J. Valančiūnas, who is starting a new career stage in Kaunas, spoke in an interview with “Žalgiris TV” about the goals set for himself and the team, the desire to play in the “Žalgiris” arena, and the return to European basketball.
“I think it’s quite a celebration to start something new. That idea was fully realized when we signed the papers. We signed the papers, everything is clear – now we share a common goal, so we move forward. We completed the formalities, and now a tough job awaits us all year, and if we want to achieve something, we have to put in more work than we think,” said J. Valančiūnas.
The big man also revealed the goals he wants to achieve with “Žalgiris” and later shared thoughts about the club’s growth and the desire to play in Kaunas.
“There is a lot of talk that the support of European fans and the atmosphere in the arena is different from the NBA. I think basketball is basketball everywhere, but I definitely want to feel that presence and transmission of spirit throughout the arena. This experience will probably be greatest in the first EuroLeague games,” added J. Valančiūnas.
The Žalgiris player also shared his desire to win more than one title in Kaunas and later revealed details of the negotiation process with “Žalgiris”.
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“The process was quite long, we had many talks, but Lithuania, ‘Žalgiris’, and basketball in Lithuania definitely played a big role. Also, the fans and what you have created here in recent years really impressed me, so v. As I understand, after today, I am,” smiled the Žalgiris player.
J. Valančiūnas also evaluated Tomas Masiulis’s work and the past “Žalgiris” season, in which the green and whites finished 5th in the EuroLeague.
“He is definitely a smart coach who looks at how to steer the game structure one way or another to best utilize the players’ strengths and cover their weaknesses.
He aims for the overall team result, so that no flaws are visible and everything works like clockwork. We know that the coach comes from really good schools, where he gained experience from good coaches. Last season he did a wonderful job – it will be very hard to fill those shoes again, but we gather here full of strength and desire to prove something, so we will get to work and I think we can rise even higher,” J. Valančiūnas was full of motivation.
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