"I didn't follow the NBA much" - Milos Teodosic needed a week to learn his teammates' names

The Los Angeles Clippers took a flyer on 30-year-old Milos Teodosic in the 2017 offseason. The signing received widespread praise at the time because the Serbian was considered one of the best players outside the NBA.

However, his career in the Association didn't pan out the way he probably hoped, as Teodosic didn't make that much impact for his team and was out of the league in less than two years. Perhaps if he had spent more time getting to know more about his teammates—or their names, at least—before joining the squad, things would have turned out a bit differently.

"I didn't follow the NBA much," Milos said in a recent appearance on "X&O's Chat" podcast . "I followed the leagues I played in. Then, I was focused on those two things. I initially didn't watch anything. Then, after six months, I knew every player. Then, I started watching college basketball. It took me a week to learn the names of all my teammates. I still can't say Montrezl Harrell."

Not living up to the hype

The European icon couldn't have joined the Clippers at a better time—they needed a starting point guard after trading Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets. Teodosic could have been a great fit after showing his elite court vision and shot creation in his earlier years in the EuroLeague.

Unfortunately, he sustained a plantar fascia injury in his left foot in only his second game in the Association. As a result, the Serb sat out 22 consecutive contests and dealt with it for the entire 2017-18 campaign. He averaged 9.5 points and 4.6 assists per meeting, which aren't exactly bad numbers but not befitting of a starting floor general.

It appears chemistry issues also played a part in his not-so-stellar production and the Clippers' missing the playoffs for the first time after six consecutive postseason trips. Maybe Teodosic should have researched about his teammates earlier, especially since he was slated to be the primary ball-handler.

An offseason of flux

By 2018, Milos had already probably learned more than just the names of his teammates. Sadly for him, he had to meet new ones, as the organization made plenty of roster transactions in the offseason, including shipping Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons, a move that didn't sit well with the former EuroLeague MVP.

The Serbian ran into some more trouble, playing time-wise, in his sophomore campaign because the said roster moves included acquiring rookies Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson and signing Avery Bradley. As the Clippers already had Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams on the squad, there was no more room for Teodosic.

Los Angeles waived him midway into the 2019-19 season, and the Serbian phenom elected to return to Europe instead of continuing his career in the NBA.

Related: "Going to America changed me as a player; I never worked individually" - Milos Teodosic regrets not jumping to the NBA sooner