Βy Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
Kostas Papanikolaou was a basic member of his teams since 2012, a period during he managed to win four titles in the highest european level (two Euroleague titles with Olympiacos, the Greek championship and the Spanish championship last season with Barcelona). The 24 years old player moved to the NBA and the Houston Rockets with one of the highest contracts ever signed by a player in second round of the NBA draft. On Wednesday morning (CET time) he is going to make his official debut in the NBA against the Lakers at Staples Center in Los Angeles in the season opener!
Another Greek, one of the best and more experienced players in Euroleague, played the season 2006-07 for Houston Rockets, but things didn’t go as he expected. The summer of 2007 he returned to Europe via the trade of Houston with the San Antonio Spurs. He is Vassilis Spanoulis, who wishes through Eurohoops to his friend and teammate in Olympiacos and the Greek national team, good luck!
“I feel proud of Kostas! When he started to make his first steps in highest level we were teammates in Olympiacos. We have had countless discussions about how to improve himself, how to exploit his talent and his abilities on the court, and many more things. I am very happy because he got where he wanted, he has good conditions and the potential to play and establish himself in the NBA”, says Vspan with whom “Pap” had also spoken during his negotiations with the Rockets.
“We talked during the summer and when I was told about his situation and his thoughts, I advised him not to miss the opportunity to chase his dream. You never know what is going to happen in the future, but you should do what your heart is telling you.”
What is the key to success for Papanikolaou according to Vassilis Spanoulis? “Rockets love to play aggressive basketball, they have James Harden and Dwight Howard and certainly they would expect “Pap” to be productive and support the team’s game. He is expected to make his open shots and mind the details that he can do well on the court and are proven important, like hastle plays. Papanikolaou has proven that he knows how to adapt to a new environment, he likes challenges and I think he is going to do well in the NBA”.