The summer of Euroleague clubs this year has been more exciting than ever and has seen a number of serious purchases that will be extremely interesting to watch during the season.
The portal Krepsinis.net will introduce you to each participant of the tournament. The last couple – Kaunas “Žalgiris” and St. Petersburg “Zenit”
Kaunas “Žalgiris”
Composition:
Defenders: Lukas Lekavičius, Emmanuel Mudiay, Mantas Kalnietis, Janis Strelniekas
Forwards: Paulius Jankūnas, Karolis Lukošiūnas, Artūras Milaknis, Tyleris Cavanaugh, Niels Giffey, Edgaras Ulanovas
Centers: Josh Nebo, Joffrey Lauvergne, Marek Blaževičius
Mr. trainer: Martin Schiller
The starting five is predicted: E.Mudiay, J.Strelniekas, E.Ulanovas, T.Cavanaugh, J.Lauvergne‘as
The essential summer walk is the composition completed by M. Schiller himself. Last year, the Austrian took over the helm of Žalgiris in mid-July and did not contain many variations, as many basketball players had contracts, and the Austrian himself was not the one who would demand something as soon as he came. In the first season, M. Schiller surprised opponents and skeptics when “Žalgiris” marched successfully, but in the second part he stopped and did not defeat any of the “Top 8” clubs and did not reach the quarterfinals. Some talked about a well-known oyster game, others about a chain of injuries that changed their leg in the Euroleague. It is this season that will show what Schiller is really worth and how much his strategies are working in the Euroleague. In the summer, the strategist could choose the players himself. In all fairness, it should be said that not everyone and probably M. Kalnietis and E. Ulanovas were more of a club than a specialist, but this is normal, because Žalgiris also needs to take care of its ticket sales and image. M. Schiller refused the services of Evaldas Beržininkaiitis and invited a loyal Austrian who has no experience of the Euroleague. The composition was supplemented by 5 legionnaires, three of whom were well acquainted with them – T.Cavanaugh, N.Giffey and E.Mudiay. Finally, it cannot be said that “Žalgiris” was still driving stuck in the luggage left by Šarūnas Jasikevičius, because only L.Lekavičius and E.Ulanovas were left among the important players.
The player worth watching is E.Mudiay. The Congolese-born athlete is not only expected to make his debut in the Euroleague. The player will be entrusted with organizing the game “Žalgiris” with exceptional physical data – 193 cm tall, slender build and long arms (204 cm length of arms extended to the sides). Although Mudiay had a high number of mistakes during his career in the NBA (losing about 17 percent of all attacks in the NBA), in the context of the Euroleague he will stand out for his physical abilities and should offer versatility in defense – the ability to successfully cover both positions. E.Mudiay’s strength is throws from a medium distance, which he realizes effectively and is able to create space, using the help of a strong body and his maneuverability – the ability to cleverly change gears while controlling the ball. He will be the most dangerous player of “Žalgiris” in one-on-one situations, so it is likely to often decide the outcome of failed attacks with individual actions. E.Mudiay’s signing is a risky maneuver of “Žalgiris”, but dictated by the situation in the market, where it was practically impossible to find something to replace the departed Thomas Walkup at an affordable price. It is not clear how long the African adaptation period will take, adapting to the new environment and the rules of the game, and the return of the optimal sports form after years spent without professional basketball, but E.Mudiay has the potential to become one of the most prominent Žalgiris legionnaires in the history.
What to buy in Krepsinis.net manager? J.Strelniekas (3 thousand), E.Ulanov (5 thousand), E.Mudiay (12 thousand), J.Lauvergne (12 thousand)
Expectations and forecast. Žalgiris fans meet the Euroleague uneasily for a long time, as Kaunas lost all five friendly matches played, and Betsafe-LKL had a problem with all three competitors at the start. Alytus “Dzūkija” lost more than “Žalgiris” won, and the duel with Panevėžys “Lietkabelis” was another drama won by M. Schiller’s soldier, although he had a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Looking at the game itself, there are very few positive signs – the defense looks poor, where Žalgiris loses 1-on-1 situations, and the inability of some basketball players to stop opponents even drives them to despair. Such a player is T.Cavanaugh, who is a great thrower, but fails to stop Laimonas Kisielius’ break in his defense, and “Dzūkija” takes advantage of the American’s weakness and attacks him by attacking. After the duel in Panevėžys, M. Schiller himself said that at the beginning of the season the first two matches were worried about the defense, and the meeting with Lietkabelis was about the attack. However, Žalgiris will definitely find weapons to attack, and the defense potential is low due to players who are not created to be successful on their side of the court. The question remains as to how talented this “Žalgiris” will be in winning the match in the Euroleague.
Another important aspect is E.Mudiay, who is still looking for himself, which is probably normal because there is only a month left in Europe. Sometimes it seems like an American is playing too much for himself and doesn’t even see obviously free teammates. Sometimes E.Mudiay just tries to break the wall and find the violation, which was provoked by as many as 14 in Alytus, but it will be extremely difficult to repeat something similar this season. A lot of success / failure this season in the Euroleague will depend on E.Mudiay’s abilities. An American is also in the defense “floating” when he loses his opponents or looks too casually at certain opponents.
