Lithuanian talents.

[sagenas2]

Wow, that's a brave statement. Let's not forget Jonas lead his NT to gold and was MVP of U-16 European champ. He also was MVP of U-18 campionship (gold) and MVP of U-19 WC (gold). Not to mention some extreame performances in U-17 Champ like 37 points, 19 rebounds, 4 blocks against France. I doubt Domantas has a fair chance to compete with that.

However, I think Domantas Sabonis stood out as the most interesting talent after Motiejunas/Valančiūnas this summer.

From U-20 we already have Valančiūnas in the NT. It's very rare if 3 or 4 players make NT from one youth generation (though this generation might be exactly the exception). If you got one real talent in the team - that's great. People constantly overrates youth teams - for example Serbia's youth teams doing fine year by year and people come and say Serbia has super bright future? Where are these super talents? One Teodosič left as world class material...

From U-19 I think Lithuania should have some hopes on Grigonis, Dimša, Tamulis. No single chance for any other to make NT, IMO. Point guards are horrible of this NT as well. Grigonis might be a little bit of ball hog, but he's clearly the best option at 1 in this team while he has power forward body. Since we have a lot of SGs, I would love to see Grigonis becoming NT material and playing some point guard.

However, I think we saw only one sure future NT member this summer - Domantas Sabonis. All others are in question.

It was U-18. Jonas has never played in U-17 World championship (and he had no chances because U-17 championships started only in 2010, I think....).

Are you kidding me? Domantas Sabonis was great for U-16! He pulled down 27(!) rebounds against Poland. He averaged 14.1 ppg, 14.4 rpg and 2.4 apg in that tournament. This guy is following in his father's footsteps for sure. I doubt that he'll reach his father's potential, but he could surpass Jonas.

U-20's team was pretty good too. Although no one is superbly talented on that team, the guys played great as a team. You're right about the U-17 team - they sucked.

Sabonis will never become as good as Valančiūnas only because of one fact - physical abilities. In basketball athletism has very big importance. Sabonis isn't very athletic, explosive and etc.

Yes, but the guy can't shoot threes for his life. 2/17? Why does takes threes if he can't make them?

Why do you comment when you clearly don't know anything about player? Grigonis was shooting well all last season in both NKL and NIJT...he has good shooting mechanics, can make shots. If he had problems making shots in few games here, it doesn't mean he can't make them.

In Olympics Kalnietis was making 29% of his 3-point shot attempts...while in LKL he made 53%... so what conclusions would you make about him? He shouldn't attempt 3-pointers at all, right?

 

[auris12]

Sabonis will never become as good as Valančiūnas only because of one fact - physical abilities. In basketball athletism has very big importance. Sabonis isn't very athletic, explosive and etc.

This is the reason i did not mentioned him - he is very well developed for his age and he knows how to pick position too,granted here,hence all rebounds.
Pretty decent shot,not so good from free line.

athletism

That is a big question for me.
it all depends of how tall he will be,i guess.
He added 6 cm in a year to be 206 ,so this might affect his lack of athleticism and coordination.
But if he stays same hight ,he would be in ,my opinion, too slow for modern game.
but ...
if he can grow to 215 or above,then speed would not matter that much.His dad was growing up till he was 20,so we will see.
round 210 - slow power forward?
He reminds me of Einikis somehow,the pace he plays.So if he could master killer hook shot,then...


So for me there is too many maybes for now

 

[Hepcat2]

It's very rare if 3 or 4 players make NT from one youth generation (though this generation might be exactly the exception). If you got one real talent in the team - that's great. People constantly overrates youth teams - for example Serbia's youth teams doing fine year by year and people come and say Serbia has super bright future? Where are these super talents? One Teodosič left as world class material....

I don't think Serbia is a good example for such a phenomenon though. The problem with Serbia's national team in the last ten years has not been any lack of talent. Serbia has for a couple of decades now generated all kinds of NBA talent. The problem for Serbian basketball has been melding these diverse talents into a team and finding a system that would take full advantage of the players' talents on the court. Whether it's players' egos or a coaching problem or some other shortcoming of Serbian basketball, the whole has not exceeded the sum of the parts for Serbian basketball in the last decade.

