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Martin Schiller, a 38-year-old Austrian who has become the new “Žalgiris” soldier, already has a ticket to Lithuania in his pocket, but when he arrives in Kaunas, the first puzzle awaits the specialist: how to accommodate 15 clever students For training.
It is only a matter of time before “Žalgiris” officially announces an extended contract with the owner of the 34-year-old golden hand, Artūras Milaknis, and Australian Jockas Landale, who dreams of the NBA, does not promise to return to Lithuania.
The math is simple: we have six newcomers and nine olds, 15 basketball players thinking about minutes in the Euroleague.
If such rotation is the norm in the NBA, then in the Old Continent such practice is not common, it can only boast of great clubs.
It is natural to expect that both players who have not found a place in the team and basketball players who do not believe in the coach can voluntarily leave Kaunas.
The current composition of Žalgiris for the 2020–2021 season:
| Position | Basketball player | Years |
| Defender | Thomas walkup | 27 |
| Defender | Rokas Jokubaitis | 19 |
| Defender | Lukas Lekavičius | 26 |
| Defender | Steve Vasturia (Rasta Vechta) | 25 |
| Defender | Marius Grigonis | 26 |
| Defender | Karolis Lukošiūnas | 22 |
| Defender | Tomás Dimša (Panevėžys Raincoat) | 26 |
| Striker | Artūras Milaknis | 3. 4 |
| Striker | Patricio Garino (Vitoria Baskonia) | 27 |
| Striker | Nigel Hayes | 25 |
| Striker | Paulius Jankūnas | 36 |
| Striker | Agustin Rubit (Piraeus Olympiacos) | 30 |
| Center | Joffrey Lauvergne (Istanbul Fenerbahche) | 28 |
| Center | Martin Geben | 25 |
| Center | Marekas Blaževičius (Vilnius Morning) | 18 years |
15 minutes According to sources, Steve Vasturi, who was unexpectedly pulled out of his hat by Šarūnas Jasikevičius, and Karolis Lukošiūnas, who is called the successor of Artūras Milaknis, will have to prove their worth in the preparation cycle.
The lineup lineup shows that 18-year-old center Marekas Blaževičius, who traded Vilnius to Kaunas, also cannot be completely calm, and the name of Martin Geben, who is in the second season at Žalgiris, has begun to float hard. .
Captain Paulius Jankūnas, a 36-year-old captain who has earned the eternal honor of Kaunas, may have to settle for an even smaller role than last season in the Euroleague, in which he played after 13 minutes and recorded the indicators. lowest of his career.
However, it is difficult to imagine that the legend of “Žalgiris” is taken to the margins of the formation prematurely. Jankis’ experience will benefit not only in training, but also in match stretching against favorable opponents.
Photo by Scanpix / Steve Vasturia
Many fans raised their eyebrows upon hearing that Steve Vasturia, the Vechta legionnaire “RASTA”, who is little known in Lithuania, became the first purchase of “Žalgiris” this season.
Two years ago, he had to shrug: he was too poor for the ALBA team in Berlin to enroll him in the German championship fights. A year ago, a Philadelphia player played against Rock Gustis in the second team in the Spanish league, Palencia.
S.Vasturia, 25, began to attract the attention of Kaunas residents in the middle of last season, when “Žalgiris” was arguing between S.C.
The purchase is strange, but in line with the philosophy of former team coach Kaunas Š.Jasikevičius.
VIDEO: UrBONUS: risky solutions from Žalgiris and new contracts in addition to 5 minutes
He is a player who can compete in the top three positions, and Shar has also emphasized the need for versatility in basketball today. In Vechta, S.Vasturia usually encountered a ball in his hands when organizing team attacks.
Other things that the former Žalgiris coach liked were the high intelligence of the game, the ability to successfully perform two-on-two situations and dedication to defense.
In the German basketball league, S.Vasturia had an average of 13.4 points per game, recovered 3.7 balls and made 4.9 assists.
In the FIBA Champions League, the statistics for a 196 cm tall player were similar: during the match he accumulated 11.8 points, recovered 4 balls and made 5.3 assists.
He is a very specific player: slow, unsportsmanlike and with an unstable pitch, whose talent corresponding to the caliber of the Euroleague could only be seen by the ingenious eyes of Šarūnas Jasikevičius.
