Since moving to the Oklahoma City Thunder from Barcelona in the summer, Alex Abrines has admittedly struggled to adjust.
But despite missing his home comforts such as local Spanish food and going to the majority of places in Barcelona on foot or by public transportation, Abrines is enjoying the Stateside experience.
“It’s a different city than Barcelona,” Abrines explained. “I mean, I’m really like a calm guy, so I think the city feels perfect to me. The lifestyle obviously is different, so first days, I was a little bit confused.
“Here you’ve got to drive everywhere and there in Spain, just walk or you have the train. So it’s kind of different. I missed Spain but also it’s a good city and great people, great people.”
The adjustment for any EuroLeague player moving the NBA is naturally going to be different but the plan is to embrace your new surroundings and aim to become a better player.
Thunder preseason games mean a return to Spain for Alex Abrines and everybody wants a 📸! #NBAGlobalGames pic.twitter.com/zCFZ1gWSHc
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) October 1, 2016
And Abrines, is witnessing that first hand, as he is training with players that play much differently to what he was used to in the Liga Endesa and the EuroLeague.
One of those is 2015 and 2016 NBA All-Star Game MVP Russell Westbrook, a player Abrines says is beyond any player he has ever played with.
“We don’t have this in Europe,” Abrines said of Westbrook. “So fast, so explosive. Not a single basketball player in Europe plays this kind of basketball. He is great, one of the greatest players in the NBA.”
Westbrook along with Abrines will remain in Spain for this week as they face Real Madrid (Monday) and Barcelona (Wednesday).