 

[macleopard132]

Grigonis was the LeBron James of our team today - stepped up when he was needed the most. Thanks to him! Still, I wouldn't say he's a candidate for our senior team for another two years - especially because of his poor three-point shooting ability, strength and decision making, which results in many turnovers. He has to work on those things.

Tamulis also bricked many shots today. Defense wasn't super. He's not ready to try out for our senior NT anytime soon.

Everyone else is of LKL/EuroChallenge caliber at this point.

 

[Straight forward2]

Good news! Čižauskas going to ACB - loaned to Valjadolido „Blancos de Rueda“. Hopefully he gets playing time in one of the best leagues in the world.

 

[macleopard132]

Good news! Čižauskas going to ACB - loaned to Valjadolido „Blancos de Rueda“. Hopefully he gets playing time in one of the best leagues in the world.

Yeah, great news! He needs to develop some more at professional level and hopefully, he'll replace Jasikevicius next year in EuroBasket .

It's surprising how he "buffed up" in such a short time! I remember him as a scrawny 16-year-old playing for Zalgiris back in '09.

2008

2012

Why can't Jonas do that ?

 

[Straight forward2]

Yeah, great news! He needs to develop some more at professional level and hopefully, he'll replace Jasikevicius next year in EuroBasket .

It's surprising how he "buffed up" in such a short time! I remember him as a scrawny 16-year-old playing for Zalgiris back in '09.

2008

2012

Why can't Jonas do that ?

But he had more impressive haircut back than I don't think he has a chance to play for senior NT already nexy summer, but any playing time in ACB would be very good experience for him. He already has LKL experience so it's great he's stepping forward.

 

[macleopard132]

I don't think he has a chance to play for senior NT already nexy summer

Why not? Is Juskevicius any better? I know he can play pick-n-roll, but Cizauskas can play that too. In fact, Cizauskas is used to playing alongside Valanciunas and can feed the ball to him more often. Besides, Cizauskas is one of the best defending PGs we're gonna find in our talent pool. What more could we want from a PG?

With a little bit more experience, we will have a talented PG to work with. And Juskevicius, most likely, won't get much playing time in Zalgiris. It would've been better if he went abroad.

 

[Lietuvis2]

I think we have a bright future ahead as if we look at the European championships we did pretty good this year:

U20 European champions
U18 European runners up
U16 well ok 11th place

Our boys our ranked second in the world after the US:

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/even/rank/p/openNodeIDs/17814/selNodeID/17814/rankYouth.html

So its just the young guys struggling against the usually more quicker developing boys from the south that look like they are in their 20s already!

Therefore basing on how we mature we get better with age! To me these guys are our future and if they keep playing like this we will hold our own
once they get to the mens competition.

 

[arturcia2]

Well, Vytenis not worse than Kalnietis was back in 2006. but Sireika trusted Mantis and it paid off. it might be the time for Kemzura or a new coach to rely on youth.

 

[Darknemo20002]

Why not? Is Juskevicius any better? I know he can play pick-n-roll, but Cizauskas can play that too. In fact, Cizauskas is used to playing alongside Valanciunas and can feed the ball to him more often. Besides, Cizauskas is one of the best defending PGs we're gonna find in our talent pool. What more could we want from a PG?

With a little bit more experience, we will have a talented PG to work with. And Juskevicius, most likely, won't get much playing time in Zalgiris. It would've been better if he went abroad.

Well Cizauskas like Kalnietis is a poor dribbler. You can see plenty of unforced turnovers were he simply dribbles off his feet.

With him in we would still have a pair of turnover machine's as our PG's who always struggle to bring the ball over the half-court under defensive pressure. Cizauskas is also a poor shooter so with him and Klanietis opponents will always put zone into consideration as both our PG's brick shots.

