How Roger Grimau's Barcelona are silencing doubters in post-Saras era / News - Basketnews.com

Augustas Suliauskas takes a look at the successful FC Barcelona season start, explaining the main differences between the Roger Grimau and Sarunas Jasikevicius eras.

Credit: Srdjan Stevanovic/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Srdjan Stevanovic/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Many questioned FC Barcelona's offseason moves. I'll admit it - I was also among them.

However, I still believe it was reasonable to raise these questions. Rookie head coach replacing one of the best tactical masters in Sarunas Jasikevicius; Jabari Parker, who participated in only 27 NBA games in the last 3 years, coming in place of arguably the best player in the continent, Nikola Mirotic; organization spending millions to buy out domestic players from EuroCup and Champions League.

A lot of question marks. But the Catalan side answered all of them quickly and seems to be clicking early in the season like few other clubs in the EuroLeague.

4 wins in 4 games speak louder than anything, but advanced stats are here to help us see the bigger picture: Barcelona are 1st in offensive rating (128.3) & 3rd in defensive one (103.6).

Seeing this, I was extremely intrigued to dig deeper into what's working so well for Barcelona.

Because a handful of people who didn't believe in them now think their success is a merit of Jasikevicius' installed habits, and Roger Grimau is just lucky to be coaching after him.

Are they right? And if not, what new things have the rookie head coach brought to the team that's making it click? Let's find out all the little details in this article with video examples.

Main difference

Before the season's first whistle, we already knew that Grimau is a coach who fancies a more free style of basketball than Jasikevicius.

The Lithuanian tactician builds his philosophy on always finding the best percentage shot in every possession. That often meant fewer early shots and players second-guessing whether or not they should look at the basket early and from behind the 3-point line.

Now, with Grimau behind the wheel, that moment of doubt is gone. Players aren't as limited offensively, and such trust in their abilities has unleashed their full potential. At least for now.

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