Jasikevicius addresses Nick Calathes' criticism, debunks misconceptions about him / News - Basketnews.com

Sarunas Jasikevicius responds to Nick Calathes' critique, expands on his coaching style and dispels stereotypes about him, talks mid-season additions in Fenerbahce, and decodes his well-known word 'suffering.'

Credit: Luciano Lima/IMAGO/Beautiful Sports - Scanpix, Tolga Adanali/GettyImages Credit Luciano Lima/IMAGO/Beautiful Sports - Scanpix, Tolga Adanali/GettyImages

The Sarunas Jasikevicius era in Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul started on the highest note possible, with six consecutive wins both in domestic and EuroLeague competitions.

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul / Schedule

ALBA Berlin Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul82-91 Anadolu Efes Istanbul Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul84-89 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet BelgradeTue17:45 Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv01-0417:45

Three Saras' former players -- Nigel Hayes-Davis, Nick Calathes, and Sertac Sanli -- have played key roles in this flawless start under the new head coach.

For instance, Calathes stepped up big time in EuroLeague Round 17 derby game against Anadolu Efes Istanbul on Thursday night, scoring a season-high 17 points, dishing out 8 assists, and collecting a season-high 24 PIR.

In a recent appearance on Turkish sports television 'S Sport,' the ex-players of coach Saras were one of the hot topics the Lithuanian mastermind shared his opinion about.

"One of the reasons why I took this job is because you have some players like this," Jasikevicius pointed out. "And you have this ability to have a little bit of continuation. I mean, right now, Nick, Nigel, and Sertac are constantly talking with the teammates, 'Exactly in this situation, we wanna do this.' I encourage them, especially Sertac, to help, for example, Motley and Papagiannis.

"And they have been helpful," Saras added. "Nigel is all the time in the position on the court where you always hear him -- he is always trying to help the guys move the ball offensively, to be in the right position defensively. For sure, these guys will be a huge help for me, especially early on being here, in Fener."

One of his ex-players is Calathes, who, after leaving Catalonia, openly shared that Jasikevicius' system at Barca felt restrictive, expressing the need for more freedom on the court.

Jasikevicius responded to Calathes' remarks about not being a 20-year-old anymore by recognizing the diversity in coaching styles. He appreciated Nick's honesty and underscored the significance of concentrating on the present.

Points this season

47%82,1Points made:82,1Accuracy:47,0%Place in standings:8Record max:101Record min:56Best scorer:Nigel Hayes-DavisTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

"Listen, you have to understand that when you work with the players in such high-pressure situations, it is not going to be a lot of times the perfect stuff. I mean, with Nick, Nigel, and Sertac, we had great moments, whether it was Barcelona or Zalgiris, because Nigel was in Zalgiris as well. It was some great moments, some bad moments. You have to talk out the fact that it is a new beginning. I think these guys have been incredibly professional," Jasikevicius stressed.

"I understand Nick's comments and what he said," Saras went on to say. "I do not think that he said anything wrong. he just said his opinion that one coach is different from the other. It's always the coaching: one guy wants to control more, one guy wants to do this, one guy lets you do this, and another one does not let you do this. I am not really sensitive in these types of situations.

"I think he voiced his opinion, and, to be honest with you, it was an honest opinion. Was it against me? I do not really care, to be honest with you. It is more like the situation of us being together now and doing what is best for Fenerbahce and not being, 'Oh, he said something in the past.' No, all he did, I think, was to give an honest opinion."

Responding further to comments and criticism about his coaching style, Jasikevicius stressed the significance of doing what's best for the team. He acknowledged that players' opinions often vary based on team performance.

"The thing is, I have to do what I think is the best for the team," the 47-year-old underlined. "Some players like it, some players do not like it. The most important [thing] is how this affects the player's professionalism and his performance on the court -- in practices and on the games. When you have many players over the years, some of them will like you, some of them will not like you. Usually, it is related to how good they are doing.

"If they are doing good, they usually like you and if the team is winning, they usually like you. If they are not doing good and the team has some losses, usually the coach is the problem. As I said, for me, the most important is my job here, in Fenerbahce, and the other extra stuff is a lot of times blown up out of proportion, and some things that you can talk out privately. Usually, it is performance-related comments from the players."

Jasikevicius also dispelled misconceptions about being a controlling coach, expressing a desire for a more up-tempo playing style.

"Listen, I need to play basketball that my players can play," he stressed. "I can have an idea about the post-ups or not. For sure, one of the biggest misconceptions about me is that I am a controlling kind of coach. I really would like to run, was not able to achieve that on a consistent basis in Barcelona.

"I would like to run more; there is no question about that," Saras added. "I encouraged that for three years in Barcelona, and sometimes we did, but for me, not enough. We would like to do transition basketball here. Ultimately, it is not about me, it is about the players, and I have to adjust what I have on the roster and to take out their best qualities."

Returning to Fenerbahce matters and regarding the transfer market and potential mid-season additions, Jasikevicius emphasized the team's focus on building rather than immediate success.

"In general, our idea is to come and build something and to build a better team over the course, so if it is in this window or next window, that's what we will do," he said. "I think it is very difficult to make a transfer in the middle of the season. We see some happening, but it is not so easy. The idea, which is more important than winning right now, is to build and evolve and get the program better. So, let's see."

Lastly, explaining his frequent use of the term 'suffering' in pre-game or post-game conferences, Jasikevicius highlighted the importance of finding ways to win in tough situations, especially in the EuroLeague, where defensive resilience often determines outcomes.

"I think it is very easy to deal with things when things are going your way, and all the shots are falling and all these situations, you really understand how they gonna happen," Jasikevicius shared. "But a lot of times, in the EuroLeague especially, the games are won by making a defensive stand, taking two or three possessions in a row, digging deeper, and finding a way to stop the other team, and maybe take one rebound or something like that. This is more or less what we are talking about. We need to find ways to win the ugly games, the ugly situations, because a lot of times you have to win like this."

Sarunas Jasikevicius on Barcelona exit: 'The process was very ugly'

Full interview on S Sport:

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