Cizauskas isnt that great of defender. There is a reason why Redikas was defending opponent leader PG's like serbian Cvetkovic and not Cizauskas. He is not bad but he isnt all that great at defense. Kind of mediocre.

Cizauskas is great at using his body weigh and mass specially in the air. He seeks the contact and can always finish up the drive despite the contact. BUt that happens more on youth level where he usually has weight advantage over other his position players and can hold them off with his shoulder while jumping in the air during the drive.

Cizauskas can play smart like a center against others PG. He is also a very good rebounder for a PG and a decent passer (though not great one).

Why can't Jonas do that ?

Height. Its always easier to buff up when you are short than when you are tall.

And is Jonas really that scrawny?

 

[Straight forward2]

Why not? Is Juskevicius any better? I know he can play pick-n-roll, but Cizauskas can play that too. In fact, Cizauskas is used to playing alongside Valanciunas and can feed the ball to him more often. Besides, Cizauskas is one of the best defending PGs we're gonna find in our talent pool. What more could we want from a PG?

With a little bit more experience, we will have a talented PG to work with. And Juskevicius, most likely, won't get much playing time in Zalgiris. It would've been better if he went abroad.

Unless he will have a very good season on ACB, I think Juškevičius or even say Janavičius are stronger at the given day. Specially Juškevičius after his strong performance in NT camp this summer. The think is that Čižauskas doesn't have experience while my mentioned guys played in Eurocup and Euroleague. We'll see, it's great he'll play in Spain!

 

[Darknemo20002]

Unless he will have a very good season on ACB, I think Juškevičius or even say Janavičius are stronger at the given day. Specially Juškevičius after his strong performance in NT camp this summer. The think is that Čižauskas doesn't have experience while my mentioned guys played in Eurocup and Euroleague. We'll see, it's great he'll play in Spain!

You forget one thing - Juskevicius isnt a PG. He is more of a Sg. Even during those well performabnces last summer for NT it was because of scoring rather because of controlling the game.

As a 12th man on a roster he would be fine to play for a PG or SG when needed for short amount of time but he just isnt a guy who should stand as a second PG.

 

[Straight forward2]

You forget one thing - Juskevicius isnt a PG. He is more of a Sg. Even during those well performabnces last summer for NT it was because of scoring rather because of controlling the game.

As a 12th man on a roster he would be fine to play for a PG or SG when needed for short amount of time but he just isnt a guy who should stand as a second PG.

Well, from what I've seen he looks most effective with the ball in his hands. Not really the best player off the ball and shooting off the screens (not a typical SG). IMO, we can easily call him combo- guard. However, even if I liked what I saw in NT camp this summer, I don't think Juškevičius has very big upside. It's just that he is rock- solid and seems to have a great working ethics and some sort of reliability. That's why I see him as one of the main applicants for a back-up PG next year. Maybe he'll suprise us and as Čeponis said he'll be a starter of Rio Olympics. I would hope so.

Currently I stick to my opinion that Čižauskas and Grigonis have the biggest upside speaking about PG position of young Lithuanian players. Grigonis is off course not PG, but I see a lot of good things in him. He likes to have a ball in his hands, decent ball- handling skills (good for his size) and he's a great slasher and above average passer. If he can improve his long passes (how badly we are missing the things that (young) Jasikevičius, Šiškauskas and Štombergas could do) and distant shooting, he's a real deal. Besides he has leadership qualities - not afraid to take a winning or losing shots.

 

[macleopard132]

How did Dulkys do in his first match ? Did he have any luck shutting down Kaukenas?

