and your fanboys favourites clumsy shooters Marciulionis or D.Giedraitis can do what Gedvilas saying?
Slow down a little bit, dude
Why do you call me fanboy? To me a fan boy who sticks with favorism towards a player no matter what. I may like one players more than other, but I will always say Sabonis is trash defensively, Buzelis struggling with three and so on. If you referring to wrong projections on certain players (which happens to anybody) than it's not being fanboy.
Second, why do you exclude Marciulionis and D. Giedraitis. You think these are most ready to join NT 2025 I assume. Well, those 2 won't solve our problems, I agree. But nevertheless they can add something as a step forward to the NT. FOA, defense. One of our problem (eternal) is lazy perimeter defense. Such on ball lock down defenders as Augis and Dovis should be brilliant role players, each playing say some 15mpg and having those coming from the bench would really improve us. Not a game changer, but still very relevant step forward, IMO.
Putting around Sabonis shaky shooting guards like Marciulionis,D.Giedraitis will work as well as putting shaky wing shooters ale Butkevicius,Sedekerskis,Ulanovas in 2024.
I personally don't look at this Olympic Cycle as the one to "build around Sabonis". Domas should be among the keys, but he should be more of a glue guy, not a go to guy. I want perimeter pieces to be our main focus. In 2025 it should be Jokubaitis, Buzelis, Brazdeikis (Sirvydis, Marciulionis, D. Giedraitis, Rubstavicius), but in 2027 I already expect Jakucionis to make the team and make instant impact. He's the dynamic guard that can be a game changer. He can really SHOOT and PASS. He's different tier guard talent, world class material.
To me this cycle is:
Jakucionis, Buzelis + Sabonis
That would be my vision. Those perimeter guys can bring what Gedvilas preached. They can beat aggressive defense and lead the team offensively.
Worst what coaches can do for Sabonis near shaky shooting wings also put shaky shooting guards
That's why our success will depend a lot on how such prospects as Buzelis, Murauskas will pan out in terms of shooting. If they will be shaky shooters it will reduce our upside, but if they will be shooting well, we can be scary good offensively. I believe I'm not exaggerating a bit. Scary good. But, again, it's not about Sabonis. We should be able to play flawless offense even with Tubelis at 5 and to certain degree maybe even faster and more simple basketball at times. Sabonis needs the ball moving around him all the time and that's much more difficult to do on FIBA court, but we should find some kind of balance with it.
How opponnets double teamed Sabonis and Grigonis because they saw alot of clumsy shooters on the floor and wont punish such risky defence. Yeah lets add 2 more guards that is shaky shooters
Even puerturico coaching staff realised that. How do think good europe teams will figured out that ? or gonna defend our best players Sabonis and Grigonis 1 vs 1?
Again, you cherry picked 2 guards that no-one is saying will be game changers
Those 2 are grindy quality role players for elite NT as LTU (well, we getting there at least
). What will be a game changer is when we will field (2028) guys like Jakucionis, Indrusaitis, Buzelis, Murauskas at 1-4. All can go ISO, all can shoot and all can pass. Tremendous versatility and talent. That will be a game changer. Having Sabonis in the middle who can feed these pieces constantly and KJ's and Domas pick and roll will be deadly potentially.
The difference is Grigonis always melts and chokes under tough defense. That's why I said we're fucked when I saw how the game plan is fixed. Grigonis could never and will never LEAD the team. He's a role player by all means and Jokubaitis already is way more better fit for LEAD role even now. And I see Jokubaitis as back-up for KJ long term. So our situation will be radically different this Olymic cycle.
That's off course with good development of our key prospects, and upcoming 2-3 years will give us an answer if we get the stars in KJ and Buzelis. If don't then, yes, the problem will remain more or less the same as Gedvilas now describes (but still not on the same level as previously cause even some Jokubaitis, Indrusaitis, Rubstavicius presense will be huge for LTU basketball). Still my ultimate wish is to see Jakucionis and Buzelis becoming legitimate FIBA stars. If that's happening, we will be daking down ANYBODY. On a better night we will be able to take down even USA, IMO, as we always have an edge to provide our 150% effort against them and historically contesting them the best in world.
Forget about Grigonis being the best player
It's big travesty. He's just a role player. We will move forward when we will try to build our house with bricks and not with straw. Grigonis is the worst player ever given the leading role of the NT.
