Keenan Evans gearing up for Maccabi reunion 0

Zalgiris Kaunas will fly to Tel Aviv on Wednesday evening to play the first game of the 2022-2023 EuroLeague. The team, led by coach Kazys Maksvytis, will face Maccabi in what promises to be a packed Menora Mivtachim Arena.

Keenan Evans, who played for Maccabi last season, said that he did not feel any extra pressure ahead of the game against his former club.

“For me, it’s just another game on the schedule. First game, so you want to get the EuroLeague season started off the right way. All I’m going for is a win.”

Maccabi has completely changed the face of the team in the off-season, with all their key players from last season gone, with notable EuroLeague names, such as Lorenzo Brown, Wade Baldwin, Darrun Hilliard, former Zalgiris player Josh Nebo, Alex Poythress and others taking their place.

Evans said that all Zalgiris players will have to work to stop Maccabi’s offensive potential.

“It all starts with team defense. All five players have to talk, be on the same page. We have to focus and know that we are up against talented players,” said the American.

Zalgiris has played three Betsafe-LKL games before the start of their EuroLeague campaign, and Evans is looking forward to build on their early season success in Europe.

“I think each game we’ve played we’ve gotten better. We just have to build off of that last game and take it to the next one. Everybody knows that the EuroLeague is very physical. We don’t expect anything to be handed to us. We want to be able to play through contact and give contact.”