2025 Lithuanian NT

[Toruko]

Butkevicius job is defend best opponent player not make crusial shots.

He is small SF. Critical shots must be made by perimeter leaders

Thats the problem. You dont have a go to guard who can throw it over two defenders. Your best shooter gets doubled and they leave Butkevicius always open and he misses. Not gonna lie, I saw it in Eurobasket 22 three or four times.

[Shawshank]

Thats the problem. You dont have a go to guard who can throw it over two defenders. Your best shooter gets doubled and they leave Butkevicius always open and he misses. Not gonna lie, I saw it in Eurobasket 22 three or four times.

2024 Puerturico did exactly that they left Tubelis,Sedekerskis from PF and Butkevicius and Kuzminskas from SF wide open and double teamed Sabonis with Grigonis and they all missed all shoots in crazy hostile atmoshpere

I dont get why you judge defender and energy guy cant he make critical shot.When half of lithuanian roster cant do that?

Yes people will risk from Butkevicius like this season they doing in zalgiris. And this season he made 38% of those long shots,including couple critical too in 4 querters.


Butkevicius atleast defends+ best rebounder in zalgiris with 1m97 ,most other lithuanians not only melt down under pressure,they also play no defence

[Toruko]

2024 Puerturico did exactly that they left Tubelis,Sedekerskis from PF and Butkevicius and Kuzminskas from SF wide open and double teamed Sabonis with Grigonis and they all missed all shoots in crazy hostile atmoshpere

I dont get why you judge defender and energy guy cant he make critical shot.When half of lithuanian roster cant do that?

Yes people will risk from Butkevicius like this season they doing in zalgiris. And this season he made 38% of those long shots,including couple critical too in 4 querters.


Butkevicius atleast defends+ best rebounder in zalgiris with 1m97 ,most other lithuanians not only melt down under pressure,they also play no defence

I have nothing against Butkevicius but you should be able to expect him to make totally open shots. The problem of many teams are there are no guys who can play both sides. Nobody expects from Butkevicius that he steps back twice and makes Doncic shots but this is basketball. You need to make shots if you want to win.

[Shawshank]

Im saying you this season he made 38% of those shots.He can make wide open shot in 2024/2025 euroleague season


Why Trinchieri plays him 22minutes in euroleague if he is bad for the team and opponnets ale dont need to defend him?


And better shooters on papers plays less in euroleague. Because he does things other players cant do what Butkevicius can.


Did Draymond Green play well or not in game depending did he made wide open critical shot or not? Or we judging his play what he did for his team defensively in his 30minutes?

[Toruko]

Im saying you this season he made 38% of those shots.He can make wide open shot in 2024/2025 euroleague season


Why Trinchieri plays him 22minutes in euroleague if he is bad for the team and opponnets ale dont need to defend him?


And better shooters on papers plays less in euroleague. Because he does things other players cant do what Butkevicius can.


Did Draymond Green play well or not in game depending did he made wide open critical shot or not? Or we judging his play what he did for his team defensively in his 30minutes?

In case of Butkevicius I would say his problem is more on the mental side. Osman is a similar case in the Turkish team. I would let him play 38 minutes but the last two minutes I keep him out. He shoots with 38% for PAO this season from the three in EL and even better in the Greek league but I would never let him shoot the most important one because I know he will miss it. He cant handle the pressure and I am pretty sure its similar with Butkevicius too.

You dont have that many perimeter defenders. Call him but take him out in the last two minutes.

[Shawshank]

Butkevicius is not Ben Simmons.He is shooting wide open shots every time.

You picturing like he is Ben Simmons


Zalgiris starting shooting guard D.Giedraitis who plays 25minute per game this season made overall 25 3pointers

Our bench SF Butkevicius who plays 22minute per game made overall 24 3 pointers


So they are both unplayable and teams dont need to defend them and thats why zalgiris cant win according to your logic?


Because Trinchieri is playing them both alot 22 and 25minutes because he sees they are stopping people in euroleague.

[Toruko]

Butkevicius is not Ben Simmons.He is shooting wide open shots every time.

You picturing like he is Ben Simmons


Zalgiris starting shooting guard D.Giedraitis who plays 25minute per game this season made overall 25 3pointers

Our bench SF Butkevicius who plays 22minute per game made overall 24 3 pointers


So they are both unplayable and teams dont need to defend them and thats why zalgiris cant win according to your logic?


Because Trinchieri is playing them both alot 22 and 25minutes because he sees they are stopping people in euroleague.

I was just talking about the last two minutes. I never questioned his use although I am not his biggest fan. The problem is he becomes Ben Simmons in the last two minutes

[Shawshank]

So 95% of Lithuania roster become Ben Simmons in last 2minute in last 2 olympic cycles

Our guards also isnt making no clutch shots either.

For example our on paper best shooter finish fiba tournament 0 from 11 last summer that is also was hole in defence.


My point is Butkevicius shaky shooting is not even 4 or 5th biggest problem in LTU NT. Half of our roster shoots worse or similiar %.

Butkevicius atleast is one of best defenders and great rebounder for his position and glue key in defence


Believe me Butkevicius is not some mentally weak player,he is former captain of Rytas or co captain of Zalgiris now. Weak minded people never will become captain of big men group.

