Obradović praises Punter: “What was he supposed to do, go 0-for-12?”

By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net

Kevin Punter joined Barcelona last summer after spending three years playing for Partizan under Željko Obradović. He was out for four weeks before the clash between his current and former teams but returned to the court against the Belgrade side and shined.

Punter scored 25 points and was Barcelona’s best player in a crucial win against Obradović’s team. The experienced coach was asked by the Serbian media to comment on his former player’s performance at Palau Blaugrana.

“We knew he was definitely going to play—Kevin is Kevin, we know how he plays. In the first half, we conceded 21 points in one-on-one situations and 16 points from offensive rebounds. Out of 54 points, 37 came from those two aspects. We talked about it and prepared for the game that way. It is what it is.”

Punter showed no mercy against the team he captained just last season.

“He is now a Barcelona player, and he plays for Barcelona, doing everything for his team. Any of us, no matter what we carry in our hearts, it doesn’t matter. He is a professional. What was he supposed to do, go 0-for-12? The man played the way he should, and hats off to him—he had an outstanding game,” Obradović concluded.