2024 Lithuanian NT

[Straight forward]

Grigonis has really good season and I hope again efficient 12-14pts, and this time some clutch shots going in. He was close to carry NT in 22, but struggled in the crunch time. And struggled cause he doesn't have enough burst and explosiveness. He's not a splitting, slashing presence.

If Jokubaitis doest bring that constant slashing, splitting aggression, no-one will. Grigonis is primarily a shooter.

I don't disagree that we lack 2 way players. But I already have Jokubaitis, Giedraitis, Grigonis, Sedekerskis, Sabonis to start against Italy, PR. I have Giedraitis on the best guard, Devincenso, and there's still enough offense. Jokubaitis, Grigonis, Sabonis are enough to initiate offense, Giedraitis and Sedekerskis can stay in the corners. BTW, Grigonis seems to be better defensively at 3 and not 2. That's what I would start.

[Serbian_Layup]

I think D. Giedraitis, from what I have seen this season, is definitely a good defender even at Euroleague level. But I don't think he can be impactful defender in all matchups. It seems he can really stick with players who are not physically imposing and much bigger than him. For example, I don't think he can stay in front of Bogdanovic, such players are way too strong and skilled for Giedraitis and his somewhat tiny frame and short wingspan. However, against smaller, lankier guards (Punter for example) he can be really good man to man defender. As for offense, it's problematic to trust playmaking duties to someone who is not a good ballhandler, especially at the highest level. And if you play him at SG, you would expect more self creation at which Giedraitis is also not known for. But in general, he will improve your perimeter defense a lot. It's questionable if you can find proper role for him on offense though. If you play Giedraitis at SG, then Jokubaitis has to be much more versatile and dangerous as a scorer, which he still hasn't shown so far. If you play him at PG, I don't trust his ballhandling and playmaking skills. Nevertheless, such player will be very good addition in some defensive matchups.

[Straight forward]

Your insight is basically spot on. But Giedraitis is surprisingly flexible even against faster, tougher, bigger guard. He has X factor in his defensive capabilities.

Domas out. Good. He was working like a horse. Now it's time to rest and come ready.

Sedekerskis rocks. He was really good in both play in games.

[Dreamcatcher]

Domas out. Good. He was working like a horse. Now it's time to rest and come ready.

But didn't you predict better Kings' appearance in play off than last year's? Anyway probably it's indeed better for NT.

[Straight forward]

I changed my attitude towards Kings somewhere during this season. Team is too wild, inconsistent and most guys don't even try defensively. I seen possessions where Fox literally walks in D and doest try at all to funny level. Fox would be the last guy if I building my team. Super streaky, just like all team. D. Sabonis at least always deliver his physicality, rebounding, facilitation and post scoring, but there's no other consistent players in the team. Fox can't run winning team, one of that kind.

[Shawshank]

Valanciunas once again plays Sabonis to equal like manny times before

For Kings to get eliminated from playoofs by Pelicans that played without their superstar one more meltdown

One more time Sabonis teams isnt going nowhere when real playoofs games starts

[Straight forward]

Still no team success, but Sabonis provided. That has to be said.

[Shawshank]

Still no team success, but Sabonis provided. That has to be said.

Sabonis in 42min 23pts+14reb 40mln center

Valanciunas in 27min 19pts+12reb 16mln center


Not sure do Kings fans imagines that how looks when your max paid all nba player ale delivers to play equally to average paid nba center in elimination game and Kings team lost

Same happend last year Sabonis played equally with 8mln center Looney in playoofs and Kings team lost

[Straight forward]

Sabonis in 42min 23pts+14reb 40mln center

Valanciunas in 27min 19pts+12reb 16mln center


Not sure do Kings fans imagines that how looks when your max paid all nba player ale delivers to play equally to average paid nba center in elimination game and Kings team lost

Same happend last year Sabonis played equally with 8mln center Looney in playoofs and Kings team lost

Wow. That's homerism nitpicking from your side at the moment when Sabonis is treated probably the most underrated player in NBA. Why not to be happy that both Domas and JV did well? (JV is underrated PO player BTW)

Sabonis gave 24/14/7 elite statline. What's to nitpick? How is that equal to much lower PO numbers of last year? He delivered against GSW and Pelicans. He provided 19,5ppg, 13rpg, 7apg. That's his regular seasons numbers basically. And that's nice to see.

BTW, Sabonis is less paid than max. Next season he will earn 39mil. while max is 49-51. He's underpaid slightly for a guy who leads the game in rebounds, triple doubles, double-doubles, 3pts assists, screen assists, 6th in MVP race and first player to reach his season stat line since Wilt Charmberlain.

