2024 Lithuanian NT

[Straight forward2]

The only certainty is that youll get more talent. Its also really difficult not to get more talented player than now. First its too early to praise them to heavens, second you use the word "elite" too carelessly.

Regarding Jakucionis, it's not too early. Very strong opinion. He's there.

 

[Saip2]

It's funny to read about the future when basketball is played now i mean now. Next year, not yet another year. Over the years, I have matured and I care less and less about basketball and sport in general and the shameful defeats of the Lithuanian national team mean less and less to me, as i have grown a thicker skin. That and this defeat mean nothing at all.

 

[Toruko2]

Regarding Jakucionis, it's not too early. Very strong opinion. He's there.

He has shown nothing rn. Let him play in the pro fields then we can see if hes really elite.

 

[Straight forward2]

He has shown nothing rn. Let him play in the pro fields then we can see if hes really elite.

Oh, he's there man. In his case there's zero doubt he'll be good at PRO. He's dropping something like 12pts in 4 minutes in ACB/EL as a PRO. Seriously he filled all the bars be it EL ANGT/BWB/Nike Hoop Summit, NT, whatever. He looks amazing in Illinous practices and people talking like he might be the best player there from day one. And next him are other first round prospects as Will Riley. Off course, you never know with NCAA, but in his case I think he will be killing it. He'll be huge with U18 this summer.

I'm not exaggerating LTU BB is in his hands. He's that good.

 

[Toruko2]

Oh, he's there man. In his case there's zero doubt he'll be good at PRO. He's dropping something like 12pts in 4 minutes in ACB/EL as a PRO. Seriously he filled all the bars be it EL ANGT/BWB/Nike Hoop Summit, NT, whatever. He looks amazing in Illinous practices and people talking like he might be the best player there from day one. And next him are other first round prospects as Will Riley. Off course, you never know with NCAA, but in his case I think he will be killing it. He'll be huge with U18 this summer.

I'm not exaggerating LTU BB is in his hands. He's that good.

I know that he is your best prospect. Its not difficult too see whats obvious. I have some issues with your wording. You use the word "elite" too easily. I dont deny he is a solid prospect but he has to show it. I will watch him closely at the U18 tournament. ANGT etc. means not much.

 

[Straight forward2]

I know that he is your best prospect. Its not difficult too see whats obvious. I have some issues with your wording. You use the word "elite" too easily. I dont deny he is a solid prospect but he has to show it. I will watch him closely at the U18 tournament. ANGT etc. means not much.

Oh, believe me, in his case you can clearly call it elite. I actually call him world class. To me elite is like Sloukas, Spanoulis. I actually hope that Jokubaitis will be close Sloukas level in his prime. So that's to me elite. Players like Goran Dragic is world class. I expect Kasparas Jakucionis to be closer Goran Dragic level than say Sloukas, Spanoulis. I hope that helps you to understand how I use elite and world class terms. Franze Wagner is world class, Hedo is a world class. While some Cedi Osman - elite.

 

[R1ou2]

Jokubaitis doesn't have that instict in him, can't be a leader in any winning team. He might put up numbers and look good in extended minutes in some bottom table Euroleague team but can't be better than that.

 

[Toruko2]

https://x.com/BasketNews_com/status/1810323584482492778
Grigonis is funny!

 

[Hepcat2]

Again opponnets killed us by perimeter skilled players and our backourt couldnt deliver. NT lost that game

Alvarado+Waters+Howard= 53pts of 79

Jokubaitis+Grigonis+Lekavicius= 31pts of 68


Puerturco double teammed Sabonis and Grigonis and game plan was: others will need to score and they couldnt make shots in that hostile 15k arena


Players Kuz and Grigonis themselfs said we can change coaches every year,but at some point NT players have look at mirrow too. Coaches wont make stops,wont make wide open shots and wont show character for players.

Making just 1 top 8 in 8 years,its clearly not just coaching and there is bigger problems in ltu basketball.


