Kalinic reflects on his role in Barcelona, discusses Saras and Grimau / News - Basketnews.com

Nikola Kalinic gave an interview to Spanish media talking about the coaching change in FC Barcelona and his time in the club.

Credit: IPA/SIPA - Scanpix Credit IPA/SIPA - Scanpix

An offseason addition to the squad of FC Barcelona in the summer of 2022, Nikola Kalinic suddenly became one of the most important players on the squad, then coached by Sarunas Jasikevicius.

Nikola Kalinic

Team:FC BarcelonaPosition:SFAge:32Height:202 cmWeight:101 kgBirth place:Subotica, SerbiaProfileNewsStatistics

More than a year later, he perhaps holds a more important position in the roster after the departures of seasoned veterans like Cory Higgins and Nikola Mirotic.

He was asked by Sport.es if, alongside his teammate Jan Vesely, he was pulling the weight of the team, Kalinic had this to say.

"We are both veterans, although it is also a new stage for us, and we try to help everyone in complicated situations in the games and in the end, learn our roles well and apply them," explained Kalinic. "Without a doubt, we are now a much better team than in September when we started together."

Barcelona has had major roster revisions this past summer, with players like Willy Hernangomez and Jabari Parker joining from the NBA and local players being more dominant, with the likes of Joel Parra and Dario Brizuela.

However, perhaps the most important change was the departure of Sarunas Jasikevicius and the appointment of Roger Grimau in his place.

Kalinic does not see a lot of differences between the two coaches.

"The truth is that I don't see much," he said. "Roger arrives with the experience of having trained at the club, so he has the essence of Barça and also a bit of Saras.

Maybe now we are playing with a little more freedom," he noted, underlining a difference between the two coaches' styles.

He was, however, happy with the appointment of Grimau because of it being a refreshing move.

"To be honest, I like the decision the club made," Kalinic said. "You see a lot of changes in the EuroLeague, but in the end, it ends up being the same coaches on different teams. It's good to have new faces arriving."

Nikola Kalinic

MIN:24.04PTS:6.56 (43.33%)REB:3.89As:2.78ST:1.11BL:0.11TO:1.11GM:9ProfileEuroLeague2023/2024

Kalinic was also optimistic about Grimau's feature with Barcelona.

"He is a former player of the club, a good guy, and I am sure he can achieve things," the Serbian continued, reflecting on Grimau's past as a player. "It is also important that he has won the EuroLeague and knows the difficulty of lifting the European title."

The forward also touched upon the concept of "calmness," which was blown wide open by Alex Abrines, who criticized Sarunas Jasikevicius for yelling constantly.

"He [Grimau] is definitely a calmer coach than the previous one [Jasikevicius]. He explains and corrects things to you in a polite way. Although in the end, what counts are the titles, and we can talk again in June and see if it has been positive," Kalinic employed a reality check.

"I, personally, prefer this type of relationship with the coach at this time. He himself tries to learn and improve in each match. The club believed in him, and we will see in the end," he concluded.

Barcelona (7-2) will be hosted by Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (5-3) on 23 November.

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