2023 Lithuanian NT

[Shawshank]

Brazdeikis in 5 friendly games made 4 our of 20 three pointers 20% like half of them was wide open.Opponnets risking on him even in friendlies

Jokubaitis made 2 of 10 20%

Dimsa made 3 of 9 33%

Normantas made 5 of 15 33%

Kariniauskas made 1 of 3 33%



Just elite shooting backourt we have in 2023.


I think dinosur expert got a point with Augustas.He wanted LTU NT 2023 collecting worst shooting backourt ever

Then Opponents could tripple team Valanciunas and he could say: see Valanciunas is unplayable dinosour,cant beat even double and triple teams

[Hepcat]

...I truly believe that either of Marciulionis/D.Giedraitis/Jogela would be better NOW than Kariniauskas. Maybe only slightly better, but all 3 are better players than Kariniauskas already, no question.

Matas Jogėla yes overall, but Coach Maksvytis didn't like something that he saw with Jogėla at PG. Admittedly I can't say what it was.

As far as Dovis Giedraitis and Augustas Marčiulionis go, no not right now Perhaps in a few years but not yet.

[Hepcat]

Adomaitis wasn't skipping any NT games and he was grabbing all best players. Blame your sacred cow Maksvytis, he is the guy who should call to play, not freakin' Balciunas. I only blame Balciunas that he actually allowed NT to be butt naked in the windows without the head coach. This was really cheap shot and big hit for NT prestige. So now we can play without freakin' head coach? Really? Stop being funny fan boy of Maksvytis.

But you yourself were Kazys Maksvytis' biggest fan boy on this forum less than two years ago! You absolutely agitated for his hiring.

[LuDux]

But you yourself were Kazys Maksvytis' biggest fan boy on this forum less than two years ago! You absolutely agitated for his hiring.

Only if calling him fat for not follwing his orders counts as being "biggest fan"

[Hepcat]

There's an article in Basketnews.lt today mentioning that Domantas Sabonis won't after all be playing in tomorrow's friendly game against Puerto Rico in Taiwan. Huh?! Since Sabonis isn't on the team, why would anybody think he might play?

[Hepcat]

People say those 11-12th spots doesn't matter...False. It matter highly. Those players will take important roles in upcoming tournaments, sometimes key roles. So if you care about the next tournaments (and why would you care about them less than current ones?) then you take those 11-12th spots extremely seriously.

Well I certainly agree that those eleventh and twelfth spots matter. Players foul out of games and injuries happen. Look at what Adas Juškevičius did for the 2014 team when he was called back to the team after having been cut when Mantas Kalnietis hurt himself just days before the tournament. Juškevičius stepped in beautifully at PG when Šarūnas Vasiliauskas struggled and Team Lietuva ended up battling for the Bronze.

But!!! The national team isn't a training exercise for the future! Let me repeat, it's not a training exercise. The twelve best/most useful players available right now should be the ones taken. "Potential" and five euros will get you a six pack of beer but it's not something that'll land a player a slot on the national team.

[Shawshank]

last 4 puerturico games

vs Usa 74-117
vs Italy 65-98
vs Serbia 75-110

vs LTU 80-93

Or Puerturico improved their game alot in last 2 days or found opponnet that is more their level

[madmax]

last 4 puerturico games

vs Usa 74-117
vs Italy 65-98
vs Serbia 75-110

vs LTU 80-93

Or Puerturico improved their game alot in last 2 days or found opponnet that is more their level

Most likely the latter

[Hepcat]

Brazdeikis in 5 friendly games made 4 our of 20 three pointers 20% like half of them was wide open.Opponnets risking on him even in friendlies

Jokubaitis made 2 of 10 20%

Dimsa made 3 of 9 33%

Normantas made 5 of 15 33%

Kariniauskas made 1 of 3 33%


Just elite shooting backourt we have in 2023.

What though would you do? Is there a really good Lithuanian three point shooter lurking in the wings somewhere? I see that legendary veteran Mindaugas Lukauskis led all Lithuanians in the LKL with 43.2%(35/81) shooting from the three point line but....

So what could Coach Maksvytis have actually done? Try to lure Adas Juškevičius out of retirement from the national team program by guaranteeing Juškevičius a spot on the final roster?