All those talks that NT cant win because of Valanciunas slow game was myth. NT cant win because of weak perimeter players


68pts vs pesky Serbia defence, 68pts vs pesky puerturico defence 2games that LTU lost without a chance to win. Our perimeter couldnt create advantage 1 vs 1 and our offence was in stuck and desperation mode


Its sad reality of todays Lithuania basketball. We can emotionally blame coaches or nba centers but main problem is not there.

Truth! And the Puerto Rican coaching staff designed a great defensive alignment to pour sand in the gears of what had previously been a high scoring Lithuanian defence. Clog up the paint with a man down low, make sure Domantas Sabonis and Marius Grigonis are well covered, and dare the rest of the Lithuanian players to take, and make, perimeter shots.

And the rest of the Lithuanian team did/could not. Kuzminskas was 0/5, Butkevičius 1/7 while Ulanovas, Lekavičius, Jokubaitis, Sedekerskis and Dimša were a combined 1/6! Only Lekavičius and Jokubaitis merited any perimeter coverage anyway of course.

To be fair when Sabonis switched on those small guards he was quite ok this game. He even forced 1 or 2 turnovers which led to fast break points. JV can't switch.

Yes the problem is weak guard line, but so is bad pnr defence with JV.

​

But I've always wondered why Lithuanian coaches don't implement a similar defensive scheme with Jonas Valančiūnas. Don't ask him to switch. When you have a hammer, don't insist it do double duty as a screwdriver. Keep Valančiūnas down low to deny the paint and be a rim protector and have the other four players patrol the perimeter. Surely other teams have two or three players you can dare to shoot from beyond the arc.

 

[Hepcat2]

Maksvytis however, never adjusted during the game.

However I put this on coach.

awful coaching by maksvytis this game. how do you watch butkevicius/ulanovas miss shot after shot and make 0 adjustments all game?

I'm now wondering why Coach Maksvytis took Ąžuolas Tubelis instead of Eimantas Bendžius if he wasn't willing to trust Tubelis on the court in a game where Sedekerskis was terrible. Bendžius has been on the big stage many times and his three point shooting might have made a very real difference against Puerto Rico.

Moreover Maksvytis wasn't willing to try Deividas Sirvydis either after Sirvydis' wretched play in the first three games. In hindsight Rokas Giedraitis would have had to be a better selection.

 

[Hepcat2]

Deadly mistake was let go D. Giedraitis ("I take Dimsa, that's my decision"). I knew it was a recipe for disaster already.

Oh for fuck's sake! You're a broken record with your little darling. Dovydas Giedraitis would have been about as useful as tits on a bull in this tournament. D. Giedraitis is not a force on offence which is where Team Lietuva badly needed some sort of answer yesterday. All you've succeeded in doing with your constant touting of Giedraitis is alienating any potential Giedraitis fans.

The only guy on this team in perimeter who can play against real D and pressure is Jokubaitis and he showed it. My biggest problem with Maskvytis in his game that he sit down Jokubaitis with 32min to go, while we badly needed him on the court and only with him the ball was moving and he was able to get inside and create for himself and others. It was first moment when we started to trail, but he kept Jokubaitis on the the bench for 5 minutes. He came back at the middle of 3rd quarter and gave quality 4 minutes, NT started to look better, but after first turnover in the offense Maksvytis takes him off again and plays Lekavicius.

Once again you're cherry picking . You see only what you want to see. For your info, these are the facts. The team was -11 with Rokas Jokubaitis on the floor. It was +3 with Lukas Lekavičius.

The only positive from all this is that Maksvytis is gone. The worst that it could happen for Lithuanian basketball is that he would screw another Olympic basketball. Kazys is the worst coach ever to coach NT, the worst Olympic cycle ever. Tons of mistakes of roster selection, ignoring talent, plenty of deadly mistakes preparing game plan (or not preparing like Girgonis hint that they didn't prepare for the trap D). No thank you and see you never Kazys Maksvytis. It is the stretch that I as NT fan want to forget. Thank you only for getting the fuck off from Lithuanian basketball and not disrupting the progress of NT anymore.

For the edification of anyone new to this forum, it was you Straight forward who tirelessly agitated for Kazys Maksvytis to replace Dainius Adomaitis as head coach.

