Why Zalgiris released Mitrou-Long and is he a player Olympiacos need? / News - Basketnews.com

BasketNews expert Augustas Suliauskas takes a look at the reasons behind Naz Mitrou-Long's departure from Zalgiris and analyzes what the Greek-Canadian guard could bring to Olympiacos.

Credit: zalgiris.lt Credit zalgiris.lt

If you are wondering howNaz Mitrou-Longgot a 3-year deal fromOlympiacos Piraeusafter averaging 4 points in the EuroLeague withZalgiris Kaunas, you've come to the right place.

Naz Mitrou-Long

MIN:10.24PTS:4.11 (39.02%)REB:1.22As:1ST:0.22BL:0TO:1GM:9ProfileEuroLeague2023/2024

Yes, the Greek passport the guard is about to receive definitely plays a huge role. Greece badly lacks solid local players, but if the Reds didn't believe he can deliver, we wouldn't be talking about this transfer and a lengthy contract for a 30-year-old.

Fans in Lithuania never got to see his full potential, though. Mitrou-Long was disappointing in his stint with Zalgiris, averaging only 4.1 points in 10.5 minutes per game in the EuroLeague.

He shot only 38% from the field and had almost the same amount of turnovers as assists.

So what do Olympiacos see that others don't? And what went wrong in Kaunas that gives hope for the Piraeus organization? Let's take a deeper look into this.

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