Shaquielle McKissic opens up on summer plans and Greek fans' behavior / News - Basketnews.com

Shaquielle McKissic talks to BasketNews about the parts of his game he needs to work on, shares what he'd tell Olympiacos' fans at a dinner table, and weighs in on the incidents of fan violence in Greece.

Credit: Luca Sgamellotti/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Luca Sgamellotti/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Fresh off his third - and arguably most successful - full season with Olympiacos Piraeus,Shaquielle McKissic knows what to do this summer.

3-pointers this season

37%9,7Points made:9,7Accuracy:36,9%Place in standings:5Record max:19Record min:3Most made 3FGs:Aleksandr VezenkovTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

"I'm just really to get better, come back, and carry a bigger responsibility next season," he told BasketNews last Saturday night.

"My plan is to go to the States, relax a bit and get back in the gym, shooting nothing but threes and free throws."

The mood at the Peace and Friendship Stadium was celebratory, as the Reds hosted a special event to give their crowd the opportunity to celebrate the 14th Greek championship title in the club's history. Still, McKissic had his mind set on how to minimize his weak spots.

His season 3-point percentage indicates a slight improvement compared to how his Olympiacos stint started, but also looking at how he did last season.

The American slasher went from 31.6% in 2021-22 to 31.9% in the 2022-23 EuroLeague campaign, while his Greek league efficiency increased from 42.6% to 51.9%. Not bad at all.

However, his free-throw accuracy sank to 68.4% from 72.2% in the top competition and from 69.7% to 54.8% in domestic play.

And if these numbers aren't strong enough to highlight the problem, there was one particular case where McKissic's missed attempts from the stripe could have cost Olympiacos much more than a game.

Even though hypothetical scenarios are usually pointless, had the American guard/forward sunk both of his free throws at the end of Game 2 against Fenerbahce, the Reds' path to the Final Four in Kaunas would have been a lot easier.

Fener were up 77-76 with just over a minute left on the game clock, but McKissic missed both of his attempts, and Olympiacos lost. Had he gone 2/2, it could have taken a great deal of pressure off the Reds' back.

Shaquielle McKissic

MIN:17.6PTS:9 (56.06%)REB:1.44As:1.54ST:0.83BL:0.02TO:0.85GM:41ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023

In the end, Giorgos Bartzokas' squad qualified for the Final Four, largely thanks to Kostas Sloukas' heroics in Games 3 and 5. But McKissic is perfectly aware of what it takes to become more reliable from distance.

Last March, in the game against Zalgiris in Kaunas, Shaq got once more the 'Ben Simmons or Russell Westbrook treatment,' as the hosts chose to leave him wide open.

After a successful attempt, McKissic turned towards the Zalgiris bench, where head coach Kazys Maksvytis was standing on the sidelines, and blew them a kiss while shouting something. He then went on to score 10 consecutive points in just 90 seconds.

"I like that they're giving me threes," McKissic smiled and said to BasketNews back then. "I'm shooting with Isaiah [Canaan] every day, so coaches believe in my shot. I'm shooting really high percentages in the Greek league," he pointed out.

"It just has to translate over onto EuroLeague. But I'm not afraid to take the shot. The coach believes in me, but I'm not offended by it," he said with a smile. "If it's one on one, I don't think anybody. I know nobody in the league can guard me one on one. I know that for sure," McKissic proclaimed.

"I got to capitalize and help the team," he reiterated last Saturday. "Our opponents don't have a choice because they can't guard me," he repeated. "Once I get a little bit better from the three, I'm really going to be unstoppable," McKissic continued, half-joking but full of confidence. "I'm only getting better."

If that hadn't been the case, Olympiacos wouldn't have bothered extending his contract two months ago. His new deal runs through 2025 and is set to make him the longest-serving American player in the club's history.

Very few would have expected that development when McKissic was first announced by Olympiacos on 10 February 2020.

Giorgos Bartzokas had taken over the coaching reins just two months earlier, and his first concern was to enhance the incomplete roster with two or three players, with the aim of increasing the team's slim chances of entering the EuroLeague playoffs. His first choice was a 29-year-old American who was playing at Besiktas.

The Turkish side was facing financial problems, bringing the deal to completion almost in no time. McKissic landed in Greece, had an outstanding EuroLeague home debut against Panathinaikos, and made Rick Pitino sing his praises.

"The pickup of McKissic, if I'm saying his name right, was one of the best I've seen in the EuroLeague," Pitino said in the post-game presser. "He played unbelievable at Maccabi, and he played unbelievable tonight."

Back then, McKissic was earning just 30,000 euros per month. Three years on, his salary has (more than) doubled, and he has become a key part of the team's core of players. He's matured, making better decisions on the court, and is more receptive to Bartzokas' defensive schemes.

It's not easy to instantly change a player's identity when they are at a relatively advanced age. Nevertheless, McKissic had the makings of a good student to absorb as much information as possible and make the most of it.

His progress goes hand in hand with Olympiacos' miraculous achievements in the past couple of seasons.

