Ergin Ataman praises Juancho, states higher ambitions for the club / News - Basketnews.com

Ergin Ataman, who took over Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in the summer, has helped to rejuvenate the team after a long streak of disappointing seasons but still remains committed to flying even higher.

Credit: Vangelis Stolis Credit Vangelis Stolis

Head coach of Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, Ergin Ataman, guided his team safely to a win over a resilient LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne with a score of 85-67.

Juan Hernangomez

Team:Panathinaikos AKTOR AthensPosition:PFAge:28Height:206 cmWeight:104 kgBirth place:Madrid, SpainProfileNewsStatistics

In his post-game remarks, Ataman had some interesting comments regarding PAO's performance in the game, the impact of Juancho Hernangomez, the ambitions of the team, and fan support.

"We didn't play good basketball tonight, but I think that we showed our power one more time. We didn't play great basketball, but we won by 18 points," Ataman began, making one of his customary remarks.

"In the second half, with [Kostas] Sloukas in the point guard position, he made a very good organization. He had 8 assists, and he also found some important shots in the pick-n-roll. [Jerian] Grant used his offensive penetrations well, and [Marius] Grigonis made the spot-up shots," he praised some of his most-used players.

Then on, Ataman specifically underlined the performance of Juancho Hernangomez, who had just 3 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal but showed great defensive intensity.

"But tonight, we also had a lot of energy from Juancho Hernangomez. I saw the statistics. We saw that when he was on the court, we were at +20. His contribution was very important for us," Ataman explained.

"We shared the minutes, and more players contributed to the game. This is very important for the future because there are still six games left in the EuroLeague regular season."

With the victory against ASVEL, Panathinaikos continue to solidify their position in the top 3, currently sharing the spot with AS Monaco, against which they preserve the points difference. However, this is not enough for Ataman.

"At the team dinner, the team president, Dimitris Giannakopoulos, said the most important thing. Maybe nobody thought that at this point in the season, in the middle of March, we would be in this position in the EuroLeague and in the Greek League," Ataman began.

Juan Hernangomez

MIN:17.53PTS:4.24 (46.08%)REB:3.71As:0.52ST:0.62BL:0.43TO:0.95GM:21ProfileEuroLeague2023/2024

"But the most important thing is that me, the players, and the fans aren't satisfied with what we have achieved so far. We want more, more, more. We're doing well at the moment, but we've still got six games to try and keep our home advantage, and then everything will be open," he continued.

Part of PAO's success this year definitely can be attributed to the fans. Even though the stands were, more often than not, deserted in the last two EuroLeague seasons before this one, the new team has roused interest and drew the crowds back in. Currently, the OAKA boosts the fourth-highest attendance on average, with 14,375 people per game.

"Another thing that is important for me is that everybody thinks that the ASVEL game is an easy game. [Nevertheless], the arena was sold out tonight. This is incredible," Ataman said with gratitude.

"If we continue like this, it will be very difficult for people to find tickets for the stadium in the next matches and in the playoffs. The players, the whole organization, and me are very proud of this situation," he stated.

Finally, the Turkish tactician then talked about some of his players, giving them praise for their efforts.

"It is very difficult to play with three centers in one game. Until now, we used more of Kostas Antetokounmpo, who gave us a lot. Aleksandar Balcherowski is third in the rotation at this position," he continued.

"But the season is very long; sometimes Balcherowski was out because he got surgery. Mathias Lessort was out for one to two games. Now, Antetokounmpo is out, and Balcerowski gave us those 7-8 minutes we needed on that position."

Hernangomez may not have given us points, but he gave us energy tonight. [Konstantinos] Mitoglou is having a great season, but tonight, he was unlucky. He wasn't so good on offense, and that's why we used Juancho more, who offered a lot. And this is very important. We cannot finish the season with only 5-6 players," he noted his philosophy of keeping the rotations deep.

With the Round 28 victory, Panathinaikos currently shares third place with Monaco. Both teams have an 18-10 record.

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