Tomas Satoransky

Jim Eichenhofer

1)      Satoransky recently played in the Olympics for the Czech Republic and learned of the news that he’d been traded from Chicago to New Orleans during his flight home from Tokyo. Satoransky shouldered a big load for his national team, as the only current NBA player on the roster (former NBA forward Jan Vesely was also in the Czech lineup). Facing USA Basketball on July 31, Satoransky delivered 12 points, six rebounds and eight assists, but the Americans prevailed 119-84.

2)      Born in Prague, Satoransky began his professional hoops career as a teenager in his home country, before being drafted in 2012 by the Washington Wizards with the No. 32 overall pick. Four years later, he made his official NBA debut with Washington in October 2016.

3)      According to his Olympics.com bio, he’s always loved basketball. Satoransky: “Basketball has been a natural part of my life since I was a child. Although the whole family played volleyball, as soon as I started elementary school my grandfather discovered that a basketball club had opened at school, and that it would be just right for me. So I was totally in. From the very beginning, they included me with the older ones because I simply did well with the ball.” 

4)      Satoransky spent three seasons with Washington, prior to being traded to Chicago and playing the past two seasons for the Bulls. He’s been a starter in just over half of his 333 career games, making 169 starts, part of the first string 80-plus times with both the Wizards and Bulls. Washington reached the playoffs in his first two seasons there, including making it to Game 7 of a 2017 Eastern Conference semifinals series vs. Boston. He appeared in all 13 postseason games as a Wizards rookie.

5)      The 29-year-old has developed into one of the NBA’s more efficient guards, shooting over 50 percent from the field twice in his career, including 51.4 percent in 2020-21. His career rate of 47.7 percent from the field is well above average for a backcourt player, while his three-point percentage of 36.6 is solid. He’s also a career 82.2 percent foul shooter.

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Five things to know about Pelicans guard Tomas Satoransky

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