Back on the map? Five reasons to love this EuroLeague underdog team / News - Basketnews.com

Zalgiris Kaunas are becoming an underdog team to follow for neutral EuroLeague fans.

Credit: D.Lukšta Credit D.Lukšta

Let's be honest, where did you have them in your EuroLeague season power rankings? Please don't be shy, we also had them really low.

Player of the Game EFF 22 Edgaras Ulanovas Points 15 Accuracy 6-11 Rebounds 7 Assists 2

But this team is playing out their hearts, slowly becoming the champions of fans' hearts.

Zalgiris Kaunas concluded the first double-game week on a high note, sending two historical EuroLeague names Virtus Bologna and FC Barcelona home with their heads down.

Last year, the greens started the season 0-9, tasting the first victory of the season on November 16.

Zalgiris are trying to get back on the EuroLeague map to regain the respect they lost in the 2021-22 season.

BasketNews shares a few reasons why Zalgiris might become your underdog team to follow this year.

All for one

Keenan Evans made three turnovers in 70 seconds in the close fourth quarter vs. Virtus. It was his sixth turnover of the game with 5:35 to play. Virtus converted the last one into two free throws and increased the lead to 62-58.

Evans got benched and didn't hide his disappointment with his performance. He bent on a courtside LED screen and blamed himself for rushing the plays.

Zalgiris head coach Kazys Maksvytis came and patted Evans on the back.

Veteran floor general Mantas Kalnietis quickly chatted with the new point guard on the bench.

"The first home game is very unique. You could feel the team couldn't handle the emotions and lost confidence," Kalnietis recalled. "We were lacking composure. During halftime, we talked that we're lacking ball movement. But we focused on it so much that we started overpassing in the second half instead of finishing plays. So we just talked that he should try to read plays. He calmed down, came back, and scored crucial points."

Zalgiris Kaunas / Schedule

Zalgiris Kaunas Virtus Segafredo Bologna68-65 Zalgiris Kaunas FC Barcelona73-72 Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade Zalgiris KaunasThu18:30

Evans returned with less than one minute to play, and Zalgiris was down by three.

He instantly scored a layup to cut the deficit to 64-65. In the crucial possession, he drew a double-team, saw Ignas Brazdeikis, and set up a takeoff for the basket.

Evans scored season-high 18 points the following game vs. Barcelona. Second-year EuroLeague guard leads Zalgiris in scoring with 14.5 points per game (2FG: 55%; 3FG: 43.8%).

"At the start of the season, he hesitated a little bit. We told him he has all the qualities to become our leader. We said he should put more on his shoulders. Sometimes we have to remind him this, but he can really do it," Kalnietis concluded.

Credit D.Lukšta

Rodman would be proud

If you were a Dennis Rodman fan, you should follow this team.

Just check this Arnas Butkevicius flight into courtside fans that saved the ball for Zalgiris.

The best part is that they come up with at least a few hustle plays in every game.

It's not like Zalgiris head coach Kazys Maksvytis teaches that in his practices. This fighting spirit is something you can't teach.

But the main idea behind the rebuild was to put a group of fighters with something to prove.

Rolands Smits scored 15 points to show his former Barcelona teammates (or coach) he was more than just a role player.

Keenan Evans got out of the shadow of Scottie Wilbekin and other Maccabi scorers to become an alpha dog.

Ignas Brazdeikis arrived in Europe to prove he belongs in the NBA.

Arnas Butkevicius switched from the championship Rytas team as their captain to its biggest rival, Zalgiris, to confirm he's the EuroLeague player.

The whole idea of Zalgiris' front office and coaching staff goes along with Zalgiris' defense which became a tough nut to crack. In both wins this week, the greens limited Barcelona to 12 and Virtus to 10 fourth-quarter points.

Maksvytis has plenty of defensive options, including a very physical and versatile lineup to play switch-all.

All five players are grinding on defense. Take a look at Keenan Evans' effort to push the bigs from their sweet spots in the paint.

Such a small ball option with Tyler Cavanaugh at five turned the game around with Virtus Bologna when the Italians were up by 11 in the second quarter.

"When they put a big lineup out there, they're really physical. Not just tall but also strong," former NBA point guard Tomas Satoransky said BasketNews.

"They feel like they have an advantage on 2 and 3 positions, and with two shooting big guards, that's a tough lineup to guard," a Barcelona player added. "They're really good with their half-court defense. They're in the paint a lot, and it's challenging with their size."

Per BBallytics, Zalgiris leads the EuroLeague by offensive rebounds (13.5 ORB) and the percentage of rebounds grabbed under the opposing boards (38.6%).

That's every second-third ball that bounces off the rim in a situation where the opposing defense has an advantage.

Zalgiris is the only team with two players making the Top 10 in offensive rebounds (Kevarrius Hayes 3.8 ORB, Smits 3 ORB).

