Tomas Satoransky enjoys Sarunas Jasikevicius' challenges, wants Greece to win a medal / News - Basketnews.com

Tomas Satoransky opens up to BasketNews on his comeback season in Europe and FC Barcelona, names what Sarunas Jasikevicius and Xavi Pascual have in common, and explains why the Czech Republic missed the 2023 World Cup.

Credit: Rodolfo Molina/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Rodolfo Molina/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Almost midway through our conversation with Tomas Satoransky in FC Barcelona's locker room at OAKA on Thursday night, I asked the Czech point guard a question regarding his ex-Bulls coach Jim Boylen.

Tomas Satoransky

Team:FC BarcelonaPosition:PG, SGAge:31Height:200 cmWeight:93 kgBirth place:Prague, Czech RepublicProfileNewsStatistics

The player had reportedly described Boylen as a man who "tries, cares so much, wants to control everything and to be perfect." Hence, I wanted to know if that description fits Satoransky's current coach, Sarunas Jasikevicius.

Upon hearing the question, the former NBA point guard stared at me in disbelief.

"How did you know this quote?" he asked. "Are you from Greece?"

Since no Spanish reporter, apart from some people working for the club, had followed Barcelona in Athens, the answer was pretty obvious.

"Ah, you have a lot of interest in basketball then if you found this quote," Satoransky continued.

Truth be told, the quote wasn't really hard to find. Since it's up on Twitter, anyone could have traced it and used it to their liking, as I did.

Then, Satoransky explained that while in the US, one must be diplomatic because American media are not the same as Europe-based outlets.

And even though he decided to return to the Old Continent and the team that allowed him to make the NBA leap in 2016, 'Sato' is still diplomatic yet absolutely straightforward in his responses.

"The truth is Saras is very different," he continued.

"Obviously, the coach has a different role in the NBA. It's how it's set up already over there. They can't really do much because the star players have bigger power than coaches.

In Europe, it's totally different because they have the power to challenge their players a bit more. That's what I missed a little bit because I came from that culture, and I was used to it," the Czech international admitted.

Tomas Satoransky

MIN:24.43PTS:8.93 (60.49%)REB:3.74As:4.48ST:0.74BL:0.04TO:1.78GM:27ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023

In one of his first interviews after his return to Barcelona, where he had played from 2014 until 2016, Satoransky broke down why he and Jasikevicius can be a good match.

"I am a little crazy too sometimes, or I need that kind of emotions that he [Jasikevicius] brings," said Satoransky.

"I never had a coach like that, and I think I was kinda missing that in my career. He changed so much in Barcelona, and he's so respected there."

After experiencing Saras' system first-hand for more than six months, Satoransky thinks he's going through an ongoing learning process.

"That's a complicated question. After six years in the NBA, I was searching for a coach that would push me on and off the court," he repeats.

"I think I can learn a lot of things, and that has been the case until now - when to be aggressive, what to look for... Saras was a point guard, and it's always great to have a coach that has played the same position as you."

Satoransky points out the word that makes the difference in how Jasikevicius tries to get the best out of his starting point guard: challenge.

The 31-year-old guard concedes that Saras can sometimes be very demanding - "and it's not easy."

But in a team that aspires to win titles with Satoransky as the floor general, the result will be the judge for everyone. Following their 88-74 win over Panathinaikos in the Greek capital, Barcelonahave officially qualified for the playoffs.

One can safely assume that the team's first mission has been accomplished. Recently, Jasikevicius said that securing the home-court advantage for the playoffs should come right next, and Satoransky has no reason to disagree.

"I didn't know we qualified until the end of the game. We are focusing on every game, trying not to look too far ahead. Obviously, there are many more goals left. As Saras said the other day, we have to secure the home-court advantage also."

Against a struggling PAO team, Barcelona were pretty convincing. Since Nikola Mirotic and Mike Tobey combined for 42 of the team's 88 points, half the job was done. The rest was carried out by Satoransky, who only scored 8 points, but his 9 assists and as many rebounds got him close to a triple-double elevating his total PIR to 26.

"I think we're in a good moment. We're improving. We didn't play our best basketball at the beginning of the game, but our second unit gave us a big push, and then we clicked more together," he commented.

Satoransky is coming off a shaky NBA season, which he spent in three NBA teams: the New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs, and Washington Wizards. Over 55 games, he averaged 3.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.

He holds career averages of 6.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists throughout 388 appearances with the Wizards (2016-19, 2022), Chicago Bulls (2019-21), Pelicans (2021-22), and Spurs (2022).

In January, he missed three games due to tendonitis in his right ankle. Although he's back on the court, the player admits that it's something that he will have to deal with constantly.

"It is clear that I am going to have some discomfort during the season. Hopefully, it can disappear, but it is complicated with this calendar," he explained back then. "I have to learn to play with this, there is not much time between games."

However, the injury he sustained in late August 2022, just a few days before the Czech Republic would host their EuroBasket group in Prague, took a heavy toll on the experienced player. At one point, Satoransky's chances to make the EuroBasket were declining.

"I rushed it because I wanted to play in the tournament," he recalled. "But now I feel physically fine, and I've gotten more used to Saras' system."