The big question is, will Schiller notice the potential of this basketball player?
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Acquiring a 25-year-old basketball player with the option to rent is not a very common practice, but in the case of S.Vasturia, the probability that he will not play in Kaunas in the next season is really high.
Pasak 15 minutes sources, it is a long-term project of “Žalgiris” (the contract is concluded according to the “2 + 1” formula), which was purchased with the idea of spending the first season with another team.
Last year, V.Vasturia earned only around € 40,000 in Vechta during the season, and the contract signed with the Lithuanian champions will be one of the smallest in “Žalgiris”.
Of course, like other green whites, this American will have a chance to prove himself in the prep stage, and should be coming to Lithuania in the near future.
Žygimantas Gedvila photo / 15min / Karolis Lukošiūnas
Although we will have our own opportunities to act, we have little doubt that sniper Karolis Lukošiūnas, who came from Šiauliai a year ago, will not be playing in Kaunas next season.
It’s normal for a 22-year-old Vilnius player to want playing time, and waiting for him in such a competitive and crowded Euroleague team is a very difficult task.
Last season, the Lithuanian ran six times on the Euroleague park, played a total of 16 minutes and scored 3 points.
The situation in LKL was better: 18 games were played, on average 16 minutes, during which they scored 6.3 points (37.5 percent of three points).
Experience in an elite European organization is of great value to a young player, but without a step forward it is practically impossible to take a step forward.
Last summer K. Lukošiūnas, who has a fantastic pitch, shook hands with the Lithuanian champions for a two-year contract under the “1 + 1” formula.
There was no announcement about the termination of the contract, suggesting that Žalgiris continues to believe in this basketball player. We can assume that next season will continue to belong to Kaunas, but the match will take place elsewhere.
Interestingly, Kaunas residents have received requests from other LKL clubs for a possible sniper loan, but then were unwilling to rush into a decision.
Erik Ovcharenko / 15min photo / Marek Blaževičius
An interesting situation is in the middle of the attack chain, which can be shaken by change.
Currently, the basketball players who can compete in the central position are too similar, great classics and not the highest mobiles: the Frenchman Joffrey Lauvergne, Martin Geben, Marek Blaževičius, Paulius Jankūnas, among whom only the American Augustine Rubitas stands out. from Piraeus Olympiacas.
15 minutes According to sources, a rather unexpected twist may take place in Kaunas: The name of Martin Geben, 25, who debuted in Žalgiris last season, was among the list of rental options.
This sounds pretty incredible, considering that the sledges at the first center will be occupied by Leo Westermann’s close friend J. Lauvergne, who has not been hurt by the specter of injuries in recent seasons.
In the hypothetical scenario, if a newcomer from Istanbul “Fenerbahche” also faced health problems in Kaunas, wouldn’t the remaining “Žalgiris” front line become too poor for Euroleague battles?
In the debut season in the strongest league on the Old Continent, 25-year-old M. Geben played for 8 minutes, scored 3.5 points, recovered with 1.9 balls, and averaged 4 profit points.
The Žalgiris coaches headquarters was satisfied with the progress and dedication of the center, which came from Utena Juventus, in training every day, so it would be very strange if everything turned in that direction.
Well, unless M. Geben is completely unsuitable for the team’s new helmsman, M. Schiller.
Natural questions arise about the place in the team due to the talented 18-year-old M.Blaževičius, but, according to 15 minutes According to sources, “Žalgiris” remains categorical: Vilnius’ basketball product, which cost 120,000 euros, will also grow next season in Kaunas.
Although Panevėžys “Lietkabelis” addressed the Lithuanian champions for the opportunity to borrow the fight against Mareka for a season some time ago, Paulius Motiejūnas, the head of “Žalgiris”, did not make such speeches.
The Aukštaitija club, which returns to the European Cup, has finished completing the lineup, so the doors for a possible rental have already been closed.
The “Žalgiris” players will soon begin to choose the training base. Legionnaires must be quarantined, Lithuanians will go to work earlier.
M. Schiller, who has become the new conductor of the Kaunas team orchestra, will bring his own blows, but first of all he hopes to see the students up close.
Everyone will have a chance to stay on the team, so there is an interesting stage of preparation for the season.
Or maybe we will have more new faces in Kaunas?
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