By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
BERLIN, Germany – When Sergio Llull pulled up to turn things around and ultimately win the EuroLeague against Olympiacos, Ignas Bradzeikis was in the Zalgirio Arena, watching it as a player of Zalgiris Kaunas. “It was incredible to see”, he told Eurohoops.
“It came down to the very last minute, very last shot. I definitely thought Olympiacos was going to win, I thought they deserved it that year. But in one game you never know what can happen”, he said about last year’s loss to the red-and-white Greek powerhouse.
Talking before his first-ever Final Four appearance, he couldn’t contain the excitement. “Very excited to see how the game goes tomorrow. It feels great [to be here]. You definitely feel the intensity in the building, it’s gonna be a very competitive weekend. All teams will come with their best. I’m excited to be a part of it, it’s been a great process so far. The city has been taking care of us”, he added.
Sharing the court with the Defensive Player of the Year, he has no doubts about Thomas Walkup deserving the award. “I think the award went to the person who deserved it this year, Thomas Walkup”, he replied to Jerian Grant, who revealed he believes to deserve that.
Later on, he went on to praise his teammate. “Seeing how he works defensively in practice as well as games it’s very impressive. His IQ, his maneuver through screens, and his reading offense are definitely high-level. So it’s well deserved”, he also commented.
“You can feel what Olympiacos culture is about”
Leaving Zalgiris Kaunas in September, Ignas Brazdeikis has lived a tumultuous season in Piraeus but still embraced the culture. “The locker room is incredible in this club. I’m grateful to be a part of it. All the guys are super cool and super welcoming. I feel a part of the family now, spending this time with these people is special. You can feel what Olympiacos culture is about in this short time”, he shared.
If there’s something in which he has improved, it’s “maturing and growing as a player”. All that despite not spending a lot of minutes on the court. “It’s tough for me to sit, I definitely feel I can impact the game. But I’ve been learning the process of this all. We’ve got great veterans on the team, so I’m just watching how they view the game and learning from them”, the 25-year-old commented.
Among his teammates, there’s one particular guy from who he got the most. “We play similar positions, and from Kostas [Papanikolaou] I learned patience. He plays with a lot of patience and poisons, you can see that through his experience. I’m picking up on that, seeing how he reads the game and learning, adding to what I already have”, Ignas Brazdeikis finished on Kostas Papanikolaou.