Š.Jasikevičius implemented his system in Barcelona: team – above individual statistics, reservations discovered and forgotten

12/04/2020 Lithuania



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On Friday, in the Euroleague, those games that the Kaunas Žalgiris fans had been waiting for since Šarūnas Jasikevičius left for the Barça team.

It could have been a match where there would be no room for an apple to fall into the sand at Žalgiris. It was supposed to be a meeting where the fans would meet Shar very strong, but the entire card was shuffled by the coronavirus and there would be neither the support of the fans nor the famous strategist in the game. However, we will probably hear Š’s famous reproaches. Jasikevičius to his students on television.

When the specialist left Žalgiris, there was much speculation about whether he would maintain the leadership style of his team also in the Barça team. Now that the season is underway, we can safely say that Shar hasn’t really changed.

Barcelona stalled in the first tournaments of the season when they lost the Catalan Cup to MoraBanc of Andorra, arrived late without a trophy and in the Super Cup, where they landed with Real Madrid. Then Š.Jasikevičius kept repeating the phrases that fans of “Žalgiris” know as “Our Father”: we must suffer; details win the game; I expected a different reaction; we begin to think too highly of ourselves; I couldn’t prepare equipment and things like that. Minute break videos have become a highly viewed online virus.

We saw the strategist repeat to the players that “this Barcelona is different from last year, where he played one on one”. On Tuesday, we saw how Š.Jasikevičius called a meeting in the fourth quarter, but during it he walked the sideline and didn’t say a word to his players.

We remember very well how Žalgiris got stuck at the beginning of the season, because it was difficult for new players to understand Š.Jasikevičius’s system. This time, Barcelona had a bad time in just a month and a half; then the team gained momentum and began to show great results, winning 8 out of 10 matches in the Euroleague and scoring 9 victories in 12 rounds in the Spanish league.

The rapid assimilation of the Š.Jasikevičius system can be attributed to the high dominance of the players, which is correlated with the high IQ of basketball. One is the nuances of the Euroleague to teach Nigel Hayes or Aaron White, a completely different aspect is explaining your tactics to Nikola Mirotichi or Victor Claver. Also, all the basketball players in Barcelona feel very good about each other, having only welcomed one newcomer in the summer: Nick Calathes. Everyone else played together while coaching Svetislav Pešicis.

The main idea of ​​Š.Jasikevičius’s game is a team game. It is he who leads the overwhelming victories and brings the titles. We saw that in “Žalgiris” different players also shone in different matches, when the weaknesses of the opponents were used. This season, Barcelona understands that the team is above individual statistics, but there is a distinguished leader: N. Mirotičius.

It would be strange if the most expensive player in the Euroleague did not compete in a useful and effective way. The Spanish striker is “Mr. Stable”: he has scored at least 21 utility points in the seven games and is the leader of the tournament with an average of 24.7. N. Mirotičius, averaging 17.1 points, shoots 10 shots per game and so far hasn’t scored three points; realized only 29.2 percent. (7/24) from three points, although he has a great shot from the perimeter. Meanwhile, it hits both points impressively – 80.9 percent. (38/47).

In the Barça team, practically all the players compete less effectively than last season, but many of them register higher utility scores. This means that fewer imprecise shots, more good decisions in attack and created situations than Š.Jasikevičius conceives of his player really enough.

If we look at the “naked statistics”, there is no big difference between last year’s Barcelona figures and this season’s: the current Barça has 0.4 more assists (19.4: 19), but they fight worse for the balls – 34.5: 35 2. Utility scores also lag 93.9: 96.8. The triples are now worse (37.9%: 39.1%), but the two-point ones are made with greater precision: 57.8%: 53.7%.

The main and biggest difference, the current one in Barcelona’s defense is impressive, it only loses 69.1 points, when last season the opponents scored 78.3 points in their basket. Hard and other work on defense was also what Š.Jasikevičius stood out the most at the start of the season. Once again, those players who work the weakest on their basket are cleverly hidden, and the gaps are filled by those who know the trade best. It should also be noted that Š.Jasikevičius did not have N. Mirotičius in three games, and Victoras Claveras has played only 3 games and is not competing due to injury, and his strength is the versatility to his basket.