Now good news. Lithuanian basketball is in good hands. We have pieces that will brake everything down (bad coaching, lack of talent, lack of character). Those names are 2. First and for most: Kasparas Jakucionis. Second, Matas Buzelis. Thirdly: Nojus Indrusaitis. These three names will be enough to claim back elite level of NT. We will be as good as we were in 1992-2008, it will be the same tier NT with these three names and complimented with very nice Euro elite pieces like Jokubaitis, Rubstavicius, Sirvydis. I'm telling you very straight, it's not speculation. Jakucionis as a lead guard is the guy that we didn't have for a very very long time. Like it's there NOW. There's no "ifs" around him, there's no "when" around him, he's already great. Even today he could be in the NT. I'm not joking. He very likely would be better today in the NT than Matas Buzelis (who is more about the upside, but also will be a beast). To me it's simple - you have to have those pieces that will lift you or you won't achieve it. Luckily we have it. With Grigonis and Lekavicius as the main guards we didn't win anything. I admit that SS was right saying that after Kalnietis/Seibutis the worse guards will come. You were right on this one. Grigonis/Lekavicius came and that was worse. But luckily next guards gen is absolutely at another level, like it's radical shift. We have those pieces and it's coming. My projection is that Jakucionis could fight for the spot in the NT already next year being 19yo. He's that good. Whenever NT will go for it, it's another question, but we have world class player in him, we have world class player in Buzelis, we have nearly world class player in Indursaitis, and tons of Euro elite talent as Jokubaitis, Rubstavicius, Sirvydis, Brazdeikis, Lelevicius, Murauskas and so on. This is total plot twist for Lithuania. Learn this name: Kasparas Jakucionis. He has Marciulionis, Jasikevicius, Macijauskas and whatever you want in him. Lithuanian basketball is about him literally. I'm not exaggerating, he will literally determined our capabilities and chances. Only with such player we can achieve something. So start measure LTU basketball temperature through Kasparas lens. Our BB is in his hands (and Buzelis). Only such level player can truly carry NT at contemporary basketball. Learn it, understand it, preach it.

You realize of course that those players can only disappoint with that burden of high praise you put on their shoulders. I'll withhold my praise until I see some factual evidence.

 

[Hepcat2]

First its too early to praise them to heavens, second you use the word "elite" too carelessly.

One thing you can expect from this forum. Flights of hyperbole from Straight forward.

 

[Toruko2]

One thing you can expect from this forum. Flights of hyperbole from Straight forward.

lol Yeah but he suffers deeply I like his love for his country

 

[Hepcat2]

Oh, he's there man. In his case there's zero doubt he'll be good at PRO. He's dropping something like 12pts in 4 minutes in ACB/EL as a PRO.

Here by the way are Jakucionis' numbers:

Kasparas Jakucionis Stats - Basketnews

He's had total court time of 5:14 in three ACB games in the last two seasons and 1:34 in one Euroleague game. Not exactly statistically significant.

 

[zalias2]

when it comes to potential jakucionis is one of the best lithuanian guard prospects of all time, he could end up being a top 20 pick in a really strong 2025 nba draft if he shows what he's capable of in ncaa. he is far from a certain thing but i do understand getting excited about him

 

[Hepcat2]

This was a streaky PR without any world class talent and we didn't match their physicality, lust for win and motor. It wasn't just their shooting, they were at another level physically, in terms of effort, hustle and lust to win.

I equally disappointed that we lost physical and mental battle. We used to be famous for special mobilization and special lust to win and special hustle. We don't have it any more. Let's face it. We still are disciplined and coherent, but we lost the sparkle in terms of nerve and special effort and hustle. We lack guts, we lack physical fighting spirit. Players missing open shots are just inexcusable. There's no character, there's no EGO, there's no pride. We lack true LEADERS who could carry the flag.

