In an interview given exclusively to „Žalgiris Insider“ subscribers, „Žalgiris“ sports director Gediminas Navickas shared comments about the tall player’s potential, the nuances of negotiations with Ljubljana’s „Cedevita Olimpija“, and K. Akobundu-Ehiogu’s role in the next season.
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You can already watch the full video interview now on the „Žalgiris Insider“ platform.
„Those final points were settled in the NBA Summer League, but Kao was on our lists for quite a while, we knew his situation all summer. As you know, Jonas Valančiūnas’ situation was also resolved quite late, so our other decisions depended on him. We knew that Kao was signing with „Cedevita Olimpija“ and we knew there was a buyout there. To be honest, we practically put it in ourselves, so we followed the whole situation. I wouldn’t want to reveal all the details, but we mostly communicated with Kao’s agent, who shared all offers and contract situations with us. We asked for time, but we didn’t want the player to lose the contract if we ultimately decided not to sign him. Therefore, we asked the agent to include a EuroLeague clause in the contract with „Cedevita Olimpija“,“ said G. Navickas.
G. Navickas also highlighted the criteria that K. Akobundu-Ehiogu met, and then spoke about the tall player’s vision for the upcoming season.
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„We identified three very clear criteria by which we were looking for reinforcement. Those three criteria were mobility, rim protection, and playing above the rim. When we had talks with Kao, we met at the Las Vegas Summer League, and we said that his minutes and role would depend on his own development. We really believe he can improve – Kao started playing basketball at the age of 12 and is still a developing player.
G. Navickas also revealed what he discussed with K. Akobundu-Ehiogu himself, his personal qualities, and the declined NBA offer. The entire conversation with the „Žalgiris“ sports director is now available to „Žalgiris Insider“ members, which you can become by clicking here.
