Matt Thomas discusses challenging seasons with PAO and ALBA, Canaan's career night / News - Basketnews.com

Matt Thomas breaks down the reasons why his two last seasons with Panathinaikos and ALBA Berlin have been lackluster at every level. The sharpshooter also comments on Isaiah Canaan's 3-point shooting spree last Tuesday night.

Credit: IMAGO/IPA Sport Credit IMAGO/IPA Sport

One year ago, on February 3, 2023, Matt Thomas landed at the Athens International Airport as Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens' latest backcourt signing.

Player of the Game EFF 30 Isaiah Canaan Points 31 Accuracy 11-16 Rebounds 3 Assists 2

The deal included an option for the 2023-24 campaign, but on July 15, the Greek club announced its decision to part ways with the American sharpshooter.

Overall, Thomas' tenure in the OAKA locker room lasted 162 days and 11 games -- 10 for the EuroLeague and just one for the Greek Basket League.

The 2019 EuroCup champion paid the price for the concussion he suffered on his Greek league debut against Promitheas Patras, just a few days before the Greek Cup Final 8 in Crete in mid-February.

Dejan Radonjic, the head coach at the time, replaced Thomas with Nate Wolters in the squad's foreign-player lineup. That proved to be the beginning of the end for Thomas' short-term stint with PAO since he could only play in EuroLeague games.

Over his 10 appearances in the green jersey, Thomas averaged 8.1 points and 1.9 rebounds, shooting 56% on 2-pointers, 40% on 3-pointers and 75% on free throws. He produced six points in 16 minutes of action in his sole Greek league outing.

Matt ThomasCredit Vangelis Stolis

"I had a contract for next season, and I expected to return to the team," he admitted in an interview with Sportal's Christos Tsaltas last November.

"I was preparing in the summer, and my mind was on how that season ended. I would say it came as a surprise. But you never know how things go in these situations."

It took the 29-year-old exactly three weeks to find his new destination, as ALBA Berlin announced his signing in early August.

However, the current campaign has been rather disappointing for Thomas, who is averaging 9.2 points, 2.1 boards, and 1.5 dimes over 20 EuroLeague games.

Matt Thomas

MIN:21.58PTS:9.15 (49.7%)REB:2.05As:1.5ST:0.6BL:0TO:1.4GM:20ProfileEuroLeague2023/2024

At the same time, ALBA have long lost hope for the Play-In tournament and share the last place in the standings with ASVEL at 5-19.

Their visit to Piraeus for the Round 24 game against Olympiacos saw the German side concede 101 points and succumb to Isaiah Canaan's 3-point feast.

After the contest, Thomas took the time to talk to BasketNews about his two last seasons in Europe, following a three-year NBA stint with Toronto, Utah, and Chicago.

Why so many ups and downs for ALBA this season?I think we haven't been consistent. I'm not a guy that likes to make excuses. We have a lot of new players, but we haven't been good enough. That's something we have to continue to improve so that we can finish the season as strong as possible.

Have you started to figure some things out?Did you see the second half tonight? That answers your question. So, I think no. We have a lot of work to do. Olympiacos are a great team, and we weren't able to match their energy and sense of urgency in the second half.

Watching Isaiah Canaan on his career night, how does a shooter manage to get comfortable and find his spots?He's a great player and an amazing shooter. Like any shooter or scorer, once you see the ball go in and you get some easy shots early in the game, the basket starts to look bigger.

Olympiacos are great at their player and ball movement, and they found him a lot. He hit some tough shots, but they were finding him in transition and off offensive rebounds. But it's normal.

I saw the stats, and he's 9 of 14. It's not typical for a guy or a shooter to get off 14 shots. We were playing a lot of zone in the second half, and guys weren't aware of where he was. That's on us. We have to be a lot better at paying attention to details.

Can you recall your best shooting night?There's been a handful. But I haven't made nine threes in a game. Maybe in grade school or high school. But not professionally.

How's your season going?There's been a lot of ups and downs. I want to be more consistent. Our team has to finish the season as strong as possible. It's not been the most successful season for us.

Myself, I've been fortunate enough to play on winning teams my whole career. So, it's been a challenge for me personally in that sense. But I'm trying to make the most of it, be a leader, and help the team improve.

How did you experience your comeback to Europe after many years of absence?It's been good, even though I needed to adjust. My time with Panathinaikos last season was odd. Not being registered to play in the Greek league and only playing in 10 games wasn't what I expected.

That was a challenge. But this year, I'm trying to get back comfortable and the player that I know I'm capable of being.

How would you rate your Panathinaikos experience overall?I went there with the expectation that I was going to be playing a lot. But once I wasn't among the six foreign players in the Greek league, it was tough.

We missed the EuroLeague playoffs. But it taught me to continue to be a professional, do what I've done my whole career, and be ready when the opportunity presents itself.

Did you and the club discuss the conditions?No, I had no idea what the scenario was or the rules regarding the changes. I signed there with the previous coach, and he was fired 10 days after I got there. So, I wasn't aware of the circumstances.

What's the feeling of watching Panathinaikos get back to playoff contention after staying out of the race last year?Obviously, the last year was a tough one for Panathinaikos, especially when I arrived there. But I believe everything happens for a reason. I live my life that way, so everything worked out the way it was supposed to.

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