I agree! The team has been soft for several years now. Team Lietuva once had players such as Arvydas Sabonis, Rimas Kurtinaitis, Šarūnas Marčiulionis, Saulius Stombergas, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Ramunas Šiskauskas, Robertas Javtokas, Linas Kleiza, Renaldas Seibutis, Mantas Kalnietis, Jonas Mačiulis, etc. who couldn't countenance losing and would take it upon their mighty shoulders to lead the team to victory. I see no such players now who combine a superior skill set with leadership, the eye of the tiger you might say. While Arnas Butkevičius may have the temperament, he doesn't have the basketball talent to back it up.

Now will we have those leaders in near future? I think that Jokubaitis is a first proper piece for serious basketball ever since some let's say Kalnietis and he can even be better than Kalnietis.

I disagree. Rokas Jokubaitis hasn't shown any such indication yet.

 

[Straight forward2]

when it comes to potential jakucionis is one of the best lithuanian guard prospects of all time, he could end up being a top 20 pick in a really strong 2025 nba draft if he shows what he's capable of in ncaa. he is far from a certain thing but i do understand getting excited about him

How is he far from certain thing? Who from any our prospects are even relatively close to be certain thing if Jakucionis isn't? You guys so funny with this. Prudence doesn't make one look smart, in some cases prudence sounds trivial, funny and lame.

He's far from a certain thing when he's the most impressive early bloomer and high upside prospect in LTU basketball history (maybe competing with Rooney and Macijauskas, but that's it)...

Goal should be to say how it is, and not be prudent in all situations. Being prudent in all situations is being non objective or even stupid in some cases.

 

[Svajunas2]

I agree! The team has been soft for several years now. Team Lietuva once had players such as Arvydas Sabonis, Rimas Kurtinaitis, Šarūnas Marčiulionis, Saulius Stombergas, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Ramunas Šiskauskas, Robertas Javtokas, Linas Kleiza, Renaldas Seibutis, Mantas Kalnietis, Jonas Mačiulis, etc. who couldn't countenance losing and would take it upon their mighty shoulders to lead the team to victory. I see no such players now who combine a superior skill set with leadership, the eye of the tiger you might say. While Arnas Butkevičius may have the personality, he doesn't have the basketball talent to back it up.



I disagree. Rokas Jokubaitis hasn't shown any such indication yet.

Those players you mentioned grew up in post soviet era. Where they literally had to fight to be able to play basketball on outside courts. They had hard, proven characters.
None of the guys has that in the new generation. They are soft.
Hard times create strong men.
We are living in good times generally. Look at the instagram photos of Sedekerskis. Has the best body of current Lithuanian players, but he is mentally soft.

 

[Shawshank2]

On bnews site good article about what Kazlauskas warned lithuanian basketball society after 2015 eurobasket final come to reality in next 10 years

We can play all our team sets and teamwork all we want,but when faced with real defence and tough moments perimeter best player must take the ball and play 1 vs 1 to create something


LTU NT was dominate offensively in groups of 2023 and 2024 until pesky defence and real pressure games came and 68 pts vs Serbia... 68pts vs Puerturico happend


All ltu recent defeats hapend from 2017 Sloukas, 2019 Mills, 2021 Doncic, 2022 Brown ,2023 Bogdanovich,2024 Alvarado ...20pts+ performances

LTU had 0 guards with 20pts performance in those 7 elimination games


NT tried diffrent coaches,diffrent guards,diffrent nba bigs and same story is repeating last 10 years opponnets have elite guard and LTU NT dont have.


Its just devastating for players to feel and fans to watch same story for same reasons again and again happening in elimination game

 

[Dreamcatcher2]

Tiskevicius said he had thought that Domantas is better than JV and NT should be built around him, but now he can see he was most likely wrong. I think today there are many Liths who feel like that and now they finally understood that JV is a better player in FIBA. Puerto-Rico didn't have a big center, who knows maybe JV would have dominated...Even if i still think hosts would have won that game anyway.

Also, absence of Brazdeikis turned out as a huge loss, because Sirvydis was unplayable and there wasn't a substitution for Grigonis. I anyway didn't expect from him a lot, but even Maksvytis before tournament told that leading offense should be shared between Grigonis and Sirvydis. Then he saw how latter defended and Deividas didn't play anymore.