You should read this. https://www.flashscore.com/news/bask...-nba/OrYHy4NG/

Regarding Kings, they won't win anything if they won't play any D. Now they are all about offense and they didn't have few key guys Monk and Huertel. Plecans can survive the lack of Williams cause they have many guys who can play D.

In the NT I want Sabonis to be active at both ends. His defensive motor is very inconsistent, differently than offensive one. I want Sabonis to be concentrated at both ends and get 25mpg at center.
Like here:

https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1780425237823123915

https://twitter.com/NBA_AU/status/1781502372734468468

[Straight forward]

So Lekšas revealed that Maksvytis didn't hear a single "no" thus far. Meaning all possible pieces are available.

That probably means we'll see Ulanovas again. This is important, specially that we see Butkevicius becoming injury prone unfortunately. Besides, Ulanovas still provides incomparably much more offense.

Meaning all in, 4 position doesn't seem to be problematic anymore, and it definitely looked this way few years ago. FOA, Sedekerskis had the best EL season from all Liths. Second, Kuzminskas rocks offensively. Ulanovas can play the 4 as well and I would consider closing the games with Ulanovas at 4 if his direct opponent is not something like Shengelia. Besides, there's also Tubelis who is pure Forward-Center (there's also Sabonis, but I don't want him to see play PF more than 2-3 minutes).

Jokubaitis, Marciulionis, Lekavicius, Kariniauskas, Jakucionis, Zemaitis
Grigonis, Brazdeikis, D. Giedraitis, Rubstavicius, R. Giedraitis Dimsa, Normantas
Ulanovas, Sirvydis, Butkevicius, Buzelis, Radzevicius
Sedekerskis, Tubelis, Kuzminskas, Bendzius
Sabonis, Valanciunas, D-Mo, Birutis, Edhodas

ATM position 1 is still the weakest, but the good news we don't have any other position that would be considered weak or thin. If I don't have at least 2 legitimate EL level players in the position, it's not sufficient, we need at least 2 these days of very intense basketball. To me legitimate EL players is the one who would get the job outside Zalgiris. So we have only Jokubaitis at 1. IMO, Lekavicius is already not that kind. In his prime he was. ATM we have a problem of who will back up Jokubaitis. It's a huge need of Marciulionis reaching that level.

From 2 there's plenty of players as Grigonis, Brazdeikis, Rubstavicius (I heard Real is interested in him and if he won't get drafter, plenty of EL teams will go after him, IMO) and I think D. Giedraitis already reached that level cause what he showed defensively in EL this season is enough to be on the market of EL teams. R. Giedraitis is still on the map probably, but only Serbian team was interested in him last summer and we do know how trashy he is in NT so he's med and irrelevant, IMO. As we know Dimsa and Normantas wouldn't attract any EL attention. They are Eurocup material essentially.

Maybe I'm dragging Kuzminskas a bit, but after those monster offensive games I wouldn't be surprised some really solid offers would come. He had some EL interest as he said, but didn't want too little role as I understood.

So today I count 16 players who are on EL market (Buzelis would be if he wouldn't be lottery pick material). That's good depth (and that's not including Marciulionis who is said to have interest from very interesting teams and Jakucionis who naturally belongs to Barca and he's the best guard prospect we have, but there's no need to speak about his future explicitly yet, and those 2 will reach EL level rather sooner than later), but main problem remains usual: thin No.1 position and the lack of true stars, not just solid EL role players, specially when we speak about 1-3 positions.

LTU NT is not at the level to ask legitimate medals. Maksvytis shouldn't feel that kind of pressure. Let's face it, current NT is pretty nice, but it didn't reach the level where we been till 2008.

With that said, imagine Jokubaitis, D. Giedraitis, Grigonis, Ulanovas, Sedekerskis closing the game. You have 4 solid defenders, one elite perimeter defender, only one weak defender in the line-up and he is the main engine with the ball. Grigonis is pesky and passive aggressive defender at 3. I don't know, but I think that this line-up could be the best closing lineup since 2010 when we had Javtokas, Kleiza, Maciulis, Pocius, Kalnietis. Why I wouldn't always close the games with Sabonis? Not enough of defense and a bit turnover prone. In NBA much wider court and in FIBA Sabonis sometimes struggle with tighter court. We seen some elbows, some missed lay ups, some bad passes. Sedekerskis is more used to FIBA court and values the ball more and he brings more defense at 5 surely. Unless you have super duper big dude in front of him, but nor PR nor Italy have one. I would go small, I would let Jokubaitis be aggressive, or would give the ball to Ulanovas in the high post from where he can create for others or himself, and all players can knock down a three. Grigonis with the ball in his hands also is not particularly harmless. So I have enough of offensive options and I still have pretty nice defensive coherence with such line-up.

