It was undoubtedly Edmond Sumner’s night but a cool headed performance from Keenan Evans proved crucial for Zalgiris Kaunas. His efficient performance guided them past Olimpia Milano in a must-win game late in the Euroleague Basketball season.
This one went eerily close to the script but Zalgiris Kaunas won’t mind. Keenan Evans and Edmond Sumner combined to deliver a big win over Olimpia Milano. It was enough to keep them alive in the race for the Euroleague Basketball postseason.
A mediocre first half
The first 20 minutes in Kaunas were somewhat forgettable. Granted, this was what we predicted in our preview. Still, when a 35-37 scoreline at the break doesn’t get you going, it’s a disappointment.
Neither Zalgiris nor Olimpia Milano looked all that keyed in. Those watching would have been forgiven if they forgot the stakes. This was a must-win game for both sides to keep their Euroleague Basketball seasons alive. Yet for all that, there was a clear lack of tension in the front half of proceedings.
In lieu of tension, we got two sides really struggling to develop any kind of flow. The sheer breadth of talent on both sides meant a change was inevitable. Sure enough, business picked up big time after the intermission.
Keenan Evans raises his stock
Throughout this Euroleague Basketball season, Keenan Evans has been the man for Zalgiris Kaunas. He has been the unquestioned top performer and leader of this side. Yet it was his ability to deliver without dominating that stood out on Thursday evening.
The efficiency was delightful. Evans had 20 points on 7 of 12 shooting, with 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. What really jumped out however was how much he was willing to play off the ball.
There has been plenty of talk about the future of Evans. Zalgiris, naturally, don’t have one of the bigger budgets in this competition. There will be many suitors for Evans who will be able to pay him a lot more money going forward. What those clubs need to see is him thriving without dictating play. Essentially, they need to see him do more with less. Thursday’s performance was a fantastic advertisement for the former Texas Tech man.
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More than just a display piece
The impact of Keenan Evans working off ball so much had a clear immediate impact in this encounter. Every team in Euroleague Basketball knows that he is the main threat for Zalgiris Kaunas. Olimpia Milano was no exception to that rule.
Naturally their defensive strategy was focused heavily on Evans. The goal was to reduce his impact. By doing so, they increased it dramatically. Evans played 27 minutes of the 40 in this battle. Those of you good at basic arithmetic know that means he had a lot of time without the ball in hand offensively.
He used all of it to the advantage of Zalgiris. Off ball work rate is tough to judge, it’s almost always subjective. Evans however was making those watching certain that he was there to be a threat at all times. That created far more space for those around him to create vastly superior looks offensively. It was simple basketball but devastatingly effective in this clash.
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We can’t leave Edmond Sumner hanging
While the focus of this piece is Keenan Evans, it would be rude to ignore the star of the win for Zalgiris Kaunas. Edmond Sumner was brilliant, both in impact and efficiency. His 17 points of 6 of 6 shooting was supplemented by 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. It was a career night for the former Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets man.
That he did all that in just 15 minutes of play was even more impressive. Sumner needed a while to find his feet in Euroleague Basketball. At the most must-win time of the season for Zalgiris, in a must-win game over Olimpia Milano, he delivered big time.
Now all Zalgiris need to do is win at AS Monaco and then at home over Real Madrid. A foolish reader would take snark from that statement. A wise reader knows that late season pushes with wins against the odds are all too familiar with the Lithuanian club. Things might be about to get freaky.
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