Gianmarco Pozzecco compares Napier with Micic, EuroLeague stars react / News - Basketnews.com

Gianmarco Pozzecco explains why he prefers European playmakers over Americans: "With all due respect, Americans have something less because they play differently, and it's physiological."

Credit: FIBA, D. Lukšta, Fabrizio Carabelli/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire Credit FIBA, D. Lukšta, Fabrizio Carabelli/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire

Italian national team head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco compared two EuroLeague backcourt stars -- Vasilije Micic and Shabazz Napier -- ahead of the Efes-Milan game on Tuesday night.

Shabazz Napier

Team:EA7 Emporio Armani MilanPosition:PGAge:31Height:185 cmWeight:82 kgBirth place:Boston, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

"Shabazz Napier has talent, he is intelligent and has personality. Qualities are necessary to lead a high-level team. His main difference with Micic is that he is American, in that sense, he has a different playing style," Pozzecco told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I am convinced that the big EuroLeague teams have all had a European playmaker: Papaloukas, Diamantidis, Spanoulis, or Chacho. With all due respect, Americans have something less because they play differently, and it's physiological. For example, without the ball, they are more disinterested in the game," Pozzecco added.

His words quickly gathered traffic on social media.

Arguably most active EuroLeague stars on Twitter -- Mike James and Tyrese Rice -- didn't take long to react to Pozzecco's statements.

"It's just his opinion. I think it's incorrect," James tweeted.

"Who is he the coach for?" Rice made his comment on the situation.

Micic and Napier will be playing against each other in Tuesday's do-or-die game at Sinan Erdem Dome. The match starts at 19:30 CEST.

After his transfer to Milan, Napier led Emporio Armani to the EuroLeague playoffs race again since the Italian team has won eight of the last nine games in the EuroLeague.

Nappier averages 20.2 points in his last five EuroLeague contests.

On the other hand, Vasilije Micic, the back-to-back EuroLeague champ and Final Four MVP, is the seventh-best EuroLeague scorer (16.6 PTS), sixth-best passer (5.4 AST), and fourth-most effective player (18.0 PIR) this season.

EuroLeague playoff chances: The most likely scenarios and outcomes.

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