Thomas Walkup, Olympiacos' presidents break down terrific season, express mutual desire / News - Basketnews.com

Thomas Walkup names the difference-makers in this season's Olympiacos squad, voices his wish to stay with the team, and explains why big men are the obvious choice for the DPOY award.

Credit: Olympiacos BC Credit Olympiacos BC

Asked about the secret to Olympiacos Piraeus' phenomenal season, club presidents Panagiotis and Giorgos Angelopoulos pointed to one word: chemistry.

Thomas Walkup

MIN:24.88PTS:7.68 (53.98%)REB:2.84As:5.52ST:1.8BL:0.12TO:1.84GM:25ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023

"It's something the team has achieved over time, it wasn't built in one season," Panagiotis told Greek public broadcaster ERT a few moments after the Reds won their second straight domestic cup in Heraklion, Crete.

"The players who have joined the team play for the team, not for individual stats and their next contracts. A different player can emerge in each match. We haven't seen that happening before to such an extent."

Thomas Walkup, for one, wouldn't beg to differ. If the Texas-born guard could point to one single reason why Olympiacos are first in the EuroLeague right now, he'd use the term 'camaraderie.'

"The group of guys that we brought in and the character that we have on our team is a huge reason why, but also coach's philosophy," he tells BasketNews.

After their latest win in Valencia, Olympiacos became the first Greek and the second EuroLeague team overall (after Anadolu Efes in 2019-20) to finish their four-game regular season tour in Spain undefeated.

Right now, they lead the league in six main categories: offense (85.6 ppg), defense (75.8 ppg), 2-point shots percentage (60%), assists (22.2), steals (8.1), and Performance Index Rating (105.4).

They have perfected the concept of ball movement, thanks to players who have the court vision to pass. Even a traditional big man like Mustapha Fall can find an open teammate after the short roll, as Giorgos Bartzokas' squad constantly creates optimal conditions to score.

It's not by chance that their Offensive Rating is 105.13, while their 3-point accuracy remains close to 38%.

Thomas Walkup

Team:Olympiacos PiraeusPosition:SGAge:30Height:193 cmWeight:88 kgBirth place:Texas, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

That's a short description of what could easily be regarded as Olympiacos' best version we've seen over the last decade. After making strides and winning back-to-back titles based on a 'refuse-to-lose' mentality, the Reds have recently become the side to dominate games instead of staging upsets and working miracles.

Walkup has no doubt that this is an improved version of last year's team, which made the EuroLeauge Final Four and won both domestic titles.

"I think we're moving the ball better, and we're a bit better defensively as well," he argues.

"It's difficult to explain, but the more you play with your teammates, the easier everything becomes - how you pass, how you shoot. I've been playing with Sasha [Vezenkov], Mustafa [Fall], and [Kostas] Papanikolaou for two years now, and we know exactly what each other's going to do. This means we've built chemistry."

Giorgos Angelopoulos has called this season's Olympiacos "the definition of a team." "You see how the bench celebrates every basket."

His brother, Panagiotis, admits he didn't expect the Reds to dominate the competition and adds that perfection is unattainable and, in some cases, undesirable.

"Unexpected defeats have their usefulness, and we saw that last season as well, as the coach has the opportunity to show the players what went wrong. We're first, but no one can say we're beating everyone. There have been defeats that have kept us grounded."

"We went through a super low when we lost at the EuroLeague Final Four," Thomas Walkup remembers.

"It was just a goal that we had, and we were right there for it. I'm not going to say it was a failure, but we didn't win the trophy. It was definitely a disappointment."

However, there's a big upside to it.

"Things like this help build these amazing relationships, along with the fans who're experiencing those highs and lows just like us," Walkup points out.

Credit Olympiacos BC

For Walkup, the tough times at Olympiacos came early on in his first season. Up until last spring, the 30-year-old guard wasn't a main contributor on the offensive end. When it came to shooting the ball from the perimeter, things were even worse.

"There were times when I wasn't playing great," he stresses. "But since I got here, the team's been winning. So, it doesn't really matter if I shoot the ball poorly if we win."

The American point guard scored only two points on 0/8 FG in the Greek Cup semi-final against Panathinaikos and another two in the final game vs. Peristeri. He didn't make a single field goal in nine attempts.

"Against Panathinaikos, if I shoot 0/7 and we lose, it feels bad. If I go 0/7 and we win, who cares?" he wonders.

"Winning cures everything. It doesn't bother me to have a bad night on offense. Everybody wants to score 20 points, but that doesn't happen. So, I put the ball in my teammates' hands, and I like to set the tone for our defense."

Walkup set the record straight when Olympiacos visited Valencia and struggled in the first half. The Reds were trailing by 10 (35-45) at half-time, but the American guard came back to breathe life into his team.

Despite going 0/4 from distance and zero points in the first part, Walkup went on to sink his next three attempts and scored 13 points in nine minutes.

Right now, the Greeks are on a 7-game winning streak, their longest ever under the current EuroLeague format. Walkup knows it's hard for Olympiacos to keep the same level of consistency throughout the season.

"Early on, there were a couple of games where we slipped up, like against Valencia and ASVEL. The game of basketball is too slippery of a slope. If you don't play hard in every single play, it will punish you. I'm a true believer in that," he illustrates.

