much in his life that has given him a steely resolve. You really can’t ask for a more likable bench player than that.
“The hunger for basketball for me right now is unbelievable,” Teletovic told Coro. “It’s like a new beginning. I want to play with high energy and passion. It’s important for me to prove to everybody that it’s me. Imagine me playing now with my lungs at 100 percent.”
Next: Phoenix Suns: Grading The Offseason