2023 Lithuanian NT

[Shawshank]

No 120kg+ center can defend todays pikenrool with all that skill,speed and shooting there is on the floor in 2020s. Best offensive center in the world cant either.

basketball iq or trying hard wont help huge C when you are alot slower that is needed to be. Without good defensive type teammates help no chance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=275&v=ZVmwRQT07UM&feature=emb_logo

[Shawshank]

Our opponnets was literally 4 semifinal teams ( i believe France and Slovenia will win tonight).Thats 15th place is number bullshit. Poland is in top 8 who exactly did they beat to deserve that Ukraine ?

NT lost 4 close games because all guards are wild mustangs and made so manny mental mistakes in game endings.But we were leading more time than 4 best team leaded against us .

Needed level is there. Kleiza is overreacting,this time i agree with balciunas.What the point to go to every tournament with new coach?

Keep the team,keep coaching staff. Hope Jokubaitis,Brazdeikis,Grigonis will play better game endings next summer after this painfull experience for them when they where outplayed in every ending.


We are bottom NT in shooting last thing we need Tubelis and Marciulionis bricks. Tubelis can take Echodas place and try to learn something first few years as our biggest project,but not as top 9 rotation player. Step by step.

Yeah Butkevicius got 5th faul early in 4 querter and Brown started his concert againts everybody 18 pts in 8+5 overtime minutes.. Thats why i repeat we need multiple good defenders not just one. Butkevicius cant defend everybody.

Ulanovas and D.Giedraitis is needed. Zemaitis,Echodas,Zukauskas is all replacable pieces.

Kuz was very good in his 15min role as backup big.He gave diffrent , modern basketball style look to NT.

[Straight forward]

Jokic is much better defender than Valanciunas, but even Jokic faces certain issues as big heavy center. That's why we have no future with Valanciunas. He can only be a role player. Good p'n'r team, and he's out. Even in ISO situations Willy destroyed him down low, both in Gran Canaria and Berlin. This was generally the last golden chance for JV to prove doubters wrong (and the path to medals was great generally), but he screwed. We already have 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022 as failures when the team is built around JV. We should cut that crap how big of a force our NBA bigs are and to move on. Valanciunas couldn't even deliver as a decent role player in the playoff game.

Grigonis also failed. He had quite terrific tournament till the playoffs, but in playoffs he choked.

All my hope is new generation - starting with Jokubaitis, Brazdeikis as spot on pieces and so on. Sabonis will remain a useful peace, but it would be huge mistake to go with the same narrative as JV has been receiving for the decade (the biggest travesty in Lihuanian bb history, redneck's end provincials pity illusion), Sabonis is not gonna be the guy who would make a true difference for us. We should simply be pro-active building a spot on pieces to gather a spot on team and if some-one wants wet dreams and new superhero (something which JV was falsely labeled by provincial fans) it should be Buzelis. At leas the guy has legitimate tools to apply for special players competition.

When I created my fantasy team, which I named (just for fun, don't take it too seriously) champs of 2029 EB, I've got Tubelis at 5. Good luck to some-one winning the tournaments with 7 feet slow lumberjack. And we were building on it for a decade...wow...

[Straight forward]

To some degree off course our endings were messy, no doubts, but again - we had open looks against Germany, Spain. Can't ask much than that. We can control the games tighter not to get into the lottery crunch time each time against strong teams. That's how 00's teams were winning. We managed to prove our advantage avoiding do or die shots.

Yes, Kuz was great offensively. And, yes, Ulanovas wouldn't hurt. I'm just saying he won't give us what we need offensively either.

Marciulionis bricks is not needed. But that bully defence would be pretty nice for 10 minutes and he can move the ball, play p'n'r, provide spot on kick outs after slashing. Not seeing him making 2023 roster, but his defensive effort defensively in U20 this summer was most impressive defensive performance by a Lithuanian guard maybe ever. He was literally making difference with his on ball pressure, toughness, steals. He changed some games dynamics with this.

[LuDux]

The "Discuss Lithuanian legend Arvydas Sabonis, club teams Žalgiris and Lietuvos Rytas, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Kleiza, Žydrūnas, Donatas Motiejūnas, and Lithuania basketball" thingie could use updating

[Straight forward]

The "Discuss Lithuanian legend Arvydas Sabonis, club teams Žalgiris and Lietuvos Rytas, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Kleiza, Žydrūnas, Donatas Motiejūnas, and Lithuania basketball" thingie could use updating

I'm sure you would add Neptunas and Mazeika names surely Any suggestions how it should look now?

