http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...510140552/1088
October 14, 2005
PRESEASON: PACERS 99, JAZZ 92
Jasikevicius learns quickly, leads comeback
Rookie responds in 4th quarter, still working on his defense
By Mike Wells
mike.wells@indystar.com
It hasn't taken long to figure out why Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird racked up the frequent flier miles traveling back and forth to Europe to watch guard Sarunas Jasikevicius play.
He can shoot. He can pass. And he can find a way to get to the basket.
It also hasn't taken long to see that the 29-year-old rookie is going to need time to adjust to the NBA game defensively.
He gets beat off the dribble. He struggles to fight through screens. And he's not considered quick for his position.
Jasikevicius, whom Bird referred to as the best player in Europe, did wow the 11,390 fans at Conseco Fieldhouse on Thursday night in the Pacers' 99-92 victory over the Utah Jazz.
"We all know Sarunas can do some great things offensively, there's no question about that," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "His biggest adjustment right now is learning our system defensively and learning the personnel in this league. Offensively, he's creative and unselfish and he's highly skilled. There's a reason we got the guy."
Bird spent a couple of seasons watching Jasikevicius light up the competition in Europe before convincing the 6-4 guard to spurn the Jazz and Cleveland and sign a three-year, $12 million deal over the summer.
Jasikevicius gave glimpses of what he can do against the Jazz when he
scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, including hitting a 3-pointer to tie the score 79-79.
"I was more aggressive," Jasikevicius said. "I was looking for my shot. I didn't go into New Jersey (Tuesday) and do many things. I was just trying to get my first game under my belt and move on. The season is very long. The most positive thing for me is I'm more comfortable with every minute. That's the only thing I can ask for right now."
It's easy to see Jasikevicius' potential leadership skills. Jasikevicius, who added four assists and three rebounds, directed the offense fluently, showed his passion for winning and constantly talked to his teammates on the floor. He had 11 of his fourth-quarter points in the final 51/2 minutes.
"He has a great sense for the game, he has a great sense for when the opponent is off-balanced," Carlisle said. "His vision on the floor is tremendous and he showed that."
Jasikevicius' offensive game has never been questioned. It's his defense where many expected him to struggle.
Jazz rookie point guard Deron Williams, the No. 3 overall pick in this year's draft, exposed several of Jasikevicius' weaknesses when he was able to cross him up several times and run him off screens en route to scoring 17 points and adding six assists.
"It's going to be a big development for me," Jasikevicius said. "I've never played at this level. Hopefully I can make it quick. I am still a rookie. It's going to be an adjustment, no doubt about it. I just hope it's going to be a quick one."
Jasikevicius is consistently going to face quicker guards, so he has to figure out a way to make up for his lack of speed.
"It's about learning the league, learning the guys he's playing against, what their tendencies are and what their strengths are because those are important things to defend well," Carlisle said. "We have a system of defense that's solid and he's in the process of learning that. For him, he's an experienced enough player and certainly has a high enough basketball IQ that he can pick it up quickly."
UTAH (92)
3-point shooting: 2-8 (Williams 1-2, Giricek 1-3, Kirilenko 0-1, Okur 0-1, Owens 0-1). Steals: 10 (Brown 2, Kirilenko 2, McLeod 2, Humphries 2, Lang 2). Blocked shots: 5 (Kirilenko 2, Brown, Nelson, Whaley). Team rebounds: 8.
PACERS (99)
3-point shooting: 4-9 (Jasikevicius 2-4, Artest 1-1, Granger 1-2, Croshere 0-2). Steals: 7 (Tinsley 2, Artest, Croshere, Granger, Jasikevicius, Pollard). Blocked shots: 5 (Pollard 2, Bender, Granger, Jackson). Team rebounds: 12.
Officials: Luis Grillo, Jess Kersey, Courtney Kirkland. Attendance: 11,390.
October 14, 2005
PRESEASON: PACERS 99, JAZZ 92
Jasikevicius learns quickly, leads comeback
Rookie responds in 4th quarter, still working on his defense
By Mike Wells
mike.wells@indystar.com
It hasn't taken long to figure out why Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird racked up the frequent flier miles traveling back and forth to Europe to watch guard Sarunas Jasikevicius play.
He can shoot. He can pass. And he can find a way to get to the basket.
It also hasn't taken long to see that the 29-year-old rookie is going to need time to adjust to the NBA game defensively.
He gets beat off the dribble. He struggles to fight through screens. And he's not considered quick for his position.
Jasikevicius, whom Bird referred to as the best player in Europe, did wow the 11,390 fans at Conseco Fieldhouse on Thursday night in the Pacers' 99-92 victory over the Utah Jazz.
