Mitrou-Long names a reason why he'll be better in Zalgiris than Milan / News - Basketnews.com

Mitrou-Long believes the Zalgiris system is better suited for him as a combo guard than Milan's. Only specific kinds of players succeed in the Milan system, he said.

Credit: Zalgiris Kaunas, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan Credit Zalgiris Kaunas, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan

In his debut season in the EuroLeague, Naz Mitrou-Long had an underwhelming year with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. This season, he's with Zalgiris Kaunas, looking to establish himself as one of the premier guards in Europe.

The 30-year-old guard will make a backcourt duo with Keenan Evans, a player who made a name for himself last year before the injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the year.

Mitrou-Long feels that the Zalgiris offensive system is better suited for him as a combo guard.

"Milan‘s system is built for specific types of players, and I‘m talking about the guards. You should be a specific type of player to be successful in Milan," he said in an interview with Gustavas Klikna from krepsinis.net. "This is no knock on how the organization is run. I‘m not saying that people can or can‘t play there."

"I‘m not the prototypical point guard from the past. I think the game is evolving into more of a positionless sport," the guard continued. "I‘m the point guard who compliments the offense like Zalgiris. What do I have in mind? I can attack, I can bring aggressiveness, I can play freely. Anybody in Zalgiris can initiate the offense, even our bigs. They make a lot of decisions and plays."

Mitrou-Long believes that his new club will help him succeed individually.

"I think this offense compliments me a lot more than Milan’s. I can be myself here. And that’s no knock on the Milan team. Every team has its own style. A lot of players played in Milan, and they were successful," he concluded.

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