Ryto’s newcomer is an elite defense specialist with shortcomings that prevented him from revealing himself in the Euroleague / News

Image: BNS, FIBA, Reuters – Illustration by Scanpix / BasketNews.lt

After seeking reinforcements on the front line for some time, Vilnius Rytas announced a deal with Maurice Ndour over the weekend.

This rookie from Vilnius should have surprised many basketball fans: the resume of the Senegal team captain is more than eloquent and we have not seen basketball players of this level at Ryte in recent years.

Real Madrid, Knicks New York, UNIKS Kazan and Valencia are the highest-level clubs and now the 29-year-old athlete arrives in the Lithuanian capital to rehabilitate motivated after a not very successful season in the Euroleague (6.3 points, 2, 4 points). ., 7 points of use, in 15 minutes).

The website BasketNews.lt, reviewing the style of Ryto’s latest shopping game, looks at what Ndour will add to the team’s game.

The game – defense

“Rytas” is famous this season as an attacking team, killing rivals with quick attacks, but Vilnius still lacked athleticism on defense, and this was especially felt when Martynas Echodas fell out of the lineup.

The priority of the capital club when choosing a rookie was his ability to maintain his own basket, and Ndour is precisely the player who will give the team confidence in defense.

The 206 cm tall Senegalese began his game precisely from defense and without ceasing to represent UNIKS in the 2018-2019 season he became the best defender in the United League.

Ndour, who played fourth for the Valencian club last year, was the team’s second best defender – vid. 109.4 points lost for every 100 attacks.

Even with an arm length of 230cm, Ndour is used to it for most of his career Pikenrolo defense game get out, but he is free to swap defenders and “Rytas” is exactly that person and he was absent from the team, which would increase Donald Kairis’ diversity in choosing the defense system.

Senegal’s tall team defends the game well on defense and not only often rewards opponents with blocks, but also, with their long hands, controls the balls well and immediately launches into a fast attack that feels like a fish in water.

Stop in line with the “morning” attack philosophy

“Rytas”, who earns 16 points for rapid attacks in LKL, can increase this indicator even more when Ndouras joins the team.

The basketball player, who plays in both fourth and fifth positions, tries to launch a quick attack as soon as the opportunity presents itself and his mobility should be especially noticeable when playing center with five and Chris McCoulough will be by his side.

Ndour is not an effective player with his back to the basket and we will often not see him doing it “in the morning”, but Kairis’ philosophy of the game does not emphasize playing with the tendrils.

Furthermore, the Senegalese, although he was even tested with a slight advantage in the World Cup, is not the tall man who has a good shot and can widen the field, but “Rytas” has Kristjan Kitsing for that.

Despite his clear cons in attack, Ndour scored 120.5 points in 100 Euroleague attacks last year and it was the third result for Valencia.

As already mentioned, Ndour really likes taking on a quick attack and it works very effectively too. Pikenrolo situations quickly lamination under the basket, and the tandem of him and Demetrius Jackson should work perfectly in these situations.

An experienced NBA basketball player stands out with explosive power and will further expand the already extensive roster of “Rytas” players, who will delight club fans with stable and effective game appearances.

Although the basketball player does not record an impressive number of balls during his career (especially after 4.2 rebounds per season), Ndour is not the player who gives up against his direct opponent: the forward stands out with the mentality of a fighter, and fighting under the board helps him with long limbs.

Another great advantage of the Rytas newcomer is the experience of European basketball. Ndour, while not playing contact basketball for 7 months, should adjust to the team faster than McCoullough, and the clubs he played for have formed a winning mentality that the captain’s team desperately needs.

Disadvantages that prevented glare in the Euroleague

In addition to the aforementioned limited opportunities in attack, the 29-year-old basketball player is lacking further, prompting Ndour to withdraw from the Euroleague club to the FIBA ​​Champions League.

The Senegalese, who will arrive in Lithuania on Tuesday, bases most of his game on instinct and finds it difficult to adapt to relevant situations when coaches ask him for more than he is used to.

Furthermore, it is not always the tall and mobile man in the square who chooses good solutions and this is what has come to the fore both at the World Cup in China and last season in the Euroleague.

Ndour is not the basketball player who dedicates himself 100 percent to training, which is hampered by health problems: according to the website BasketNews.lt, Senegalese suffer from intestinal problems, which is why he has missed many exercises and games during his career.

Although in an effort to avoid health problems he has been living on a special diet for some time, Ndour is not the one to climb on his own with minimal discomfort. Such uncertainty doesn’t add confidence to coaches every day.

It is for these reasons that it is naive to expect that Ndouras, even if he appears in Sunday’s game against Kaunas “Žalgiris”, will bring tangible benefits, especially knowing how long a Vilnius rookie has gone without basketball.

However, no matter how we look at it, this Morning purchase is a true victory, taking the team to another level.

According to the website BasketNews.lt, Vilnius residents were still unable to satisfy Ndour’s financial whims in the off-season, but the long wait for the contract changed the mindset of Senegalese and thus found himself in Vilnius .

The left with a coaching staff has drawn up a clear outline of the game, showing where Ndour, who has reached career maturity, will be exploited without the motivation to show that he can return to the Euroleague.