Priftis: ‘To be smart with Jovic he has to play a year’

Panathinaikos left for Turkey where they will face Anadolu Efes tomorrow (21.1). (19:30, Novasports Prime and LIVE by Sportish) for his 22nd game EuroLeague, called in with Dimitris Priftis to discuss Stefan Jovic’s integration into the team.

The Serbian supervisor and injured Giorgos Papagiannis and Lefteris Mantzoukas stayed in Athens, with the veteran coach reiterating that Panathinaikos will need to carefully manage Jovic’s condition given his absence from the floor.

Dimitris Priftis in detail:

For the games that stay with Panathinaikos in the EuroLeague: “We can use those 15 remaining games until the end of the Euroleague regular season for several reasons other than goal interest.

When an athlete steps onto the field, they naturally want to win and perform with dignity. This is an important incentive. In addition, for example Jovic is a player who has been inactive for about a year and needs some management to adapt to the team. Again, these games will help in this area. It is well known and obvious that we are now focusing more strongly”.

For the game against Efes: “We have a difficult game ahead of us with Efes, which has started to find its rhythm and return to its level of competition. Unfortunately, given the very difficult and focused continuity in everything, we have to deal with a very large number of injury problems. , regarding the order of the games”.

Panathinaikos needs improvement for the sectors: “What I’m thinking now is to manage the game against Efes as best as possible. Of course we want to be competitive, play well, pass the ball and that’s a permanent job. “Now that the program is going, we have to look at each day individually.”

For the management of Jovic: “Although we have one player more at the moment, we have to behave wisely and manage him in such a way that he is better prepared in the following important games.

He wants me, Stefan himself and the rest of the team to deal with the problem properly. He’s been out for almost a year and wants to get back on track. Especially at the level of the Euroleague, it’s not easy to suddenly play in the rhythm of a game. Because there is a risk of relapse and it requires special treatment. “Obviously he gets an important chance, of course we also expect help from his worth as a player.”

For his part, Jeremy Evans said: “From now on we have to play for our pride. To play and show respect for ourselves and the team. We are here to play all games, regardless of our position in the table, and always strive for victory.

Personally, I always play for the team, not for myself. I think that applies to all children. We know the situation because of our progress in the Euroleague and what we should do is play like a fist for each other. I feel like my teammates and everyone in the organization are wonderful people. “Together we will fight on and off the ground to improve our image.”

To motivate the players of Panathinaikos: “Unfortunately, some years go by like this. Sure we could have more than four wins, but we can’t look back. We have to look forward game by game. “Now we are dealing with the game against Efes and we will try our best.”

For Jovic, with whom he was teammates in Khimki: “In my experience, Stefan is a very good player with leadership qualities. He’s a great teammate who helps others improve. I hope he helps us win.