As mentioned above, that system requires Satoransky to perform specific tasks in accordance with the tole his coach has ascribed to him.

Credit Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

"He's pushing me to be a leader, and he's showing me how I shouldn't run away from responsibility," he stressed.

"I think I needed that from time to time. He helped me become more confident and aggressive with my shot. That's great."

Satoransky admits that a lot of times, he's thinking about different things during the game, like when to use the fouls or not.

"But this season is the first time I've been thinking about it as much, and it's been going great so far," he added.

"It's never really easy to come back from American basketball. But I always thought that Europe's style of basketball suits me better."

The transition from NBA to Europe might have been a bit tricky, but the same rules don't apply to how Satoransky moved from Xavi Pascual's system in Barcelona (2014-16) to Saras' orders some years later.

"They have some things in common - a similar preparation for the game, very detail-oriented, with a lot of sets that have different options," he described.

"So, that wasn't tough for me to pick it up because Xavi had even more systems. Saras lets us play a little more freely in that sense."

Credit Panagiotis Moschandreou/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Satoransky names his health as the No.1 challenge. His comeback wasn't facilitated by how the ACB League is played.

"I mainly struggled there because it's a very specific league, with some fouls and other calls. The game is quicker with the new inbound rule. But, other than that, Barcelona is always a great city to live in. For my family, it was the best place."

Satoransky's long-lasting relationship with Barcelona is likely to continue at least until 2026. But that doesn't mean that he didn't test the waters of the European market before returning to the Catalan powerhouse.

"Obviously, you want to see what's out there, but Barcelona was the first option," he said. "So, once I knew they were interested as well, it was a no-brainer."

Satoransky used to play in a EuroLeague format that has little to do with the current one. Up until 2016, teams would play a regular season consisting of a first stage comprising 10 games and a TOP16 that included another 14 outings. Since 2016, every team has had a guaranteed number of 30-34 games each season.

"I think it's a great competition for the fans because there's a Final Four. It's really tough to win it. But that's what people are looking forward to, more games," Satoransky believes and wishes he were younger so that he could feel more comfortable with the increased number of games.

"When you play both the Spanish league and the EuroLeague, it can be challenging. That's why we need a lot of people on the roster. In Spain, you can lose to anybody," he argued.

Since the Czech Republic national team missed the boat on the 2023 World Cup that will be hosted in Asia in September, Satoransky and his fellow countrymen will have some more time to rest. It's the first major tournament that the Czechs will skip since they participated in the 2017 EuroBasket. After missing the 2016 Olympics, the East European country had always found a way to qualify.

But not this time, when -once again- NBA and EuroLeague players couldn't join their teammates.

"It's what happened to other countries- it's tough to have your best players," Satoransky poignantly observed.

"We're a different team without me and Jan [Vesely]. Some guys, who were playing in Japan, couldn't come."

Tomas Satoransky is vehemently against the qualifiers and players having to deal with that kind of schedule.

"The fans want to see the best players be in the World Cup. On the other hand, the previous World Cup helped us because most players were either playing in Nymburk or in competitions other than the EuroLeague," he acknowledged.

"It's tough, but hopefully, we'll have another EuroBasket ahead of us with a generation that has had success in the past. There are still things to look forward to."

For Satoransky, missing the World Cup potentially means missing the chance to play against Greece and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The two countries faced off in three straight major tournaments starting from the 2019 World Cup, and Satoransky remembers each one of them. The Czechs racked up a loss that equaled a victory in the first matchup in China, then won the Olympic Qualifiers final game in Canada (2021), and lost in the EuroBasket quarter-finals (2022).

"Those were good games. The first time, we lost, but still qualified thanks to the point difference," 'Sato' recalled.

"Then, we had the Pre-Olympic tournament. Even in the EuroBasket, they had a great team. We held our ground but lost by six (88-94) points in the end. For me, Greece is always one of the favorites for the medals. It will be nice to see them accomplish that."

The Czech point guard is aware of the fact that his current teammate Rokas Jokubaitis might be playing in the NBA next season. A second-round draft pick in 2021, the Lithuanian guard has been closely followed by the New York Knicks, the franchise owning his NBA rights.

Satoransky knows what to tell the 22-year-old prospect in case he'd want to follow in his footsteps.

"I'd tell him to take his time. The transition is very difficult, especially for his position," he warns.

"It's a different game, with more freedom, and he has always played for Saras who has a lot of systems. I love his mentality. He's a hard worker, he plays extremely hard and I think he could do good things there."

Credit Javier Borrego/AFP7 via ZUMA Press Wire

When Satoransky moved to the NBA in 2016, his friend and Czech Republic NT teammate Jan Vesely was playing for Fenerbahce, having left behind a gloomy 30-month stint with the Washington Wizards. In contrast to Vesely, the Prague-born floor general had a productive three-year term in DC.

But before he went over there, he didn't get any feedback or piece of advice from Vesely. Why? Satoransky names the reasons.

"He didn't have a good experience there. That chapter was tough for him. He struggled there with the competition and I didn't even want to poke the bear by asking him."

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