As Hayes showed in Tel Aviv, they might be stopped and blocked, but Zalgiris players will crash the boards till the end until they make it.

BasketNews analyst Augustas Suliauskas mentioned in the URBONUS podcast that a physical, defensive unit is critical for a low-budget team to stay competitive in a race with the EuroLeague sharks.

This group understands that they won't reach their goals through talent. So far, coach Maksvytis has done a good job explaining to this team that they can win in the EuroLeague only with a "no matter what" mentality.

Your next favorite captain

After all those years, Zalgiris Kaunas needed a new sheriff in the locker room.

When Paulius Jankunas got his jersey raised to the rafters, Edgaras Ulanovas was voted as the new captain.

Ulanovas, 30, couldn't embrace the role more.

According to Ulanovas teammates, his word in the locker sounds loudest this year.

Some players noticed that the captain's duties added not only greater responsibility but also more confidence in himself.

"He looks at it very seriously," one teammate recalled.

He tries to gather his team together, whether it's some off-floor activity or a pre-game speech.

As the EuroLeague TV interviews in Zalgiris vs. Barcelona game showed, that guy has what to say.

"To understand that they will be a different team in the second half. This team is going to react and going to be different. We need to understand and be tougher in the second half," Ulanovas said in the flash interview before halftime despite a 9-point lead.

"Some guys didn't want to take responsibility. As a captain, I'll tell my guys that everyone on the court can take responsibility and be aggressive. If you're open, you can shoot, you can drive. We don't need just to pass the ball and waste our time on offense. I want everyone to take on more responsibilities and be aggressive. Drive, draw fouls, and shoot the ball. It's a game!" Ulanovas stated in his post-game interview.

Any speech will look more solid when a solid on-court performance backs it up.

Ulanovas sparked Zalgiris with seven first-quarter points against Barcelona. His 13-point first half gave Zalgiris a 9-point lead (44-35).

After halftime, Sarunas Jasikevicius found ways to limit his former player to only 2-points, but Ulanovas was vital in the decisive moments of the night.

With 34 seconds to play and Zalgiris down by one (69-70), he attacked Cory Higgins on the perimeter, penetrated, saw Arnas Butkevicius on the 45-degree arc, and passed the ball.

Butkevicius drained a 3-pointer which put Zalgiris ahead 72-70 with less than 30 seconds to play.

When Barcelona tried to survive, Ulanovas squeezed Tomas Satoransky in the left corner and didn't let him attempt a shot to survive.

"Yes, we're losers," Ulanovas admitted last season after another 8-game losing streak.

They're not losers anymore. And Ulanovas' leadership on and off the floor is one of the main reasons behind it.

Best fans in Europe?

At least Keenan Evans declared it. And he's coming off a rookie season in Tel Aviv. That says a lot.

26,170 fans came to watch the first two Zalgiris home games this season.

15,146 attended the Sarunas Jasikevicius return. That's the most since 2019 November 8. Back then, Saras itself stood behind the Zalgiris wheel and was hosting Barca.

Zalgiris led EuroLeague in attendance from 2017 to 2020.

There are clearly more hostile venues in the EuroLeague. But the balance between attention to basketball and passion for the game makes it a unique must-have experience for European basketball geeks.

If greens keep playing with the same spirit, which will translate into consistent wins, you can expect the Zalgirio arena to be packed with more than 10k fans, whether it's Tuesday or especially Friday basketball night.

"The atmosphere was just unreal. Supporters really boost us for the battle. Having this support on our backs, we don't have anything else on our minds than just going after every ball and fighting till the end. Tonight was something epic," Butkevicius praised Zalgiris fanbase.

Potential

Zalgiris won both double-round week games against Final Four and Top 8 contenders. But the best part is this team has so much room for improvement.

It starts with the offense, which is sometimes really rusty.

Per BBallytics, Zalgiris ranks 11th by offensive rating (107.8) and 14th by 3-point shooting (31.9%). They make more turnovers (15 TO) than assists (13.5 APG).

Their best-projected scorer Ignas Brazdeikis is only 1 of 12 beyond the arc.

Their four best 3-point shooters, Lukas Lekavicius (16.7%), Tyler Cavanaugh (28.6%), and Karolis Lukosiunas (0%), are far away from their typical numbers.

Their endings offensively are chaotic. They arguably still lack sharpness and firm leadership at decisive moments.

Honestly, this team could have easily ended up starting the season 0-4. But the more you sweat, the luckier you get. And this group is sweating its butts off to be respected in Europe again.

"The path to regaining the respect of Europe is the one they're heading right now. They played pretty badly against Bologna, but they won the game with their heart," Sarunas Jasikevicius explained after Barcelona's loss in Kaunas.

"It's obvious we didn't do a job as a coaching staff to make our players believe that Zalgiris is different this year. And this is a much more solid team, especially by the level of physicality and the fight they put on the court."

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