Zalgiris guard Lukas Lekavicius returned to his boyhood club last summer after two seasons with Panathinaikos. Looking back, he matured in Greece, but also realized just how special it is to play for Coach Jasikevicus in his native language and country.
Lukas Lekavicius, Zalgiris: 'I missed playing for Saras'
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After two seasons with Panathinaikos OPAP Athens, Lukas Lekavicius returned to his boyhood club Zalgiris Kaunas last summer. His time in the Greek capital helped the 25-year-old guard mature on and off the court. However, when the opportunity arose to wear the Zalgiris green once again, Lekavicius did not hesitate. Among the many reasons guiding his decision-making process was the desire to reunite with Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius, a living legend in Lithuanian basketball.
"I missed playing for Saras, really. It is easy to play for him because he knows my strengths and where to put me on the court and exactly at what time I have to go in and what I have to do. It is very easy for me because I just have to do my job, and that's it," Lekavicius said. "I am really happy. He was a point guard and you can tell that all the new guys that came here, Kevin Pangos, Vasilije Micic, everybody improved a lot. Of course, he is a basketball hero in Lithuania, but after one or two practices, you see he is a funny guy and actually, off the court, he is a friend. You can talk to him about everything, he is really nice."
His two years in Greece taught Lekavicius a lot about life and basketball, but, of course, when one is away from home for a prolonged period, you may find you miss the most unexpected things. Such was the case with Lekavicius.
"It may sound funny, but I missed the weather!"
"It may sound funny, but I missed the weather! It was very sunny in Greece and I miss rainy days sometimes, to chill at home and watch movies while it is raining outside," Lekavicius said. "I missed that! Of course, I missed the food and my friends and family. I missed Zalgirio Arena and its fans, the atmosphere in the locker room... everything."
Among his friends and teammates, Lekavicius is known to be a workaholic and the setup at Zalgirio Arena was just right for him. The world-class facility gives Zalgiris players access to workout rooms and practice courts year-round with several shooting machines at the players' disposal.
"I missed that a lot! Really! Before I left to Athens, when I was still here, I was there almost every morning! I missed those machines! The practice court is open for players 24/7, so we can come and shoot whenever we want. I used to come at 9 in the morning to shoot for one hour, leave, and prepare myself for the evening practice," Lekavicius recalled. "We also had this machine in Athens, but we had to ask coaches to bring it, so it was difficult. Here, you can go by yourself and it is easier. The facilities are amazing in this locker room. Not just the access to the practice court, we have the weight room, sauna, jacuzzi, everything right here."
With Panathinaikos, Lekavicius won domestic titles, took part in the EuroLeague Playoffs for the first time and got to learn from one of the best playmakers in basketball.
"Playing next to Nick [Calathes] was amazing. He is one of the best point guards in Europe and I learned from him how to control the team. His leadership is amazing and he is a really good player. I hope I took something from him," Lekavicius said.
Moving from a city with a population of less than 400,000 to one with more than 3 million has its advantages, too, and at times Lekavicius misses all that Athens had to offer. "What I like about Athens is that the city never sleeps. There are a lot of places to go and a lot of things to visit," he relayed. "For example, you can just wake up any morning and go to a different place to eat. There are so many restaurants! I miss that."
"Even if Zalgiris had been last, I would have come back."
In the end, adjusting to a new country was hard for Lekavicius, but just at the very beginning. "It was difficult, but not as difficult as I expected, he explained. "Still, I was alone. I had to cook by myself and speak another language, meet new people in a new city... The first month was difficult but after that, it was okay. I am not the type of guy who finds friends in 1-2 years. I have my friends from my childhood."
Zalgiris had a very strong two seasons when Lekavicus was in Athens. Saras led the Lithuanian champs to the EuroLeague playoffs in both of those seasons, including a historic Final Four berth in 2018. Even so, Lekavicius said that Zalgiris's latest results were not a big factor in his decision to come back.
"The most important thing was to get my minutes back and play again, to enjoy playing my game," Lekavicius said. "I wasn't really thinking about what Zalgiris did in the two years I was away. Even if Zalgiris had been last, I would have come back anyway. I missed speaking Lithuanian on the court. In Zalgiris, the whole coaching staff is Lithuanian and most of the time we speak our language. It is really nice."
Most of off, as he made clear before, Lekavicius priotitized playing for Jasikevicius again and it is paying off: Lekavicius is averaging a career-high 10.9 points in 23 EuroLeague games this season, 20 of them coming off bench, and is shooting the ball with excellent percentages (58.9% 2FG, 42.9% 3FG, 86.5% FT).
"I just wanted to play next to 'Saras', have my minutes and enjoy the game. Saras has a winning mentality. He always wants to win, no matter how hard the EuroLeague is this year. It is very good for the players."