Bertan on the tough times at the Thunder, trust in Charlotte, the contract and a potential return to Europe

Dāvis Bertāns | Photo: AP Photo/Matt Kelley

Latvian basketball player Dāvis Bertāns looked back on the past season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and outlined his future in a conversation on the “Sporta Studijas podcast”.

Bertan started the season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but played very little there before being traded to the Hornets in February. Bertans has been a solid rotation player for Charlotte, averaging 8.8 points in 28 games since joining the Hornets.

“I saw two extremes. I was in a team that wins most of the games, but I sit at the end of the bench and very rarely get called on. And then there was the other extreme – I joined a non-play-off team, and with [citu spēlētāju] due to injuries, I got 25-30 minutes per game. In Charlotte, I had the green light just like in Washington – I could throw at any moment, and the players and the coach trusted me. Maybe in Washington I was like the second option, but here I was the third, fourth or even fifth option, but when I was on the court, my teammates tried to find me for three-pointers,” Bertans evaluated the season.

Bertan on “Hornets”: The situation here could be even better than in Washington

The Latvian also admitted that he already knew before joining the Thunder that he could have a limited role. “It’s been so many years that I’ve come to realize that the phrase that everything will be in my hands to win the minutes is a simple phrase of politeness. [Jau vasarā īsti neticēju “Thunder” solītajam,] they could tell me something there, but I will want to see everything in reality. At the same time, I can’t really say that the Thunder lied because I was so physically and mentally exhausted after the World Cup [kas arī ietekmēja manu sniegumu NBA pirmssezonā],” said Bertan.

“When I went to Oklahoma City, I was sore all over, and that played a part in me not being good enough defensively to make my offense good enough that I could still get minutes. That’s why I can’t blame the coach at all, because, logically speaking, I wasn’t able to move at that moment, as I was able to do in the middle of the season,” the native of Ruji revealed.

“In the first game of the World Cup, I went to fight for a rebound, and the opponent jumped to my side, and then my left hip and back were completely strained. Problems with my hip tormented me until December – only then did I start to feel that I could move my legs defensively. Then that was all [jo es biju izkritis no rotācijas] – the team played well, and the coaches don’t want to change anything. Also, the team’s three-point shooting percentage was, I think, historically the best it’s ever been. From that side, you can understand that it makes no sense for coaches to try something new and take risks if the team is fighting for the first place in the conference,” said Bertans about health problems.

“It was more difficult in the games against lower-level teams,” said the Latvian about the mentally difficult time in the “Thunder” ranks. “Yes, we had to win those games anyway, but even then I sat on the sidelines. Knowing the feeling of training with maximum effort and always being ready to help, and then not getting that opportunity or playing 30 seconds at the end of the quarter… At the beginning of the season, I told the coach that I had everything [mazo lomu] it’s easier to live if you tell me everything openly, because it’s hard to be mentally ready to play, but not to be on the field. I told the coach – if there is an idea to let me out on the field, then it is better to warn me a couple of minutes before that. He also regularly did this before games. If they didn’t say anything, then it was clear that I wouldn’t play – in that case, I tried to help my teammates by saying something.”

“That stage was very mentally difficult. I wanted to play not to help the team win, because the team was also very strong, but because I realized how important it is for me to play during the season, so that I can be in the best possible rhythm for the national team in the summer,” during “Thunder” in the team was evaluated by Bertāns. “It helps me feel better after the season, because then I can join the national team, start training and I will feel like a basketball player, instead of having to wait three weeks and then hope that I will have some feeling.”

Bertans also remembered joining the “Hornets” team. “What was going through my head at that moment was quite interesting and I experienced something like that for the first time in my career. When I was traded to Charlotte, I thought – why did they take me at all? They are not fighting for the play-offs, I have a big contract and I am 31 years old – what do they expect from me? Do they even want to see me in the team, or is the plan to take me for one year and then buy out the contract to free up funds for the next season? The first thought was that I would be bought out and then I would have the opportunity to look at a play-off team that I could join. Then I contacted the agent and the general manager, and they really expected me and expected me to play! It was such a relief in a way and then the thought came that it would be a big opportunity for me with a little more green light. In the end, it was so,” said Bertans.

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“The way we played, as well as the chemistry that developed with the substitutes and the rest of the players, made me feel very comfortable on the field, both in attack and defense – I felt like a fish in water. Also, when I hit the hard shots with good accuracy in the first few games, I could feel my teammates starting to show confidence. Players who were used to taking 20 shots a game — Miles Bridges, Brandon Miller — were looking for me pretty regularly, too. It also created a pleasant feeling in the team,” Bertans was happy about the end of the season in the “Hornets” team.

In 2020, while still representing the Washington Wizards, Bertans signed a five-year contract for 80 million dollars. Last season, Bertans agreed to change the terms of his contract, which leaves him with a player option for next season for $16 million, $5.25 million of which is guaranteed even if the team decides to buy him out.

“My priority is to play. Would it be in Charlotte, where I would love to go back – during these months I developed a good relationship with both the players and the head coach, who will no longer manage the team and will be a consultant. After the season, I immediately said that I would rather choose the option to play than to be in a team that is fighting for the title, but I did not play. If I don’t get the chance to play in the NBA, then the next step that I would be more than ready for would be to come back and play for a European team. The financial side is less important – of course, I wouldn’t refuse if someone gave me the 16 million, but the priority is to play. Next is the work of the agent and getting the maximum available finance,” emphasized Bertāns.

“For my part, of course, I will not refuse, because I would like to stay, since the team’s choice is to keep me or even negotiate and create a different contract. It’s understandable that Charlotte’s priority is to keep Bridges, and once that’s settled, they promised they’d let me know as soon as possible whether or not they’d keep me. The only thing we emphasized from our side is that I am not 20 years old, I have a wife and two children and I cannot afford to train in the pre-season, and then they would thank me after the first game. I would like to play one more season in the NBA, but for the past three years I have not ruled out the idea that I could return to Europe at any moment and play for a year or two.”

Bertans: If the team wants to see me back, I’ll be happy to stay in Charlotte