 

[Straight forward2]

Let's have some closer look at Marius Grigonis. I think he deserves it because of few reasons: he's potential PG option and his upside is somewhat intriguing. Let's start with some quotes:

Marius Grigonis (1994, SF, 6’6”, Lithuania), 12.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists

An athletic wing with great scoring instincts, excellent foot speed and a lightning quick first step that allows him to get to the basket. He has a good shooting range, but he needs to work on shot selection and on his mechanics, in order to become more reliable as a shooter. He has well developed passing skills, he often looks for teammates when the defense collapses on him, sometimes with glimpses of talent. He needs to work on his mid-range game, especially on the jump shot from the dribble, in order to become a complete scorer. Sometimes he tends to have early foul troubles, he needs to work on the defensive side, especially on his positioning. Good upside, especially if he works on his shot.

http://nbadraft.net/u18-european-championships-recap

Marius Grigonis – 1m98 – SF/PG – 1994 – Lithuania

The All-Tournament team member from Lithuania had a so-so tournament in my eyes. Too many times, he did not take over the lead of the team as you could expect but on the other hand, it was him that won the game in the semi-final with a dramatic last play against Serbia. Additionally, Grigonis was not really sure about his position in the Lithuanian offense. Often used as a Small Forward, he is in my eyes the future of Lithuania on the PG position if he can really grow into that role. He has the necessary ball handling, great size, athletic abilities and court vision to become a high-level play maker in the future.

Grigonis is doing a good job recognizing the gaps in defense and attacking the right spots. His first step helps him to pass by most of the defenders on this level and with his footwork and spin moves, he can avoid the help defense elegantly. The 1m98 tall player can finish strong in the paint even if his athleticism is only decent for European levels. He likes to have the ball in his hands and play Pick and Roll situations as he can find the open players nicely. He has though to learn how to better control his plays if he wants to become a full time Point Guard in the future. He has the right leadership attitude but sometimes, he becomes too passive and is not asking enough for the ball.

http://www.europeanprospects.com/u18-european-championship-2012-the-wings/

Despite the fact the he struggled at some points in U18 EC, I had a feeling I might be watching the prospect that really has some exceptional skills and atrributes. What is the most intriguing about this prospect that he really can play PG at elite youth level and some scouts and posters think he could even become all-time PG. Interesting that Eurohopes see this guy as PG in Euro position and NBA position - http://www.eurohopes.com/player/1461/marius-grigonis/. The thing is that he likes the ball in his hands (literally demanding in some occasions) and we had only few guards with that attitude (Jasikevičius and Marčiulionis?). So the guy has pretty much everything - ball handling, slashing, passing, defending, IQ. His weakness in U18 EC was shooting and the lack of aggressiveness in some occasions. What has to be emphasized is his cold blood in clutch time. He has leaders' mentality.

So what I see in him now - the guy who could possibly have the biggest upside after Jonas/Donatas while at the same time he might be another youngster fading away in senior level. There are some concerns like shooting, recursive tendention to play all by him self or contrary - to be too pasive in offense. However, the feeling in the air is that he showed only a part of what he can be (wasn't 100% prepared fot the torunament). At least I saw some flashes of greatness and that was pure skill, pure IQ and not just athleticism or stenght what usually works for some players in Yough level. That makes me think we might have somethings special in this prospect.

What's your opinion the kid? I hope we'll see him in LKL this season.

 

[macleopard132]

Let's have some closer look at Marius Grigonis. I think he deserves it because of few reasons: he's potential PG option and his upside is somewhat intriguing. Let's start with some quotes:



http://nbadraft.net/u18-european-championships-recap



http://www.europeanprospects.com/u18-european-championship-2012-the-wings/

Despite the fact the he struggled at some points in U18 EC, I had a feeling I might be watching the prospect that really has some exceptional skills and atrributes. What is the most intriguing about this prospect that he really can play PG at elite youth level and some scouts and posters think he could even become all-time PG. Interesting that Eurohopes see this guy as PG in Euro position and NBA position - http://www.eurohopes.com/player/1461/marius-grigonis/. The thing is that he likes the ball in his hands (literally demanding in some occasions) and we had only few guards with that attitude (Jasikevičius and Marčiulionis?). So the guy has pretty much everything - ball handling, slashing, passing, defending, IQ. His weakness in U18 EC was shooting and the lack of aggressiveness in some occasions. What has to be emphasized is his cold blood in clutch time. He has leaders' mentality.