"In some of those games, we got away from what we did and got punished for it. But we also learned from it. Now, I feel like we're a much better team. We're taking every single possession seriously. It doesn't matter if we're up 20 or down 10. That's why we're winning games by a bigger margin."

The biggest issue for Bartzokas in the first part of the current campaign was finding a way to bridge the big gap between the two halves.

Olympiacos have been leading by one or several points at the break of all but three games. But after seven losses, some of which were really painful, it seems that the three-time EuroLeague champs have finally managed to handle adversity by effectively holding off opponents' comebacks.

"It's about executing the game plan for 40 minutes. It's a matter of focus and effort. We have a group of 13 guys that do it very well for 40 minutes," Walkup thinks.

"The team is playing enjoyable basketball," Giorgos Angelopoulos notes with excitement.

"The motivation and hunger of the entire squad this year are daunting. Walkup was 100% right [when he said] that the team is a pack of hungry dogs. If that will lead to titles, we'll have to wait and see. Our games in Piraeus have turned into sold-outs, which has never happened before. That shows something."

A year has passed since Olympiacos won their first Greek Cup, which was also the first trophy overall won by the team since 2016. In Crete, the Reds won their fourth straight domestic title over that span.

Looking back, Walkup can tell the difference in how he's grown within the frame of Olympiacos' organization.

"It would have been a lie to say that when I got here, I loved everything and all my coaches and teammates right from the start," he admits.

"This isn't how you show up. But I've spent every single day with the people at the club. I've built amazing friendships. That's one side of it. After representing the club for a year and a half now and being a part of highs and lows, I can say that I've grown to love it."

Walkup thinks his relationship with Olympiacos can move forward with the two sides being "on the same path."

"I pride myself on being the same guy, on highs and lows. I'll show up every day with a smile on my face, working as hard as I can. Even if we weren't having a good year, I'd still be the same guy. That's why relationships last. You have to keep going through good and ugly," he notes.

Contrary to what used to be the club's policy in the past decade, the Angelopoulos brothers tend to make all the right moves to ensure the team's basic core remains intact. Kostas Papanikolaou and Shaquielle McKissic were the first such cases in the new era for the Piraeus-based team when they signed a two-year extension before and during the 2020-21 season, respectively.

From that point on, every main pillar for Olympiacos renewed his vows. Sasha Vezenkov has agreed to stay with the team until 2025. Then, Mustapha Fall (2025) followed, and so did coach Bartzokas (2025).

Walkup's guaranteed contract with the club expires in 2023, but the Reds have the right to unilaterally prolong it until 2024. However, talks about a new deal are already in progress.

"I would never try to jump-think on something or put pressure on anything. That's for my agent and the club to figure out. I'm not involved in these talks," Walkup revealed three weeks ago talking to ERT.

Walkup further added that he told his agent, 'Don't come to me before you're ready to sign something. And then, we can sign it.'

Panagiotis Angelopoulos vouched to continue "the moves that will stabilize the team's chemistry and make the hungry dogs even hungrier."

"Even if they're already on a contract," he added.

Credit Olympiacos BC

The bell tolls for one particular player, who has made his intentions clear to everyone. Walkup admits that he "absolutely" sees his professional future with Olympiacos.

"I want to stay, I hope to stay," he repeats. "My agent is dealing with that. I don't get in the middle of negotiations. I trust him; I trust what he has to say and what he'll bring to me. When he does that, I'll be ready."

At the same time, Walkup is among the contenders for the EuroLeague's Defensive Player of the Year award, along with Rodrigue Beaubois (Anadolu Efes), Kevarrius Hayes (Zalgiris Kaunas), Nikola Kalinic (FC Barcelona), Alessandro Pajola (Virtus Bologna), and Edy Tavares (Real Madrid).

Even though some would argue that Walkup had an extraordinary season in terms of pure numbers with Zalgiris in 2019-20 (9.6 points on 46.7% 3-point shooting, 3.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.7 turnovers, 12.7 in PIR), his defensive efficiency has gone through the roof.

He leads the league in steals with 1.9 per game. That number is among the top 10 single-season averages in the league over the last 10 years and the most by an Olympiacos player in over two decades.

Under the circumstances, Walkup embodies the defensive fortress Olympiacos have come to build around their basket.

"There's such a thing as defensive confidence, and I think I have that," he concedes.

"I trust myself in guarding any player in the league. That's what my job is, and I take it very seriously. I enjoy playing defense and stealing the ball."

However, Walkup agrees with those who think guards receive little recognition compared to big men in terms of their defensive effort. It's no coincidence that no guard since Dimitris Diamantidis in 2012 has won the DPOY award.

"A lot of times, the big is involved in every pick'n'roll. So, the defensive usage is higher. The blocked shots are also a thing," Walkup maintains.

"If you're involved in all the defensive actions, you can have a couple of steals falling your lap, and then it's like you had an amazing defensive game just because your defensive usage was higher."

"But that's for the voters to decide, not me," he concludes.

Some important decisions still lie ahead for him to make, but Walkup would much rather get the acclaim he deserves in the form of a new contract than in a plaquette. As it appears, Olympiacos' presidents wouldn't have it any other way either.

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