Lukas Lekavicius takes Kaunas by surprise 0

By Dimitris Kontos, fibaeurope.com

Even the most imaginative Zalgiris Kaunas fan could not have predicted that a point guard who is not named Saras and is not a recently-retired legend pacing the sidelines, would steal the limelight a month or so into the new season.

Yet Zalgiris fans’ melancholic gazes in the direction of the bench, wishing that their new assistant coach would trade back his smart suit for the green uniform, are increasingly being replaced by satisfied long stares on the floor.

It’s there where the new kid in the block, a 1.80m point guard who played in the Lithuanian 2nd Division last season and did not even expect to be promoted to the senior Zalgiris side in the summer, is leading the team in scoring in the LKL, averaging 12.4 points per game.

The 20-year-old Lukas Lekavicius, Zalgiris’s unlikely hero at the start of this campaign, has achieved the remarkable feat of upstaging, at least in this way, none other than the great Sarunas Jasikevicius.

“I thought I would be a role-player just waiting for a chance, honestly I didn’t expect any of this,” Lekavicius told fibaeurope.com.

“I have a great chance because we don’t have many point guards, it’s just me and Vaidas Kariniauskas, so I get a lot of minutes and I am trying to do the best I can with them.”

Lekavicius caught up with fibaeurope.com shortly after his debut in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague, away at two-time runners-up Real Madrid.

He finished his maiden game in the competition with eight points, five assists and four rebounds, holding his own against players like Sergio Llull or Sergio Rodriguez.

“Oh, I was very excited, to play my first game in the Euroleague and to play against Real Madrid, it was really a great game,” a still starstruck Lekavicius admitted.

“I always used to watch this fixture on TV when they played with Zalgiris so to be here now and play in it, it is simply amazing.

“I do feel a little bit of pressure, maybe because I did not expect this to happen.

“I know that if I play bad in a game the fans will tell me I am a bad player, if I play well I will be like a god (he laughs).”

THE ZALGIRIS SYSTEM

One person that will never tell Lekavicius neither one or the other and makes it a priority to keep the youngster’s feet firmly on the ground is Zalgiris head coach Gintaras Krapikas.

He constantly gives directions to Lekavicius during the game and then takes about 10 seconds to talk to him the first time he seats him on the bench for a breather, a routine he follows with most young players on the team.

“I think it’s important for the young players to understand that when I take them off it’s not because they play bad or whatever, but to give him a little bit of rest and to cool them down secondly,” Krapikas explained.

“Imagine how it is for young players, their emotions take over, they want more and more, but you cannot run so fast every time, like against Real Madrid, because they can be faster.

“So I think these short explanations work and the important thing is that in every game he is growing a little.

Krapikas and the club are not only satisfied, but also proud by what Lekavicius and the 20-year-old Kariniauskas are achieving so far.

“For us, it is very important to show to the European basketball world that we have a system that works so well,” the coach said.

“Both our point guards came through the Zalgiris system, starting at the Arvydas Sabonis School, passing from the junior team and now they have the chance to play at the highest level.

“Imagine that last year Lekavicius was playing in the second division and now he plays against Real Madrid, this is a very big experience, but it takes some time to be ready at the highest European level.

“We are very happy with how they are working, with how they are playing and we hope they will continue in the same way.”

LIVING THE GREEN DREAM

No matter how glad Krapikas and Zalgiris are at the moment, nobody within a 100km radius around Kaunas can possibly be happier right now than Lekavicius himself.

He is, after all, a 20-year-old living his dream and, in Jasikevicius, he has one of his idols guiding him every step of the way.

“Saras is a very good coach, he always gives us so good advice,” Lekavicius said.

“He points out what we do bad and tells us how we can do it better. He helps the team very much.”

The youngster’s only regret right now is that his last summer with Lithuania at junior level, in the U20 European Championship in Greece, did not turn out as he was hoping for.

“We played badly and we only came fifth,” the young playmaker said.

“I also had a small injury so I didn’t play the best I could in this tournament.

“We started well but then we had some problems, our starting center was injured and we just played really bad.”

The below-expectations tournament in Greece last summer did not spoil however for Lekavicius the success he tasted with Lithuania in the four previous summers at junior level.

“It was definitely worth it, we have two silver medals in 2010 and in 2012 and one bronze medal from the world championship, so these will be my best memories.

“With some guys we became friends, we have Tomas Dimsa on Zalgiris and we also communicate with guys that play on other teams, we are friends.”

It has definitely not mired his big dream, to make the jump to the senior Lithuanian national team.

“That is my dream, to be there one day, although I know I will have to work very hard,” he said.

“But yes, that is my dream, I really want to play there.”

So, would it be right to say that in his nicest dreams, Lekavicius sees himself in the future as the starting point guard of Zalgiris and Lithuania?

“Yes, that’s true. That is exactly it,” the modest youngster admits almost red-faced, but with a broad smile on his face.