By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Panathinaikos Athens coach Ergin Ataman described some differences between the NBA and the EuroLeague game that he believes are related to forward Juancho Hernangomez’s troubled adjustment to the team. Hernangomez is playing in the EuroLeague for the first time in his career after seven years in the NBA.
Here’s what Ataman said following his team’s win at Real Madrid:
“He [Hernangomez] is a player who has some problem and the problem with this kind of player who comes from the NBA is that they played fewer minutes there and didn’t have any kind of responsibility. In a EuroLeague it’s a problem sometimes. Not just for Juancho but for many players like him. He’s a very good character and a hard worker but sometimes he makes some crucial mistakes in the game.
I think he had some things to improve because he’s a very quality player and a very good player when it comes to the fundamentals. But he needs to be maybe stronger to be competitive in the aggressivity and tough defense he finds in the EuroLeague.
As I’ve said many times: EuroLeague is an aggressive game from the first until the last minute of the game. The NBA is not like this. In the NBA, in the first three quarters, it [the game] is very soft. They start to play in the last quarter.”
Behind stellar performances by the trio of Mathias Lessort, former NBA guard Kendrick Nunn and Kostas Sloukas, Ataman’s Panathinaikos became the first team to beat Real in Madrid this season over all competitions.
“I hope to meet Real Madrid in the Final,” Ataman said. “Nothing changes that we beat Real Madrid tonight. They are the best team so far in the EuroLeague. We take the confidence, we already have the confidence.”