Marius Gigonis gave an interview to Marius Milasius and 15min.lt on the occasion of the match between Panathinaikos and Zalgiris and mentioned, among other things, the freedom that Ergin Ataman offers, the respect that Kostas Sloukas radiates, but also the very good atmosphere that he gives there this year within the team, an element that was missing last season.

“I don’t think I had a bad season last year. Of course there were things I couldn’t control, but I always tried. Obviously the whole season is being judged. Yes, there were a lot of problems as a team.”

Ataman helps you play freely in the game. But there are many aspects. It gives you the freedom to play, but if you miss or make a mistake, that freedom can quickly end. It’s ambiguous. He’s different than the coaches I’ve had in the past, he has his own things but everyone has them. Today everything is good, but if you lose a few times everything becomes bad – the players are not good, the coach is not good. You have to win and then everything will be fine.

This year I’m only playing at three. SAt an age where you can’t choose where you give something, that’s exactly what you get. I’m not the type of player who wants to overtake. The way the coach sees me is how I play.

There was a lot going on last year, it was hard to be happy. This year that feeling has returned because we have a good locker room, we get along well, we go out and do other things besides basketball. This was missing last year.

I’m already a veteran on this team, I’m the third oldest. Slukas isn’t the type to talk much. He is calmer. But the fact that he is there obviously gives him a lot of respect. I don’t know how many times he’s been to the Final Four and won the EuroLeague. When he says something, he feels like everyone respects him. But he’s not someone who talks a lot. Only me and two Greeks remained in the team from last year, so we are helping others with the integration. Everything is good now.

The pressure is great. There was “gossip” in Zalgris. Here the media is even harsher. They question you directly, judge you, insult you. Here you give in to emotions very quickly, but everyone is honest – maybe that’s why emotions arise. They long for victories.

There was a lot of talk from people and fans last year, but that’s part of the job. You get a lot of criticism, but you should only listen to criticism from those who want to help you. That’s the culture here – it’s hard to explain, anyone who has played here knows it. The entire city is split into two camps. More Panathinaikos fans, but you can feel these reactions everywhere.

I wasn’t with Brazdeikis in Athens because he plays for Olympiakos. No, I’m just joking. He lives a bit far away and our schedules are tight. Kuzminskas and I met once, but he usually argues when I have free time. When there are so many matches, it’s difficult to find each other. But when we went out, I noticed that he was happy and that everything was fine with him. said, among others, the Lithuanian guard/striker from Panathinaikos.