TJ Parker names the main reasons why ASVEL failed in the EuroLeague / News - Basketnews.com

TJ Parker named the lack of EuroLeague experience from his players and injury woes as the main reason behind ASVEL's last-place finish. When asked about Partizan and Zalgiris, he said the French League takes a bigger toll on the players compared to their leagues.

Credit: IMAGO/Seskim Photo - Scanpix Credit IMAGO/Seskim Photo - Scanpix

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne finished the 2022-23 EuroLeague season dead last in the standings with just 8 wins in 24 games. Even after Panathinaikos Athens received a two-game punishment, it was not enough to catch the French team at the bottom of the list.

2-pointers this season

54%19,7Points made:19,7Accuracy:53,6%Place in standings:9Record max:27Record min:11Most made 2FGs:Youssoupha FallTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

The team ended the season with 13 straight losses. Talking to Luc Paganon from Le Progress, the club's head coach TJ Parker shared that he calms himself down after taking a look at the entire standings table.

"It's frustrating because we've lost a lot of matches by very few points. It was tough, and it's hard to finish on a 13-game losing streak. But it's the EuroLeague and when I see that the 8th seed has won 19 games and that Efes and Milan are not in the Top 8, I tell myself that the level of the competition has never been so high," he said.

Asked about what he thinks were the main reasons behind the lackluster performance in the competition, Parker singled out the lack of experience and injuries.

"A lot of our players were inexperienced at that level. Of course, we had Nando [de Colo] and Joffrey [Lauvergne] but the injury of the latter very early on in the season, similarly to that of Raymar Morgan last season, had a strong impact on us," he explained. "In the end, the season did not go as we hoped."

"We know that in order to do well in this competition, you have to be able to rely on players who know the EuroLeague well," the coach continued. "The players we signed were used to having a lot of playing time in less competitive championships than the French League. You have to get used to it, it takes time."

Out of 13 players registered for the EuroLeague, 7 are over 30 years old - Dee Bost (33), Charles Kahudi (36), Lauvergne (31), Antoine Diot (34), Alex Tyus (35), de Colo (36), and David Lighty (34).

When the interviewer mentioned the fact that the team was relatively old in general and it might have caused the number of injuries that the organization had to deal with, Parker admitted that it might have been miscalculated.

"Of course, the game schedule can be a little more complicated than before for them but these experienced players are also there to share their experience with the youngsters who arrive. However, I recognize that it poses a lot of risks," Parker agreed when asked if there is an added injury risk with such a veteran group.

When the names of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Zalgiris Kaunas were mentioned as the two teams who have made it into the EuroLeague playoffs with lesser budgets than the remaining powerhouses, Parker reiterated his points.

"These two teams still have players that are used to this competition, and they do not compete in a championship as difficult and dense as ours," he said.

Thank you for reading us! We have even more content for you.