"We all know Sarunas can do some great things offensively, there's no question about that," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "His biggest adjustment right now is learning our system defensively and learning the personnel in this league. Offensively, he's creative and unselfish and he's highly skilled. There's a reason we got the guy."
Bird spent a couple of seasons watching Jasikevicius light up the competition in Europe before convincing the 6-4 guard to spurn the Jazz and Cleveland and sign a three-year, $12 million deal over the summer.
Jasikevicius gave glimpses of what he can do against the Jazz when he
scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, including hitting a 3-pointer to tie the score 79-79.
"I was more aggressive," Jasikevicius said. "I was looking for my shot. I didn't go into New Jersey (Tuesday) and do many things. I was just trying to get my first game under my belt and move on. The season is very long. The most positive thing for me is I'm more comfortable with every minute. That's the only thing I can ask for right now."
It's easy to see Jasikevicius' potential leadership skills. Jasikevicius, who added four assists and three rebounds, directed the offense fluently, showed his passion for winning and constantly talked to his teammates on the floor. He had 11 of his fourth-quarter points in the final 51/2 minutes.
"He has a great sense for the game, he has a great sense for when the opponent is off-balanced," Carlisle said. "His vision on the floor is tremendous and he showed that."
Jasikevicius' offensive game has never been questioned. It's his defense where many expected him to struggle.
Jazz rookie point guard Deron Williams, the No. 3 overall pick in this year's draft, exposed several of Jasikevicius' weaknesses when he was able to cross him up several times and run him off screens en route to scoring 17 points and adding six assists.
"It's going to be a big development for me," Jasikevicius said. "I've never played at this level. Hopefully I can make it quick. I am still a rookie. It's going to be an adjustment, no doubt about it. I just hope it's going to be a quick one."
Jasikevicius is consistently going to face quicker guards, so he has to figure out a way to make up for his lack of speed.
"It's about learning the league, learning the guys he's playing against, what their tendencies are and what their strengths are because those are important things to defend well," Carlisle said. "We have a system of defense that's solid and he's in the process of learning that. For him, he's an experienced enough player and certainly has a high enough basketball IQ that he can pick it up quickly."
UTAH (92)
Min | FG-A | FT-A | OR-T | A | F | T | Pts | |
Kirilenko | 21 | 3-11 | 2-3 | 5-8 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
Okur | 24 | 4-11 | 2-3 | 2-5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 10 |
Whaley | 21 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 2-5 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
Brown | 22 | 2-6 | 6-7 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
Palacio | 12 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Ostertag | 5 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Humphries | 14 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
Giricek | 14 | 4-8 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
Violette | 19 | 2-3 | 0-1 | 2-3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
Williams | 23 | 6-10 | 4-4 | 1-4 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 17 |
Lang | 10 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
Collins | 17 | 4-5 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
McLeod | 13 | 4-5 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
Nelson | 12 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
Owens | 12 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
Totals | 36-77 | 18-23 | 16-36 | 23 | 39 | 22 | 92 |
3-point shooting: 2-8 (Williams 1-2, Giricek 1-3, Kirilenko 0-1, Okur 0-1, Owens 0-1). Steals: 10 (Brown 2, Kirilenko 2, McLeod 2, Humphries 2, Lang 2). Blocked shots: 5 (Kirilenko 2, Brown, Nelson, Whaley). Team rebounds: 8.
PACERS (99)
Min | FG-A | FT-A | OR-T | A | F | T | Pts | |
Artest | 36 | 6-13 | 10-11 | 2-6 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
Bender | 12 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
Pollard | 19 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 2-6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Jackson | 26 | 4-10 | 7-8 | 0-1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 15 |
Tinsley | 18 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
Croshere | 32 | 2-6 | 13-13 | 0-2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 17 |
Johnson | 22 | 0-3 | 2-2 | 1-4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
Jasikevicius | 25 | 6-9 | 4-5 | 0-3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 18 |
Walker | 20 | 2-3 | 4-6 | 1-2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
Granger | 24 | 4-11 | 0-0 | 2-4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
Gill | 4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Hunter | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Brown | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Totals | 26-61 | 43-49 | 9-31 | 15 | 27 | 21 | 99 |
3-point shooting: 4-9 (Jasikevicius 2-4, Artest 1-1, Granger 1-2, Croshere 0-2). Steals: 7 (Tinsley 2, Artest, Croshere, Granger, Jasikevicius, Pollard). Blocked shots: 5 (Pollard 2, Bender, Granger, Jackson). Team rebounds: 12.
Urah | 10 | 27 | 34 | 21 | -- | 92 |
Pacers | 14 | 26 | 25 | 34` | -- | 99 |
Officials: Luis Grillo, Jess Kersey, Courtney Kirkland. Attendance: 11,390.
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