[Straight forward]

Track JV in this defensive possession. Can some-one please explain me - how and where is this defence? We are literally going 4 vs 5 defensively all the time, or rather 3,4 vs 5 knowing that Domas often sucks in p'n'r defence to the extent too:

https://twitter.com/bjpf_/status/1570626754410336257

[LuDux]

I'm sure you would add Neptunas and Mazeika names surely Any suggestions how it should look now?

"Discuss Lithuanian legend Arvydas Sabonis, club teams Žalgiris and Lietuvos Rytas, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Kleiza, Žydrūnas, Donatas Motiejūnas, and Lithuania basketball"
"Discuss Lithuanian legends Sabonis, Marčiulionis, Paulauskas, Jasikevičius, Kleiza, Valančiūnas, clubs Žalgiris and Rytas, and Lithuanian NT"

[Straight forward]

"Discuss Lithuanian legend Arvydas Sabonis, club teams Žalgiris and Lietuvos Rytas, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, Kleiza, Žydrūnas, Donatas Motiejūnas, and Lithuania basketball"
"Discuss Lithuanian legends Sabonis, Marčiulionis, Paulauskas, Jasikevičius, Kleiza, Valančiūnas, clubs Žalgiris and Rytas, and Lithuanian NT"

At that time Motiejunas was treated as one of the best prospects in Europe, realistically projected as top 10 pick. Your annotation lacks "Next Big Thing". I would include Matas Buzelis. He's the biggest intrigue globally.

[Straight forward]

The examples of such players like Albicy and specially Alberto Diaz show that we should look very seriously at our role players. I feel like we wasted golden chance to win it maybe even all. I think with elite coach we could win gold. Or with few spot on role players - like defensive guard and defensive big. So if people think the change can be done only with star players, they are generally wrong. Spot on role players, specially defensive players can be essential or very important. That's why I'm looking forward positively to the addition of D. Giedraitis, Tubelis, A. Marciulionis or something similar like them (Sedekerskis if can still prove something?). The end of the tournament made me even a bit more depressive cause it's obvious we wasted huge chance to shine.

[Shawshank]

This Spain 2022 have alot in common with our NT 2013-2015.

Great role players,limited offensive talent, multiple good defenders and very smart coaching.

Diaz is clone of Seibutis.

NT don't need 12 most tallented players, team needs players that ready to fill needed role now.

In LTU 2022 only Butkevicius is such type player.NT needs 3 similiar type players.

Diaz,Albicy,Tarpey,Butkevicius,Obst perfect role players.

Limited tallent players that are mature ready to win now dudes.All of them very strong mentally,won't see panick in them

[Straight forward]

Grigonis was repeating all tournament long that we have to play fast, we have to run. What if we are Tubelis (great running big + very solid defender) and truly ready to go Jokubaitis away from being really good? I'm basing my hopes on Tubelis a lot. He will add intensity, quickness, mobility, defence as the big. And matured Jokubaitis will be very hardly stoppable player with the ball, specially in up tempo game. Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I think we are Tubelis/Murauskas and D. Giedraitis/Marciulionis away from where we want to be. It's far from the only talent reserves that should come sooner or later, but this material is hand reachable already almost (specially Tubelis, D. Giedraitis)and with these pieces we may cover the holes which should be filled in the first place. We are little bit of victims of lacking good coaches too. Let's agree that after Kazlauskas the decline of coaching quality has been really deep...

[Straight forward]

Watching Garuba's fun short roll game and impressive passing I already can't wait to see how Sabonis and Tubelis will connect. Let's agree that JV and Sabonis project is a dead project pretty much, it doesn't work. Sabonis is only a shadow in most cases trying to adjust to JV's parking at the paint and the defense is horrible against agile teams (which is majority these days).

Sabonis and Tubelis both can run the open floor, both can handle the ball, but even at half court both are terrific short role bigs and can pass. They can either kick out, pass in big to big, or drive. IMO, these 2 will be dynamic force as 2 mobile, skilled bigs. They won't shoot much, but such skill and mobility for such strong dudes can make difference. Watching horrific Gobert's passing being in the middle or off the short roles made me think what a luxury to have 2 good passing bigs in the line-up.

https://twitter.com/KostasKal4/status/1564353339571183618

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJjlaHv0muI

[Shawshank]

And both cant shoot...

For same reason why Willy with Garuba changes each other and barely play together.

Juanchos 3pointers from PF position was reason Spain won the final game.

Everytime France was playing two non shooters centers in final was disaster, with shooting pf Yabuselle they were way more dangerous.

Playing 2 non shooting bigs together in 2020s it's plan for mediocrity.

Spain 2022 shown how to use two nba quality non shooting bigs.

But team need elite facilator to feed non shooting big in right positions like brown did in such case.

If Ltu NT will decide to put one of nba starting level big on bench it must be shooting pf otherwise it makes no sense.

[LuDux]

And both cant shoot...

So what? We need as many magic saviors as possible