Naz Mitrou-Long recalls crazy Gigi Datome story and relationship with Dillon Brooks / News - Basketnews.com

After spending his first EuroLeague season in Milan, Canadian/Greek point guard Naz Mitrou-Long is now ready for a new chapter in his career, this time with Zalgiris Kaunas. In an interview with BasketNews, Mitrou-Long talked about his move to the Lithuanian side, a crazy Gigi Datome story, and his relationship with Dillon Brooks.

Credit: BC Žalgiris Kaunas Credit BC Žalgiris Kaunas

Last season,Zalgiris Kaunassurprised pretty much everyone by qualifying for the EuroLeague playoffs, forcing out of the post-season clubs such as Anadolu Efes and Olimpia Milan.

In his first season with the Lithuanian powerhouse, head coach Kazys Maksvytis did a remarkable job, taking full advantage of the roster qualities he had at his disposal.

The Lithuanian powerhouse was able to retain the majority of the players from last season, but they saw Isaiah Taylor leaving to join the Chinese league. In order to replace Taylor, Zalgiris decided to invest inNaz Mitrou-Long.

After signing a 1+1 deal with Zalgiris, Mitrou-Long is now ready for a season that will be extremely important for his future. In a conversation withBasketNews, he talked about the reasons behind his move to Kaunas, the lessons he learned in Milan, and much more.

Naz Mitrou-LongCredit Žalgiris.lt

"While studying the teams, we just realized that this offense is the one that really complements my game. I think it's the type of offense where a lot of people are involved, where multiple people can be the ones who initiate the offense," Mitrou-Long explained to BasketNews.

During his season in Milan, Mitrou-Long played alongsideGigi Datome, who just retired from professional basketball after playing with the Italian national team at the FIBA World Cup.

By just watching him, Mitrou-Long understood how really important Datome was for the team and how his presence really changed the tone for the club.

"Without Gigi, I don't think we'd win the Italian championship, it was amazing to see the things that he did. He was the protagonist of one of the best basketball stories I've ever seen in my life. That's a Kobe Bryant type of story.

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