Shane Larkin lashes out at Ataman for not playing enough vs Partizan / News - Basketnews.com

Shane Larkin issued a myriad of answers on Twitter, criticizing Ergin Ataman for not getting more playing time.

Credit: REUTERS/Sergio Perez - Scanpix Credit REUTERS/Sergio Perez - Scanpix

Anadolu Efes Istanbul were defeated by Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade on Thursday. It seems that the loss didn't go well inside the team.

Player of the Game EFF 23 Mathias Lessort Points 17 Accuracy 5-7 Rebounds 7 Assists 1

First, head coach Ergin Ataman, who's known for extended monologues, provided only the mandatory comment and left the press conference room without taking any journalist questions.

Not even an hour after the game, the team's guard Shane Larkin took to Twitter to express his frustration with the amount of playing time he received.

"Most important game of the year and I play 22 minutes, and the last 3 minutes [of] the game [are] out of reach. So shut that s--t up goofy," he answered to a fan who criticized his performance.

"I don’t know either," Larkin said about the reasons why he didn't play more. "I'm all about the team… I just want to win…. But this blows my mind."

Larkin played 22 minutes and 26 seconds against Partizan, which was the 6th largest number on the team. With 4 players not registering a single second of playing time, only Amath M'Baye and Tibor Pleiss played less.

An hour later, the guard released a tweet himself, saying that he has time for replying to all comments that criticize him and try to argue against his points.

After one fan replied that 22 minutes of playing time is adequate when his performance wasn't the best and Elijah Bryant played a generally good game, the player issued a longer response.

"Did I ask to play all 40 [minutes]? Nope. I said I'm all about the team. However, my frustration is from playing 22 minutes in the most important game of the year," he explained. "If anybody don't want to be out there, then it's a problem. Wanting to be out there is a crime? Didn't think so."

Shane Larkin

MIN:28.42PTS:12.08 (51.77%)REB:2.42As:4.58ST:1.25BL:0TO:2.5GM:12ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023

"Ima be there for my team 100% always. Wanting more time on [the] court to do that isn't a problem.. you just trying to make one," Larkin continued.

Larkin's plus-minus number was one of the worst on the team. With -13, only Pleiss (-16), Clyburn (-18), and M'Baye (-25) registered a lower metric.

"One of my teammates was a -19 as well and he played 38 minutes," Larkin tweeted under another person's tweet. "Give me a chance to improve my plus-minus because I probably would. Big games require your big-time players."

Fans almost immediately started voicing their opinion that Larkin's behavior is unprofessional. He had an answer to it as well.

"Voicing an opinion isn't professional? That's unfair if you ask me. Y’all can tweet and say whatever you want. I respond once and it's unprofessional," he tweeted.

"I don't never say nothing and now I'm frustrated and speak up and y'all quit to say some shit. Who really judging?" the player continued.

"I make that money so I should be on the floor," Larkin replied to a fan who mentioned his salary. "Can't do shit if I'm not on the floor. So open your eyes and see what's actually going on."

With 14 wins and 15 losses, Efes are currently 11th in the EuroLeague standings with just 5 games left to play.

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