So what I see in him now - the guy who could possibly have the biggest upside after Jonas/Donatas while at the same time he might be another youngster fading away in senior level. There are some concerns like shooting, recursive tendention to play all by him self or contrary - to be too pasive in offense. However, the feeling in the air is that he showed only a part of what he can be (wasn't 100% prepared fot the torunament). At least I saw some flashes of greatness and that was pure skill, pure IQ and not just athleticism or stenght what usually works for some players in Yough level. That makes me think we might have somethings special in this prospect.

What's your opinion the kid? I hope we'll see him in LKL this season.

He does have potential, but he's not a very consistent performer right now. I definitely don't see him in our NT for another couple of years. The earliest he could pretend to the candidate's spot would be in 2014.

Right now, he needs to go to a ULEB Eurocup team - Rudupis should be fine. Develop for a season, then follow Cizauskas' footsteps - go to a respectable team in an excellent domestic league (Serie A, ESAKE or ACB) for 1-2 seasons. Once he becomes a leader there, then he could start playing in the Euroleague. Baby steps, and he'll develop into a significant future NT contributor.

 

[Darknemo20002]

Poeple talk about Dulkys like he is some kind of good player and even played with NT but frankly - even Redikas who is younger and less experienced plays clearly better than him despite missing plenty of open shots from 3pt line or even under the basket. Why it was Dulkys on NT in qualification rather than Kuzminskas, Gailius, Redikas, Ulanovas, Juskevicius is beyond me each of these guys are better players than he is.

 

[Darknemo20002]

It was U-18. Jonas has never played in U-17 World championship (and he had no chances because U-17 championships started only in 2010, I think....).

I think what he meant was that Jonas was 17 when he played in that U-18 squad and got all those stats playing mostly against older opponents. Kanter too btw.

 

[Straight forward2]

He does have potential, but he's not a very consistent performer right now. I definitely don't see him in our NT for another couple of years. The earliest he could pretend to the candidate's spot would be in 2014.

Right now, he needs to go to a ULEB Eurocup team - Rudupis should be fine. Develop for a season, then follow Cizauskas' footsteps - go to a respectable team in an excellent domestic league (Serie A, ESAKE or ACB) for 1-2 seasons. Once he becomes a leader there, then he could start playing in the Euroleague. Baby steps, and he'll develop into a significant future NT contributor.

Rudipis now is not what he needs. He would ride a bench here. He's 18yo and didn't play in our league yet.

Poeple talk about Dulkys like he is some kind of good player and even played with NT but frankly - even Redikas who is younger and less experienced plays clearly better than him despite missing plenty of open shots from 3pt line or even under the basket. Why it was Dulkys on NT in qualification rather than Kuzminskas, Gailius, Redikas, Ulanovas, Juskevicius is beyond me each of these guys are better players than he is.

Exactly. Not too mention Gecevičius. Dulkys might develop and I wish him luck, but to choose him instead of PROs that palying in freakin' Euroleague's and Greek A1 champ teams...Our coaches since Butautas' times show some amazing creativity in "Mažutis, Prekevičius, Eitutavičius, Dulkys". I don't blame Butautas for Prekevičius though, the guy at least was decent in Youth level and saw some PRO basketball.

I hope some of our wings and SGs (well and PGs too ) will develop because we need more flexibility, IQ and creativity in the wing. And Kemzura's decition to go with all 3 fast, strong and basically uniform type of SGs (Kaukėnas, Seibutis, Pocius) didn't work.

However, I'm not so sure about Redikas. He has no elite shooting skills and his ball handling is pretty weak and his decision making is horrible at times. Despite Jonas, Donatas (who already are NT level players) and Domantas (these three should be a world class material, at least we have right to hope so), I have highest hopes in Grigonis, Ulanovas and Čižauskas. If these will pan out we'll have good chances to come back playing hight IQ, creatiive BB again.