All this makes Maksvytis situation tricky. No-one really thinks LTU NT should exactly win medals (I take Rooney words as just simple wish to encourage guys), specially on Olympic stage where such teams as A USA, Canada, Australia on the map, but, IMO, Maksvytis has sneaky good roster, specially if Jokubaitis can have soft of brake out tournament already. In 2022 Maksvytis majorly screwed with roster, cutting down Sedekerskis and not attracting his golden youth boy Ulanovas (one of the reason why Maksvytis was hired in the first place, he had to attract 1992 players, but Ulanovas said FY to him) and he had no-one at 4 to close the games. Thus Garuba was running all over and grabbing all sorts of rebounds. Off course our D was also trash when you have tons of none defensive players and Kuz at 4. My suggesting closing line-up would be maybe one step less dangerous offensively, but much more flexible defensively. Maksvytis was closing game with Jokubaitis, Grigonis, Brazdeikis, Kuzminskas, Sabonis. No defensive grip at all basically. Butkevicius fouled out and we didn't have anyone to put in front Brown, besides even Butkevicius struggled with more agile Brown in that night.

Now we can throw Giedraitis on the opposing best guard, we can expect Sedekerskis guarding pick and roll well and we still have enough of offensive options in Jokubaitis, Grigonis, Ulanovas. All guys can create a bit.

Does Maksvytis has balls to close the game with Giedraitis (something that Trinchieri has been doing with Zalgiris), Ulanovas at 4 and Sedekerskis at 5? I doubt this. But that's exactly what I would do theoretically. 3 minutes left, I throw this unit on the court.

[Straight forward]

I love to re-watch that Spain Lithuania game from time to time. Maksvytis had Brazdeikis on Brown and Sabonis on Garuba at 5 with 2,5 min. to go. I mean damn...One could say he had no other options, but that's not a good coaching.

[Shawshank]

My understanding max and all nba player standarts is abit higher than play equally with average nba centers like Valanciunas/Looney in playoofs games.

So i dissagree that Sabonis delivered what is expected from 3rd nba all team player


If we consider Sabonis good nba center in such case he delivered

if we conside Sabonis like top 20 nba player he was just average at best.Because Valanciunas+Nance went for 30pts+ in that game in Sabonis 42minutes.


Kings had all nba center and didnt won center position battle.

[Straight forward]

My understanding max and all nba player standarts is abit higher than play equally with average nba centers like Valanciunas/Looney in playoofs games.

So i dissagree that Sabonis delivered what is expected from 3rd nba all team player


If we consider Sabonis good nba center in such case he delivered

if we conside Sabonis like top 20 nba player he was just average at best.Because Valanciunas+Nance went for 30pts+ in that game.

Then you don't understand for what numbers and what impact Sabonis was named All NBA guy last year and why he has been at 6th spot (official NBA.com ranking) at MVP race for 2 years now. He never scores +25ppg. He impacts the game differently. He exactly brought in the PLAY IN for what he has been known in the regular season.

[Straight forward]

Well, Balciunas and federation fail to impress me yet again. Three games for reserve NT against Lebanon (again). Why not get at least semi decent team from somewhere? But let's at least celebrate the fact we have reserve NT.

Now if we qualify, we will face Spain at home as friendly game. Now that's solid. That kind of game is real preparation.

Now Maksvytis says he will make some decisions pre camp and won't invite all best players. I think he's referring to D-Mo, Kuzminskas, R. Giedraitis and maybe some others as potentially not invited. He says there should be 15 players invited to the main camp. One way or another I think he'll screw again, but fingers crossed.

Maksvytis, probably unwillingly, admits that Marciulionis exists and says he will give him "a chance", but I smell another "go fuck yourself" after he will dominate the reserve NT camp.

One way or another Maksvytis will screw this. He is the worst coach constructing the roster NT ever had.

[Shawshank]

Coaches will have just 2 weeks 15 best lithuanian players is good/optimal desicion.

No time for raw rookies.Only best proven players in Olympic summer


NT unproven players can try themselfs vs Liban amateurs.

Balciunas in every interview clearly can be felt is searching how to sell lithuanian basketball name,thats his main mission