Donut22

Zoran Vukic wasn’t supposed to make it.

A 6'2" wing with no flashy highlights, no viral clips, and no agent connections, he went undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft. Just another overlooked name in a league obsessed with size, hype, and marketability. But Zoran wasn’t here to entertain—he was built to calculate.

When the injury-plagued Dallas Mavericks extend him a five-day hardship trial, they aren’t looking for a star. They need someone efficient. Someone reliable. Someone who won’t turn the ball over when everything’s falling apart.

What they find instead is a silent technician.

Backed by a mysterious internal system that tracks, optimizes, and enhances every decision he makes on the floor, Zoran doesn’t play with emotion. He plays with precision. No trash talk. No drama. Just elite reads, clean execution, and surgical efficiency.

While the league sleeps on him, the Mavericks start winning. Quietly. Consistently. And as one injury after another sidelines the stars, Zoran keeps showing up—outscoring veterans, locking down scorers, and controlling the pace without wasting a single motion.

He’s not chasing a story.

He’s building one.

(AI is used as a editor as i don't have the time to check over them and edit them myself due to GCSE'S, so if you don't like AI being used in the story then idk don't read it) also i would like to add that the first 10 or so chapter will have the mc average very few points or assists

NBA:The Rise Of Zoran Vranes (RE)

Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn

The air in Barclays was different. Crisper. Colder. The crowd wasn't massive, but it was hungry. New York always carried that restless energy—half love, half heckle. The Mavericks had walked into a buzzsaw the moment they stepped off the team bus.

Zoran kept his hoodie up during warmups, earbuds in, letting Kidd's voice from earlier that day echo in his head:

"This isn't the G-League. But it is a rhythm league. Don't fight the tempo—just read it. Make plays. Nothing extra."

That's all he'd ever done, anyway.

The Mavericks were down two rotation players again—Caleb Martin and P.J. Washington were both ruled out. Anthony Davis was on a strict minutes limit. That left Kidd with a bench thinner than Brooklyn's playoff hopes.

Zoran checked in with 6:12 left in the first quarter, the scoreboard reading BKN 14 – DAL 12.

But every time he stepped onto a court, Zoran acted like the world was watching.

First possession, he got into a half-empty corner. The ball swung to him—too quick for a shot, but just right for the pass inside. He fed Powell on a duck-in. Easy two.

No stats on the board yet, but Kidd's nod from the sideline told him everything: the right read.

The next couple of minutes were quiet. He stayed home on Cam Thomas. Didn't bite on the jab. Didn't gamble. The system pulsed quietly in his mind.

[Defensive Positioning Stable | Anticipation Normalized]

His job wasn't to dominate. Not yet.

Then the break happened. Dinwiddie tipped a pass near the wing, and Zoran was already running.

He got the outlet, took two long strides, and glided in with a right-handed lay.

4 points later, Kidd left him in to close the quarter.

Zoran never asked for shots. But with Brooklyn forcing rotations, he kept finding himself in the right spots. Late clock situation? Dribble handoff into a pull-up. Claxton went under. Zoran stopped on a dime and drilled a midrange.

As the quarter ended, Zoran sat on the bench, breathing steady.

"Stay sharp," Coach Sweeney told him. "You're doing your job."

Zoran: 6 points (3-4 FG), 1 assist, 1 steal, 0 turnovers

Chapter 18: Brooklyn Begins (RE)