Sluka-Nan’s incredible numbers that destroyed Monaco, the mark for James and the naive Okobo

THE Panathinaikos ACTOR he showed his teeth Away win against Monaco (90-91) on matchday 15 of the EuroLeague. The Buzzer beater by Marius Grigonis Posted In 7th heaven his teammates and friends of the “Greens”sign a big victory.

The Sportish analyzes the victory of the “Cloverleaf” with the help of Hudl Instat.

The incredible numbers of Sluka – Nan, who pulverized Monaco in the 4th third

Before the two teams played, Monaco had the second-best defense in the EuroLeague in pick-and-roll situations, allowing just 0.87 points per possession. The Monegasques feature a number of quick (but undersized) guards while opting to mark the pick and roll by either playing flat (giving the shot), playing level (the big one getting to the height of the screen), or to protect himself (when Motiejunas is involved, who has slow feet and powerfully approaches the opposing defender before returning to his own player. Panathinaikos AKTOR knew this. And he destroyed the opposing defense.

According to Hudl Instat, Panathinaikos executed 21 pick-and-roll attacks in which the ball was shot by the ballplayer, scoring 27 points, which equates to 1.29 points per possession, a legendary number. The “Greens” inflicted so much damage on Monaco that the Monegasque dropped to 8th (!) place in pick-and-roll defense in the EuroLeague, with his passive in such situations rising to 0.91 points per possession !

Kendrick Nunn (14 points – 13 of them in the fourth period) and Kostas Slukas (17 points) were mainly responsible for this. The two leaders of the “green” team scored 18 points (11 and 7, respectively) in a pick-and-roll situation, constantly punishing Monaco’s defense. The Monegasques tried different things, often sending both to their right (weak) hand. It didn’t matter at all. The two guards always found solutions. Here is an example:

Nunn sets up a pick and roll with Lessor, with James sending him right and Hall playing level (at screen height).

Nunn switches angles with Lessor, unbalancing James who looks to send him right

Nunn fights off James, goes right and hits a three-pointer

Monaco is a special team. She presses the ball well, but her defenders are average defenders. He’s big in size, but with the exception of Brown, the others are behind either athletically (Motiejounas) or tactically (Hall, Corneli). Players who shoot after dribbling can deal damage to her. That’s what Panathinaikos AKTOR did, with a total of 4 of its players scoring as enforcers in a pick-and-roll situation. Specifically, the “Clover” received 11 points from Nan, 7 from Sluka, 6 from Grigonis and 3 from Vildosa in a pick-and-roll situation.

Nan and Sloukas were simply delightful. According to Hudl Instat, Nan was responsible for 20 of the “Green”‘s 35 points in the 4th period (13 of his own and 7 of his 3 assists) and Slukas was responsible for another 10 points (8 of his own and 2 of his own). assisted). Together, the two were responsible for 30 of the Green’s 35 points in the fourth quarter. They were essentially responsible for the “cloverleaf’s” first 30 points, followed by the important basket from Lesor and the winning three-pointer from Grigonis.

James couldn’t catch his breath on either side of the floor

It is known that Ergin Ataman likes to mark the opposing team’s scorers in defense. The reason is not that a good scorer is necessarily a bad defender. The logic behind this choice is that he wants to force the opposing team’s most productive player to work on both ends of the court. He did that against Mike James.

From the start of the game it was clear that Panathinaikos would mark AKTOR James. Grigonis started, then Vildosa and Nan took over the baton. James was forced to hunt down his personal rival. According to Hudl Instat, the Monaco star was the main defender in 12 Panathinaikos AKTOR attacks, conceding a total of 19 points while scoring 16. Here are the ways he was called upon to defend and the points he conceded.

At the same time, on the other side of the pitch, the Panathinaikos ACTOR wanted to take the ball out of the American’s hands. Because of this, he often chose to cover him heavily in the pick and roll (the big guy came to help) and forced him to pass. Here is an example:

James prepares pick and Roll with Brown, with Mitoglou rushing in to help.

Mitoglou makes a powerful hedge out, supporting James’ shot, which passes to Brown.

Brown misses a shot from 4.5 meters, James is too far away from the action.

Panathinaikos AKTOR wanted Brown to make this recording. In general, he just wanted the ball out of James’ hands. The Monaco star played the right passes. He found his teammates. He finished the game with 16 points on 5/11 shooting and 7 assists (which added another 17 points). However, the only 11 shots he took were his worst performance of the year (he did it twice more).

It seems a little ironic, but the Greens have taken James out of his game because he is now more mature than ever and knows how and when to pass. In practice, however, the American had no other choice. Not when, for example, he received the ball and saw three players closing it down, like in this phase:

The determined Grigonis and the naive Okobo

Marius Grigonis was the hero of the evening for Panathinaikos AKTOR. Apart from the big shot in the finale, he looked mature overall (15 points on 3/4 2-point shots, 3/5 3-point shots). This is how he scored:

The Lithuanian gave Panathinaikos AKTOR breathing room in key moments of the game and the shot he scored at the end was just the icing on the cake. The same he said to Sportish after the game that Monaco did everything to give the “clover” victory. The truth is that Panathinaikos AKTOR won the game, Monaco didn’t lose it. But that doesn’t change the fact that Eli Okobo gave a lecture of naivety in the last few seconds.

The French guard is one of Europe’s best dribbling players. He is an excellent scorer, although he has had a mediocre season so far this year. But there is one part where it lags behind: that of decisions. He has shown it in the past, he also showed it against Panathinaikos AKTOR, where he made a lot of mistakes in the last seconds:

It’s Okobo who misses a pass with the score at 88:86 – on a rebound. He is the one who scored after the big basket and the foul to make it 90:88. He is it which is… childishly missing from the following shot – send the ball to the scoreboard – give Panathinaikos AKTOR another chance. And he is again the one who was forgotten in the final phase, he connected against Mitoglou for no reason and released Grigonis in the final phase of the game. Okobo is a great player, but he remains naive.

A victory of character

In a Panathinaikos AKTOR that was rebuilt from the ground up this year, the home win in Monaco has double and triple meaning. The “Greens” showed character. They came back from minus-15, a place where most teams bow down — and sometimes leave with big differences in mind. It is all the more hopeful for the “Greens” that this victory is thanks to a team effort. The quality of his players certainly played a role, but it is one thing to have a team of good players and another to have a good squad.

Panathinaikos AKTOR is now showing that they are a good team. He went to Monaco and played his own basketball, he had six players in double figures, he found a way for Slukas and Nunn to coexist, he got things from players like Grigonis and Vildosa. She saw that Lesor and Mitoglou were consistently good. If Hernangomet (who offered defensive solutions in the 4th period) is also strengthened and Papapetrou returns, Ataman’s team will be even better.

The “Greens” won a character victory in the home game in Monaco. They showed that they are good on their feet. If they continue like this, things can only get better.