Jasikevicius details Fenerbahce progress, shares opinion on play-in / News - Basketnews.com

Fenerbahce are currently going one step backward, two steps forward, Jasikevicius says. The Lithuanian coach is not a fan of the play-in tournament, as he thinks 34 games are enough to determine playoff participants, but believes it might be fun for the fans.

Credit: Luciano Lima/IMAGO/Beautiful Sports - Scanpix Credit Luciano Lima/IMAGO/Beautiful Sports - Scanpix

Two weeks ago, Sarunas Jasikevicius signed with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul to become the team's head coach. Since then, he's won all five games, both domestically and internationally.

2-pointers this season

54%19,4Points made:19,4Accuracy:54,3%Place in standings:12Record max:26Record min:11Most made 2FGs:Johnathan MotleyTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

The last victory came in against Darussafaka Lassa Istanbul in the Turkish League (BSL) on Monday when Fenerbahce comfortably won by a whopping 42-point margin.

"I found the team in good shape. In fact, despite the consecutive defeats, they were united and openly ready for innovations," the coach said during the 40+ show on Fenerbahce TV. "I didn't want to get in their way too much in the first game. I didn't think it was right to change what they knew."

"I tried to do something in small steps. We don't have time to practice too much due to our schedule. We are looking at what we can do. Sometimes, you can take one step back and two steps forward. That's how we work," he said.

Currently, Fenerbahce are second in the BSL and seventh in the EuroLeague, hovering right around the play-in spots. Despite the recent win streak, Jasikevicius doesn't want to look too far ahead. Right now, the most important match is against Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the EuroLeague on Thursday.

"I like to look at the next match. The Efes match is very important for us. I also liked the performance of the players in the previous league match. Since I'm a new coach, everyone is trying to show themselves. It was really good. These contributions will be very important for all of us in January," the coach said. "As long as we have the right mentality, looking to the next match and not too far ahead, we will win."

Talking about the play-in tournament itself, Jasikevicius revealed he wasn't the biggest fan of the concept.

"Right now, it's too early to say where we'll be. There are some coaches who love the play-in. In my opinion, 34 matches are enough to determine the top 8. But it could be an interesting and exciting situation for the fans," he said.

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