[Straight forward]

Thing is Butkevicius shot the ball well in 2023/2024 season as well (38%), nailed some big shots and overall had better season than this one, but he still sucked in the NT. He didn't shoot well, didn't rebound and didn't stop anyone defensively against Puerto Rico. Some guys are simply better during the season. Kalnietis contrary was always better in NT. We used to be flattered with players who are better in NT, like Kleiza, Kalnietis, Maciulis, but not these days. Sabonis and Valanciunas seem to be really laid back during summers. Eating a lot of fat foods. That's understandable and yet somehow we used to have Jasikevicius, Kleiza, Kalnietis getting their shit together when it mattered, they knew how to prepare to tournaments nevertheless.

Good that Jakucionis is working freak. He doesn't party and doesn't use added sugar. I think he will be 100% ready for tournaments. Maybe he should even party a bit cause it's hard to clean your head being super disciplined all the team. Buzelis is a hard worker and I doubt he has any culture of partying a lot. Maybe some weed here and there, very rarely I think. Matas is thin and I doubt we'll see him in bad shape ever. If he eats healthy in America he is safe

Butkevicius may or may noot make shts this time. But I'm willing to give chances to Buzelis and Radzevicius in the first place. Our offense won't work if no-one will stretch the floor. Players around Jokubaitis and Sabonis have to be ready to shoot.

[Shawshank]

Do Sedekerskis and Tubeis is ready to shoot from PF position? is D.Giedraitis ready to shoot from SG position? WIll ale shooters Sirvydis or R.Giedraitis this time will make shots?

We can say the same thing about half of roster about shooting

2024 Butkevicius was comming after injury not fully ready,he said that himself before flying to puerturico.He missed semifinal and half lkl finals series because leg injury and was rushed back because zalfiris was in critical situation and they tried to comeback.

Its hard to judge Butkevicius play in 2024 when he was comming after injury. Some healthy players played even worse and ale should be comming back in 2025.


Butkevicius looks fully healthy and athletic again and plays really well last few months.

Such shape Butkevicius is top 9 rotation player and critical player in team defence and playing style Kuritnaitis is singing about in media

[Straight forward]

This is true. All our guys are not great shooters. Most can shoot, bet simply not good shooters. Even Sirvydis is extremely streaky. Too streaky for a "shooter". One thing that we don't have what 00s had is an amazing shooting. With that said D. Giedrais is surely more reliable shooter than Butkevicius. Situation is like our guys can make and miss shots and neither come as surprise. So we'll see. Grigonis as merely a role player, catch and shoot SG would be good option. But he always thinks he's a leader in the NT (Lol), and it's been such a bummer for both NT and eventually himself. He goes down as the biggest choker in the NT history pretty much.

[Shawshank]

I like that NT captain didnt kept silence after he was compared as similair level to euroleageu backup Birutis.

Those army methofs of Pacesas and Kurtinaits and Kleiza wont bring good chemistry inside NT.


When coach goes after Valanciunas who is clearly in same group of Kazlauskas,Javtokas,Sabonis and how federation people thinks in which camp Domantas Sabonis is? In teammates and father camp or Pacesas/Balciunas camp?

Isnt Valanciunas who is doing recruiting things with Buzelis? Isnt Valanciunas is the men who is spending time with best lithuanian player Sabonis every day?


Federation people is creating drama themselfs with their coaches talking insulting things in podcasts and burning bridges im not sure they want to burn.


Valanciunas openly said federation doing nothing with Buzelis to make sure he surely will want to come and said Buzelis needs attention from federation and explain young kid how everyhting will be in NT camp.What role he will have and so on.

Buzelis is american born,that havent been in Lithuania for god knows how manny years. Ofcourse work must be done and putting ideas in his head slowly again and again,not imagine that young player who recently become millionair is waking up every day and thinking how he gonna spent his summer in some Palanga is tiny arena training.

[Straight forward]

My worst fear is becoming reality. That these rednecks will force Buzelis and likely Jakucionis to turn their backs to the NT. No, really, that mother fucker redneck thug Pacesas has to go. Trump ass licker. He;s disgusting thug. He's a fucking resenful loser, always was and always will be. And he's an idiot. I think Garastas once said that Pacesas can't be in the NT cause there would be flames and conflicts. And what do you know...This fucking scrub, just poor street thung who licks Trump's ass puts all Lithuanian BB at risk, and EB is half year away...He literally is habling with Buzelis...Jesus fuck. If Buzelis will turn his back to the NT, that mother fucker redneck better watch his back. Seriously. How the fuck this fucking idiot now imagines to work with JV? How Buzelis should feel when JV is trashed like that? And should he be like willing to come?

I hate that fuck so much. We finally have talent and one resetful loser piece of shit is gambling with all this...That fucker will have to answer one way or another. In BB community eyes he's already persona non grata.

[Toruko]

If Buzelis will turn his back to the NT, that mother fucker redneck better watch his back. Seriously.

lol what are you gonna do? Sounds like a threat XD

[Straight forward]

lol what are you gonna do? Sounds like a threat XD

I personally won't do anything. I never use violence, don't worry But he already hated by BB community and if he would kick Buzelis off NT it would have long term consequences. He literally would be persona non grata anywhere he goes.