Currently, the clouds above the forecasts of the Žalgiris team are much blacker than last year and this is understandable. Fans are also not blind and have a good understanding of basketball, which is why M. Schiller’s positive speeches at press conferences are often met with outrage. “Žalgiris” looks like a team that will not take part in the race for eight, and we predict that it will be in 14-15 places in the regular season. It is to be hoped that all commentators will be wrong and M. Schiller’s students will be able to fight all the opponents.
Zenit
Sankt Peterburgo “Zenit”
Composition:
Defenders: Jordan Loyd, Denis Zakharov, Andrei Toptunov, Dmitry Kulagin, Billy Baron, Conner Frankamp, Shabazz Napier
Forwards: Sergei Karasiov, Igor Volkin, Maxim Karvanen, Mindaugas Kuzminsk, Andrei Zubkov, Matthew Ponitka, Jordan Mickey
Centers: Antonas Puškovas, Alexas Poythressas, Artūras Gudaitis
Mr. trainer: Xavieras Pascualis
The starting five is predicted: C. Frankampas, J. Loydas, M. Ponitka, J. Mickey, A. Poythressas
An essential summer walk – increases rotation. Last season’s Zenit’s main problem was a very narrow rotation, as either the Russians, who did not meet the Euroleague level, or legionaries like KCRivers came from the bench. In the summer, the Russian club spent more money on backups and that should benefit over a longer distance. The big loss is Kevin Pangos, who went to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the arrival of Sh.Napier looked good in preparation, so he should compensate the Canadian at least with the numbers collected in the attack. A big reinforcement is Loyd’s arrival in place of Austin Hollins – the two athletes exchanged teams. Meanwhile, Will Thomas will be replaced by J. Mickey, who has been the leader of the Chimki district in Moscow, and who is still the leader of the team in terms of the collected utility points. D. Kulagin, S. Karasiov, C. Frankamp and M. Kuzminskas came to extend the bench. Given that the Euroleague has a double week and a grueling quarterfinal series, as well as competing in a powerful United League, increased line-up was inevitable if we were to be a successful team.
A player worth watching – Sh.Chest. With Kevin Pang, the Zenit wizard in St. Petersburg last season, deciding to pursue a contract with the NBA, the club had the extremely difficult task of finding a shift for the Canadian. Like Žalgiris, Zenit has decided to take a risk and invite an American who has spent several years in the NBA to make his debut in European basketball. The 30-year-old 185 cm tall American is a sharp and very maneuverable defender who should not be easy for everyone to catch in the Euroleague. The American is primarily looking for opportunities to throw himself and is able to collect points in both medium-range and long-range shots. An extremely confident athlete is not afraid to take the initiative and perform the most important throws of the match, for which the space is often created by a very sudden bounce back. The biggest American challenge in the NBA was organizational skills and creativity for teammates. Although he is able to break the first line and attract an extra defender to himself, he often makes late decisions and sees the pitch poorly. During the best career section of the Wizards, Sh.Napier finished only 38 percent with his teammates. of all your picenrols. Similar to E.Mudiay, Sh.Napierias has always had a poor ratio of effective transmissions to errors (career 1.7). It is unlikely that this American will become an equal shift to K. Pangos, who is the organizer of attacks on much higher basketball intelligence and better creative skills. Still, Napier has more potential to score, so Zenit, which summoned Jordan Loyd in the summer and retained Billy Baron, will certainly not lack defenders who can take the initiative and take action on their own. So far, Sh.Napier is being stopped by trauma, but a month later he should return to the parquet and make his debut in the Euroleague.
What to buy in Krepsinis.net manager? M.Kuzminskas (5 thousand), A.Poythressas (9 thousand)
Expectations and forecast. In terms of expectations, Lithuanians should be singled out – A. Gudaitis and M. Kuzminskas, who is playing in the 10th career season in the Euroleague. The center has extended its contract with Zenit in the summer, so it is in the club’s plans and there can be no doubt that it will have its minutes and role. Meanwhile, M. Kuzminskas has another opportunity to prove his worth and “hook” in the Euroleague, because in Piraeus that attempt was not successful. M.Kuminskas will have to be M.Ponitka’s backup, and this player is very popular with X.Pascualis, therefore it will be difficult to win more minutes, unless M.Kuzminskas gets a chance to appear as the “fourth number”.
Zenit’s potential for noise in the Euroleague is highly dependent on how it succeeds in replacing K.Pangas. Now, a question mark has contributed to this, when Sh.Napier will return to the parquet at all, because it can take a month to stretch the ankle ligaments, but it can take two. A big question mark and C.Frankamp, who has never played in the Euroleague. If the role of the main player goes to Baron or Loyd, Zenit will have a lot of problems, which could lead to a poor start in the Euroleague. Anyway, the composition of Zenit is really balanced and has several Euroleague players who are in line with X. Pascual’s philosophy. The front line is universal, where only A. Gudaitis is the real center, and J. Mickey and A. Poythress can play in both the “fourth” and “fifth” positions. The St. Petersburg team is definitely determined to be above 8th place in the regular season and we predict it will succeed, but just a step higher as the higher ranked teams seem to have more quality and talent, especially in the player position, which is so important in basketball today.
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