The Reds have dominated the competition on the domestic front while making two straight Final Fours for the first time since their back-to-back trophies in 2012 and 2013.

This year, they topped the EuroLeague regular season for the first time and came one possession away from their fourth continental title.

McKissic had a hard time describing the season in one word, but in the end, he came up with something.

"Destiny," he replied. "You know, everything that we wanted to do, we achieved. Every place we wanted to go, we went. I feel like we've been the best team in Europe all year long, and everybody agrees."

Still, a modest take considering what McKissic said in March about Olympiacos being "one of the best teams in the world" and the best "after the NBA."

Still, the best team didn't get to lift the big silverware, as Sergio Llull took and made the final game's most crucial possession, hitting a rainbow jumper over Moustapha Fall's hands.

For McKissic, the outcome doesn't change his mentality moving on to the next campaign with Olympiacos.

"There's always unfinished business, even if we would have won the EuroLeague," he argued. "I don't think this team can be satisfied with anything but winning."

It's almost certain that if Olympiacos fans and players were told at the beginning of the season that they would end up playing and losing the EuroLeague final, in addition to winning all titles in Greece, the scenario would have looked quite appealing.

But going down as they did has left a shadow hanging over a highly successful run.

"Second? I would have said we'd finish first," McKissic reacted in a rather predictable way. "But I would have accepted the fate. What can we say? This is good enough. Last year was amazing, this year was amazing, and next year we'll see what happens."

Olympiacos had a special prize for some fans who attended Saturday night's fiesta in Piraeus. A draw will pick four of them to have dinner with Thomas Walkup.

If McKissic shared a dinner table with four random Olympiacos fans, what would he tell them?

"I'd tell them to be patient. I feel the EuroLeague coming, we're right there. That's all we need to complete this."

Shaq hasn't been particularly active on social media over the past months. However, the McKissic family has been represented more than adequately by his wife, Beril.

In fact, her post about 'the right use of lasers' during the championship ceremony gained a lot of traction that night.

For McKissic, the experience with lasers in Greece is getting worse and worse in every game.

"It's like the more you talk about it, the more lasers they buy - which is ok," he commented.

What he meant was that it's ok for him because he's gotten used to the particularities of Greek ultras. After all, no matter how much lasers disrupt a game's flow or distract the players' attention, they're still quite harmless.

Lasers and jokes aside, no significant progress has been made in regard to tackling fan violence in Greece. In 2010 and 2013, Olympiacos fans couldn't accept their team's defeat by PAO at home and decided that there was no point in the last final game being completed.

A decade later and six years since the Peace and Friendship Stadium was evacuated in order for Game 5 of the 2017 finals to finish, it was Panathinaikos' fans turn to wreak havoc at OAKA and do some serious damage to their own team's home court.

The angry and disenchanted crowd broke hundreds of chairs, threw all kinds of objects at Olympiacos' bench without much success because of the protection net placed around the court, and ensured that the outing wouldn't resume by stealing and destroying equipment on the officials' table.

When the new Greek league season tips off, both teams will have their home premiere being played behind closed doors.

For PAO, who will be presenting a new coach and a completely different roster compared to the previous season, hosting a total of four games without fans looks even worse.

"They don't care. It's really like a zoo," McKissic said, using strong language.

"When we go there, I understand the rivalry, but at the same time, let's have some respect," he pointed out. "We're too close to the fans. It's unbelievable, and it's uncomfortable. I love it, but maybe my teammates, not so much," he admitted.

McKissic knows the context in which he is asked to perform. He's aware of what has happened in the Greek derbies and that the problem is bigger than basketball.

He also thinks that if Olympiacos had been in PAO's place, losing a final game by many (the score was 35-63 when Game 4 was suspended), things in Piraeus wouldn't have been any different. At the end of the day and in the darkest hour, hooliganism has no color.

"It happens in all sports, it's the lifestyle. I'm fortunate to be on the right team at the right time because we're winning. Things are always good when you're winning," he observed.

Credit Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

McKissick graduated from Arizona State in 2015 without becoming a draft pick and subsequently competed with Pesaro, Usak Sportif, Gran Canaria, Avtodor, Gaziantep, and Besiktas, where he had a breakout season.

His numbers (17.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in the Turkish league - 16.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.1 steals in the BCL) were enough for him to catch the eye of bigger teams.

However, it was a particular performance that worked as his EuroLeague credential. Two weeks before he signed with Olympiacos, McKissic dropped 38 points on Anadolu Efes, along with 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

It was a career night, which the Greek media will most likely keep mentioning throughout the 2023-24 season.

The reason is Ergin Ataman's presence at PAO. McKissic thinks we'll get to see an improved version of the six-time EuroLeague champs under the Turkish coach.

"Of course, they will be better. Hopefully, they'll get a bigger budget. They have a great coach, and games against them will be more competitive. That will bring the best out of everybody," he opined.

Let's just hope that fans of the two powerhouses won't bring any objections.

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