Moustapha Fall reviews Olympiacos' gains and losses, explains why he won't learn Greek / News - Basketnews.com

Moustapha Fall breaks down the reasons for his reduced role with the French NT and explains why Sasha Vezenkov is harder to replace than Kostas Sloukas. He also touches on his relationship with Mathias Lessort and the atmosphere surrounding the Greek rivalry.

Credit: Vangelis Stolis Credit Vangelis Stolis

At one point during his discussion with BasketNews during Olympiacos Piraeus' media day, Moustapha Fall realized that he had to get it off his chest.

"Honestly, I don't want to talk about the national team. I just want to talk about Olympiacos," he said after being asked several questions about his World Cup experience with France.

Les Bleus were eliminated in the first round, while Fall's playing time was reduced tojust three minutes in the blowout defeat to Canada and five minutes in the loss to Latvia that sealed France's destiny.

No wonder the reasons behind the downfall of Les Bleus in that tournament and Fall's limited role in the process are some of the last things the 31-year-old big man would want to talk about.

"All I can tell you is that sometimes you take some stuff for granted," Fall told Eurohoops' Antonis Stroggylakis in Jakarta. "This situation I have had with Olympiacos these last two years is amazing. Amazing coaching staff. Amazing fans. Amazing team. And I enjoy playing with them," he pointed out.

"I realize these even more after this World Cup because the situation wasn't the best," Fall went on to say. "For sure, when you have some bad time then you realize how lucky you can be for your situation."

Contrary to what's been happening in the summer tournament with France, Fall has established himself as a cornerstone for Olympiacos over the past couple of seasons. In the 2022-23 EuroLeague campaign, when the Reds reached the title game and Fall saw Sergio Llull score against him in a decisive play, the Frenchman averaged 7.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists over 22 minutes.

In addition, he has been Olympiacos' starting center right from the start of his tenure in Piraeus, a far cry from the situation he's experiencing while with his national team.

"With France, I don't play," Fall laughed when asked by BasketNews about the huge disparity in terms of the impact he has on the two squads.

"Obviously, it's not the same system. We need to learn and find each other. Last year, I was injured in my hamstring. The last time I had a good tournament was in the 2021 Olympics. But I don't know what happened this year," he admitted.

Olympiacos' head coach Giorgos Bartzokas has unequivocally supported Fall by increasing his touches and rendering him a centerpiece of a fluid offensive flow that was praised by friends and foes alike.

Credit Vangelis Stolis

France, on the other hand, boasts a powerful frontline, also comprising Rudy Gobert and Mathias Lessort. One would be inclined to think that Lessort's great season with Partizan is the main reason Vincent Collet pushed Fall further back in the rotation.

"Yes and no," Fall said, as if trying to imagine what Collet's rationale might have been, as far as his role and Lessort's improvement.

"I believe Vincent wanted to play him more as a '4'. It's just maybe that we had a lot of undersized bigs who can shoot the ball. So, he had in his mind to play small ball.

I believe that when [Rudy] Gobert was out, he was thinking, 'Maybe small ball's going to be easier.' Even in Canada, [Kelly] Olynyk was playing as a stretch 5, so maybe he was thinking that he needed a smaller player," the Paris-born center argued.

In any case, Fall clarified that he didn't seek any kind of explanation from his France NT coach.

"Not really. I don't talk so much with the coaches," he said. "If it was on a club, I would do it because it's a long season. Things seemed to go well for me in the pre-season, so I didn't expect that. But he makes his own decisions," he stressed.

Moving from a situation where he was considered the second or third option to a place where he was used to dominating have made Moustapha Fall feel some comfort -- and even relief.

Olympiacos and everything regarding the Greek side are Fall's favorite topics, which he explored in great detail in his interview with BasketNews. The two-time Greek champion touched on his relationship with Mathias Lessort, the departures of Sasha Vezenkov and Kostas Sloukas, as well as the toxic atmosphere of the Greek rivalry, in which Fall is unwilling to engage.

What do you make of Olympiacos' latest version?

I always have a good feeling before every season. We have a strong team. We needed to make some adjustments compared to last year. Obviously, we lost the best scorer in the league, Sasha [Vezenkov]. It's the first time he's not here, and other players need to step up.

We need to balance the team more, maybe. I don't think anyone else will average 18 points a game. So, we're going to find those points from elsewhere. We also need to play stronger defense and keep playing team basketball.