Two players should be very pleased with the arrival of Š. Jasikevičius – Alejandro Abrines and Rolandas Šmitas. The Spaniard in general had lost his love for basketball and looked extremely pale last season. Now Abrines shows a completely different face (8.7 points, 9.3 points) and shoots 3-pointers impressively: 45.5 percent. (20/44). Most importantly, this player’s actions restored the confidence and self-confidence that he had lost.

R.Šmitas, who was forgotten on the bench, was a rare guest on the parquet last season, but Š.Jasikevičius believes in our neighbor and uses his minutes to perfection, in 16.5 minutes. He manages to score 8 points, recapture 3.8 balls and score 10.3 utility points. The 25-year-old forward makes impressive use of his opportunities: 72.2 percent. (26/36) colon and 70 percent. (7/10 triples).

Thomas Heurtel seems much weaker than the previous one. The Frenchman comes out after 15 minutes, but scores just 3.5 points and captures a 2.4 utility average. Last season, a player who managed to play only 3 games due to injuries in 2018-2019. registered an average of 10.4 points in Barcelona. The minutes of Th.Heurtel are “eaten” a bit and the young Leandro Bolmaro, who gets his 7-8 minutes, especially in the first part of the game.

It seemed that Brandon Davies should become a real beast, as he knows the S. Jasikevičius system very well, but that is not the case yet. The American registered an average of 16 utility scores in the first 5 rounds, and only 5.4 in the next 5. The pivot looks completely unrecognizable and has already left the five starters, where Pierre Oriola appears, who tragically started the season (- 11 points in 3 games) but now he plays much better.

It should be noted that Barcelona wanted to acquire a midfielder, but did not. Who knows, maybe Š.Jasikevičius will sign a contract with a tall man when the National Basketball Association (NBA) season begins and players who have not received a contract there will start looking for work in the Euroleague. Barça still have Artyom Pustovija, but this slow Ukrainian does not adapt to Jasikevičius’ schemes, where there are many changes in defense.

Žalgiris currently shows the second best attacking ranking in the Euroleague (104.2 points per 100 attacks), but the worst defense (105.8 points per 100 attacks), while Barcelona are working better in their basket (86 , 4 points per 100 attacks) and the attack efficiency is 6 (99.8 points per 100 attacks).

To be fair, such impressive numbers for Barcelona are being made in various Euroleague fixtures when the rivals were beaten: 103: 67 crushed by ALBA in Berlin in a two-week coronavirus break and humiliated at home in Fenerbahche, 97 : 55. In the last few days, we have seen that Villerban’s USEL is capable of adding 80 points and has won the match with only 68. Valencia Valencia won the points war in Barcelona – 100: 90 this Tuesday.

One of the ways Žalgiris can defeat Barcelona is with an impressive attack. It is difficult to expect that Martin Schiller’s students, who lost 81.1 points during the match, would leave the Catalans at 70 or 75 points. Especially since these numbers are also a good reflection of the beginning of the season: 89.2 points seems more realistic, that the opponents throw to Žalgiris during the last five meetings, which were lost.

Trying to guess what plan Barcelona has for Friday night, you can immediately predict that Marius Grigonis will have a lot of work ahead of him. This is the coach of “Žalgiris” and Š. Jasikevičius always emphasizes that such players must be closed, which we saw even when he was working at the Kaunas club; then the leaders were in the shadows, but often those who gained more freedom due to the applied risks shone. Maybe this is an opportunity for Steve Vasturiai?

Š.Jasikevičius singled out the creators of “Žalgiris”, which cause a huge headache. Adam Hanga is likely to have a chance to suffocate Grigon early on, with Calathes attempting to cut Thomas Walkup off. A good example of how Barcelona knows how to stop rival magicians is the case of Jordan Loyd, who scored just 2 points in 22 minutes, despite scoring an average of 21 points before the game.

In attack, Barcelona will be able to take advantage of the gaps in Žalgiris’s ice defense, opening up many opportunities for pitchers, which we have seen more than once this season. A. Abrines and Kyle Kuric will attack on the edges of the plaza or after protests from behind the barrier, which has now hit 17 (68%) of 25 triples. N. Mirotičius is known to attack Paulius Jankūnas or Nigel Hayes, who have already become something of a match classic.

Barcelona looks menacing and powerful, but it is undoubtedly defeated by what the modest club ASVEL has shown, or by Valencia itself, which has added 100 points on the trip. For Žalgiris, the only way is to play extremely solid in attack, hit the 3-pointers well and then he can hope to finish the series of losses.

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