[ad_1]
Photo: Basque Country
Basque country photo
Rokas Giedraitis, who has spent two seasons with the ALBA team in Berlin, this summer signed a three-year contract with Vitorija Baskonia. The 2-meter tall striker, who is improving at lightning speed, quickly adapted to sunny Spain and is currently one of the most notable snipers in the EuroLeague Championship, achieving three-point accuracy with nearly 40 percent. precision.
Over the past few years, the 28-year-old Giedraitis has been on the radar of various NBA teams, who have expressed interest and offered bilateral contracts to Šiauliai residents. Giedraitis himself does not rule out a jump to the NBA, but ensures that all concentration is currently focused on the Baskonia team and the Euroleague.
“Of course I want to play in the NBA. I want to at least try to get there. I said a couple of years ago that I could be a perfect fit for some NBA teams. But the most important thing in basketball is hard work and some success. “I have a lot of work in Spain at the moment so I am not thinking of playing beyond the Atlantic now,” the Baskonia forward shared in an interview with Eurohoops.net.
Giedraitis also told Eurohoops.net about the start of the season, the reasons why he chose the Vitoria team and his dream of playing in the NBA.
– How do you rate the team’s start in the Euroleague?
– So far the season has been difficult for us. We have had good and bad games, but in general I think we are improving. We try to understand the system of what our coaches want from us, but we are a young team and we need time to improve. I see progress in the right direction and I think things will only get better.
– Was moving to Spain a big challenge?
– I’m just going to play basketball. I’m not thinking about challenges or anything else. I try to do my job, do what my coaches want and everything. I don’t want to think about challenges if I play badly. I came to Vitoria to play, because strategist Duško Ivanovičius loved me, that was enough for me. During every match, I try to give myself completely and just focus on this.
– Why did you decide to sign the contract with Baskonia??
– They looked at me for a long time. The first reason is, of course, Spain and the ACB Championship. I wanted to test my strength at the highest level. Baskonia were a very good team last year, they won the CBA, so this is a step forward for me.
– Did you have other offers from other Euroleague teams? Before the season, there was information that Panathinaikos Athens was interested in his candidacy.
– Yes, but it was just interest. Baskonia loved me very much, I chose the best option and I went to Spain. I had a couple more suggestions.
– What goals do you want to achieve with Baskonia in these three years?
– I want to win something. Every time I play basketball, I want to win. Whether I play another sport or even play cards, I want to win. The same goes for basketball. I came here because I want to win. I hope we have the opportunity to make this happen. I see my teammates improve and I think we have a chance. Time will tell. Everyone in this club is here with the same goal: to win.
– What are the objectives for this season?
– We don’t talk so much about the team’s goals. We are a young team and we need to understand the coaching philosophy of the game. We are not goal focused and we just want to win. We don’t look very far and we pay attention to other parties.
– What aspects of the game do you most want to improve this season?
– Throw after dribbling.
– Are you currently at the peak of your career and do you see yourself playing in the NBA in the future?
– Of course I want to play in the NBA. I want to at least try to get there. I said a couple of years ago that I could be a perfect fit for some NBA teams. But the most important thing in basketball is hard work and some success. I have a lot of work to do in Spain at the moment, so I don’t think about playing beyond the Atlantic at the moment. Of course, all kids who play basketball want to play at the highest level – the NBA.
– Was there an NBA team that showed interest in you? It has been announced that a couple of teams have offered him a bilateral contract.
– When I received an offer from America, I thought it was amazing because he is in the NBA, but at the time I was 26 years old and I thought it would be better for my career to try some more European basketball cuisine.
– Can you form the five starters of the best Lithuanian basketball players of all time?
Player: Šarūnas Jasikevičius.
Offensive defense: Arvydas Macijauskas.
Light Edge: Ramūnas Šiskauskas and Linas Kleiza.
Heavy winger: Domantas Sabonis.
Center: Arvydas Sabonis and Jonas Valančiūnas.
[ad_2]
