Schiller praises Hayes defense and Jokubaitis courage after victory in Athens / News

Kaunas “Žalgiris” ended a six-game losing streak in the Athens Euroleague, where they led local Panathinaikos 81:69. After the duel, Žalgiris strategist Martin Schiller was happy that the match was won with good defense.

“Of course, first we are happy with the victory, then we are happy with how it was achieved: on defense, not allowing opponents to reach 70 points. The third thing was important to us when Panathinaikos ran in the third quarter, we stopped the streak , we played the fourth exactly – 17:17 and it was very important for us psychologically.

– How concerned are you about the low number of fines issued?
– During the long break, we were very concerned about not imposing fines. I think we were not aggressive enough with the basket. We weren’t aggressive enough, then we improved that, and that has a lot to do with Rock and Luke.

– The opponent’s jet in the third part was stopped and the attack was started by the players of the five seconds. How important were they tonight?
– With Luke, we build speed from the bench. Milas started today, but with him he hits us from the bench. Yankee brings experience. Augustine has been playing really well lately. We are very confident in the five seconds.

– Nigel will have many minutes in the near future due to Vastura’s injury. How do you rate his performance tonight in third position and especially his work in defense?
– It went right. We lack perimeter players, so we will have to push players through positions. Augustine will have more to play in fourth, Nigel in third. I really enjoyed your show. In defense, it will help us with its size. Suddenly starting to play on the perimeter is not very easy. But we will get used to it.

– How do you rate Paulius Jankūnas’ track record?
– This is a real achievement. If you can stay at this level for that long, it shows quality. I have great respect for that. I’m happy about that. But it was important for us to win so that the moment would be more fun for him.

– Rock missed three halves tonight, made a mistake 5 times and missed 3 shots. Where did you have the confidence to keep him in the square in the fourth quarter where he scored 10 points?
– I know it sounds suspicious, but I trust him a lot. He played an average of 6 minutes in the Euroleague last season, playing over 20. And for whatever reason, he brings benefits to the field. I just trust him. The speed of the rock helps close the penalty area. Play with a certain youth that does not scare important moments. At the same time, he makes mistakes and that is not good, but I think his character allows him to return to the game in this way, since few players can make mistakes 5 times and not lose their minds.