How big of a loss is Kostas Sloukas for Olympiacos?

He's a good player and a good point guard. Nigel [Williams-Goss] will replace him, and he's a very good player as well. But it's not the same as Sasha. Kostas was important as well, but Sasha was the MVP, the league's best player. You don't replace an MVP that easily.

Credit Vangelis Stolis

But I like our team. [Luke] Sikma has brought something else. He's a glue guy and a good passer. We just have to adjust and play differently.

Coach Giorgos Bartzokas was actually asked about whether Olympiacos will be a less pick-and-roll-heavy team now that Sloukas is gone. What's your take?

Yes, because now we're going to share the offensive responsibility more. When Kostas was on the court, he was the main ball-hander, the guy who was making all the decisions. Now, I think it's going to be more of a team aspect. We're going to play more in the low post because we have two centers who can play there and dominate. We can also find Sikma in the paint, and create for others.

We're going to mix it up, more than we did last year. Now, it's up to the coach to see what he wants to do and if we're able to do it or not.

He also said it's the worst preparation he's ever had with any of his teams. When do you think that this squad will be able to jell?

Honestly, I have no idea (smiles). We can't really say because we didn't play many pre-season games. For me, it was also the worst preparation since I've been here. So, we don't know what to expect from the beginning. I know we're going to be good at some point. Can we be good from the start? You never know.

Credit Vangelis Stolis

What can Ignas Brazdeikis add to the team?

First, tough aggressivity to the rim. He's very athletic and has size, which is always good from the guard position. I think he's going to bring us more energy, as soon as he fits well in the system.

He ended up joining the team, but everything happened very quickly. Did you expect him to be your teammate this season?

I wasn't surprised because we knew that the coach was looking for one more player, although we didn't know what kind of player it was going to be. All I knew was that he was going to be a guard.

I knew that the team's first thought was Brazdeikis, but maybe they didn't agree on the buyout. And when Olympiacos came back to the table, I wasn't surprised.

He was on the coach's radar and I'm happy that he managed to bring him. I think he's a good GM because he knows what kind of players he likes. So far, he's done a good job. So, we got to trust him.

Since you mentioned size, Olympiacos have also added Nikola Milutinov. How has coach Bartzokas divided the roles between the two of you?

I believe we're going to share the time. It will probably be 20 minutes each. The good thing about it is that we're not similar, but we can play the same way. We're big bodies, so nothing's going to change so much if someone goes to the bench.

Last year, it was totally different. When I'd leave the court, a more athletic but smaller guy would enter. Now, we're going to play the same way and no one will notice if I or Niko goes to the bench. I think it's going to be a good thing for us.

Did you and Mathias Lessort talk about the rivalry?

We talk often. We're friends and have a good relationship.

Credit Euroleague Basketball vis Getty Images

Are you worried about how fans from both teams might react if you're seen on a night out?

I really don't care about this. Everybody wants to talk no matter what you do. For sure we're going to compete against each other because we both want to win. But as soon as the match is over, life goes on. I'm not going to choose my friends according to which team they're signing with. It makes no sense.

What do you expect from the Greek derbies?

It's going to be a fight. A loud and toxic environment. Like it was the years before, only more competitive this year.

Is it easy to keep a clear head before and after those games?

I don't overreact to things. When we lost to Pana in the Greek league in my first year, there was so much drama. I was talking to the coach and everybody, like, 'What's going on? Is this really a Greek league game? We need to calm down. We didn't lose in the finals.'

We make too much of those games. The goal is to win trophies, not win one game against Pana. We need to relax and focus on the main goals. People were telling me, 'You're not Greek, you don't understand.' Everything here is blown out of proportion. That's why I don't speak Greek and I don't want to learn.

I just try to avoid the noise or what people say, and go back to my life as soon as the game is over. I'm not saying that's easy. For sure, you don't want to lose and sometimes you feel terrible. You may have all sorts of emotions, but after two weeks, people talk about something else. You just have to wait a bit and move on.

Do you get any feedback from the fans?

I was lucky enough to come here at the right time. Since I came, we've been really successful. Everything went fine.

Now, I know that if we start losing, everything is going to be different. I just hope we're going to keep winning. I've heard some crazy stories about when Olympiacos were losing also. I just try not to pay attention to all this and focus on what I have to do.

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