Arturas Gudaitis trying to work his way out of free-throw nightmare / News - Basketnews.com

Arturas Gudaitis talked to BasketNews about Panathinaikos' missed opportunity in the game vs. Fenerbahce and gave some insights into what has caused and perpetuated his free-throw shooting slump.

Credit: Vangelis Stolis Credit Vangelis Stolis

With less than two minutes left on the game clock, it seemed like Panathinaikos Athens and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul stood equal chances of winning the contest held at the OAKA indoor hall on Tuesday night.

Player of the Game EFF 30 Nigel Hayes-Davis Points 24 Accuracy 9-12 Rebounds 4 Assists 2

Nick Calathes fouled Arturas Gudaitis on the mismatch, and the Lithuanian big man headed to the free-throw line. It might have been a conscious choice from the Greek-American point guard and Fenerbahce's coaching staff since Gudaitis had gone 1/4 from the stripe until that point.

With the game on the line and Gudaitis' proven track of misfires, the local crowd was holding their breath. 'Guda' took his time, inhaled and exhaled, and executed both shots to perfection.

PAO fans celebrated as if their football team had just scored a goal. Gudaitis making 2/2 of his free throws this season is a sight to behold.

The next time he stood alone in front of the basket, the pressure was even greater. Fenerbahce were up by one (85-84) in the extra time, and coach Dejan Radonjic's challenge for an unsportsmanlike foul on his player had just been turned down.

Similar conditions, the same routine for Gudaitis. A deep breath, a good look at the rim, a slight kneeling, and then the much-awaited release of the ball.

The outcome wasn't the same as the previous time, but it paid off - at least in part (1/2). What an ordeal!

Credit Vangelis Stolis

At the beginning of the season, Gudaitis only hit 8 of his first 22 free throws (36.3%), a percentage embarrassing enough for any professional player.

He somewhat improved his accuracy after the game vs. Virtus Bologna, where he went 4/5 from the line. The experienced center never fell below 50% in his subsequent EuroLeague appearances.

Still, as it happened in Athens on Tuesday night, he's the No.1 target for opponent coaches to foul whenever contests are decided in small details. Especially when you end up losing a game as the one Panathinaikos dropped to Fenerbahce.

Artūras Gudaitis

MIN:17.28PTS:7.06 (57.14%)REB:3.61As:0.28ST:0.28BL:0.28TO:0.83GM:18ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023

In PAO's locker room, heads were down, and everyone was mostly silent. Arturas Gudaitis was looking at his phone while trying to figure out how a five-point lead (78-73) turned into ashes within 20 seconds.

"It's very painful. On a scale from 1-10, it's 10/10," the Lithuanian center admitted.

"That's basketball. We're not playing in kindergarten, and basketball sometimes works this way. You have a very good chance to win, and you let it go. We're not the first ones to suffer," he added.

Indeed, Panathinaikos were up for the better part of the game, and all they needed was to avoid turnovers that would give Fenerbahce an opportunity to revive their chances.

But Paris Lee got stuck in the corner, didn't see the double-team coming, and his risky pass was intercepted by Marko Guduric. The Serbian forward dribbled all the way to the 3-point line and unleashed the dagger that tied the game at 78.

PAO still had not one but two chances to win it. Yet, both Dwayne Bacon and Mateusz Ponitka missed from mid and close range. After snatching victory from the jaws of defeat against Virtus Bologna and Olimpia Milano, the Greens got a taste of their own medicine.

Currently standing at 6-12, it seems that their playoff hopes are based more on mathematical calculations rather than realism.

After a massive 71-95 blowout to rivals Olympiacos Piraeus on December 30 and a series of disappointing performances, fans have turned their back on the team. Less than 4.000 were at OAKA on Tuesday, and the projections ahead of Friday's clash with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv aren't any more optimistic.

"Unfortunately, today we missed a good opportunity to take the win and go, but we need to put our heads up for Friday's game," Gudaitis thinks.

"We're professionals, and we must do that. We must show our fans that we really care. I think we showed that tonight. Fenerbahce are a very good team, and we had a good chance to win."

The 29-year-old maintains that it'simpossible for any team to have the chance to beat Fenerbahce without playing well and without putting on a fight.

"I don't know how many opportunities we missed. We had many second chances to score," he pointed out.

Even if numbers can provide no consolation to a squad that has recorded six straight losses, another dismal record in a tough season, one cannot look away from the fact that Panathinaikos had 26 offensive rebounds.

That's a new (positive) record in the club's history and the second-best tally for any EuroLeague team ever.

"That shows a lot about our passion and will to win the game. Sometimes, we're prone to making mistakes that no basketball player is immune to," Gudaitis commented.

Credit Vangelis Stolis

It might seem strange, but there's a kind of silver lining here for PAO and coach Dejan Radonjic.

Although the hosts conceded 43 points in the last 15 minutes, allowing Nigel Hayes-Davis to enjoy what looked like a career night (24 points, 30 in PIR), their offense worked quite efficiently without relying exclusively on Dwayne Bacon's isolation plays.

"It's very hard to say we took a step forward after losing that game," Gudaitis admitted.

"But from what I saw from our guys out there, we did show that we can get better. We must keep on the same track."

But what about those free throws? PAO wasted 11 of them (23/34), while Gudaitis finished the game hitting half of his attempts (4/8). Addressing the problem could be the first step to solving it, but not in the Lithuanian's case.

"I don't want to talk much about that as long as it's escalating," he said.

However, there's something that adds to the mystery surrounding Gudaitis' free-throw shooting slump. It's that the Klaipeda-born big man didn't use to shoot so badly.

For five straight seasons (2016-21), Gudaitis' percentages went from decent (70.3%) to excellent (80.5%) while he was playing with Rytas Vilnius in the EuroCup and then with Olimpia Milano and Zenit Saint Peterburg in the EuroLeague.

For some reason, his accuracy plunged to 50% (20/40) last year at Zenit.

"You know, some guards also have 50%," he argued. "Yes, I had 80% in Milan. I think if these numbers come back, we're all going to be very happy. I'm not sitting in my house, not practicing. I'm always practicing this part of my game," he explained.

The 47th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft thinks that his misfire has created a vicious circle from which it's hard to escape because the situation is weighing him down mentally.

Overall, he's made 29 of his 60 free throws (48.3%) this season over PAO's 18 EuroLeague games.

"Sometimes, it's more of a psychological thing, not whether you're a good shooter or not. I had some seasons with 80%, and I think nothing's changed since then. I just need to be, I don't know, psychologically strong," he underlined.

Gudaitis confirmed that he changed his shooting and breathing technique before taking his two last pairs of free throws in the game, resulting in three makes and one miss.

"Yes, I tried to take a deep breath and focus more. But let's not talk too much about that. The more we talk, the more it hurts," he stressed.

For the Lithuanian international, one thing needs no debating.

"Percentages never lie," he maintains. "Maybe I will start making everything. Let's see what happens."

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