[Hepcat]

I know that the LKF took considerable criticism for agreeing to play these two games in the Philippines. What I don't understand is the rationale behind the criticism. Team Lietuva needed to be in place in East Asia five or six days before the World Cup in order to become acclimatized to the time change and heat anyway. Games therefore could, actually should, be played.

[Straight forward]

No grip. The team is really loose defensively. I think our 5s at D will be the main issue in WC. With Sabonis we at least had somewhat bearable defense and played faster. Now we look really bad defensively even against somewhat mediocre PR. Can NT still improve? I think only slightly. Our bigs will get ridiculed inevitably. Some players as Dimsa, Brazdeikis will get in better shape and probably there still be a bit more communication, but that will help only slightly.

Offensively we lack sharpness from perimeter and creativity. So far only Jokubaitis looks well. Again, Brazdeikis and Dimsa will get a bit better and will be more aggressive (specially Iggy, and hopefully with bearable decisions), but they will mostly provide scoring treat, not ability to create for others (Normantas the same story and I don't even talk about Kariniauskas). Realistically we'll be really good offensively when we will barely look at JV and he will get his points only from p'n'r and offensive rebounds. Now entry pass and see what JV can do really looks awful. Sort of anti-basketball, or 90s basketball.

Getting to Olympics directly would be fantastic result, but I think we will be heading to qualification. Seeing how much sharper Jokubaitis is with his facilitation culture I think we could have a very good ball movement with Sabonis, Ulanovas, Grigonis, Jokubaitis on the court next symmer. Elite ball movement and enough of aggression. You can spice this mix up with either more offense (Brazdeikis) or defensive glue guy (Butkevicius) and you have very strong unit. I think whatever the outcome - next summer we'll have strong chance to qualify to Olympics. Stronger than in 2021 qualification. I expect all to show up injuries aside except probably Ulanovas (but even he may want to play for the last time).

From this team I just expect sincere fight. There's no objective arguments to ask success. We had some surprising tournaments in the past, always a possibility, but from objective point of view I don't see success.

[Dreamcatcher]

I don't believe that this team can win against a top team (miracles happen though). But draws gives a fairy straight path to 1/4, cause Greece has bigger absences. They don' have Giannis and the best guards in Sloukas and Dorsey. Calathes is also still a good pg. Lithuania at least has its main pg and a main big. If we can't do that then we are weak now, that's what i think.

[Hepcat]

The team is really loose defensively. I think our 5s at D will be the main issue in WC.... Now we look really bad defensively even against somewhat mediocre PR.

I'm intrigued by Coach Maksvytis' attempt to implement a defense that keeps Jonas Valančiūnas down low defending the paint and therefore doesn't require him to switch off and defend fleet footed guards scurrying around the perimeter. A type of zone with the other four players defending the three point arc could work since basically no teams play any more than three or four shooters who can drain three pointers at any one time.

Offensively we lack sharpness from perimeter and creativity. So far only Jokubaitis looks well. Again, Brazdeikis and Dimsa will get a bit better and will be more aggressive (specially Iggy, and hopefully with bearable decisions), but they will mostly provide scoring treat, not ability to create for others (Normantas the same story and I don't even talk about Kariniauskas). Realistically we'll be really good offensively when we will barely look at JV and he will get his points only from p'n'r and offensive rebounds. Now entry pass and see what JV can do really looks awful. Sort of anti-basketball, or 90s basketball.

Two points from Valančiūnas down low would still be two points. I don't care how it looks or whether some pundits call it antiquated. Basketball isn't figure skating. Winning ugly would still be winning.

[Straight forward]

I don't believe that this team can win against a top team (miracles happen though). But draws gives a fairy straight path to 1/4, cause Greece has bigger absences. They don' have Giannis and the best guards in Sloukas and Dorsey. Calathes is also still a good pg. Lithuania at least has its main pg and a main big. If we can't do that then we are weak now, that's what i think.

Success to me would be reaching Olympics and everything further.

[Straight forward]

LOL, this LT NT is almost NY Knicks - Iggy, Kuz former players and Jokubaitis belongs to them:

https://twitter.com/NBA_NewYork/status/1692801295676023237