Nuggets new inside player: Every team in the European Cup is excellent, we must respect all teams

Lithuanian inside star Jonas Valanciunas, who just joined the Denver Nuggets this summer, is preparing for the next European Men's Basketball Team. In addition to preparing for the game, he also accepted an interview with the FIBA and talked about the strong opponents that the Lithuanian men's basketball team will encounter during the European Cup.

Valanciunas emphasized respect for each opponent in the interview, saying: In my opinion, every team is dangerous. Basketball is an unpredictable sport. Maybe you are the strongest team today, but by the next day, you may lose to an unexpected opponent. Therefore, we must respect every opponent. If they can appear on the stage of the European Cup, it can show that they have strong strength. But at the same time, we also need to respect ourselves, and we will keep fighting until the moment the final whistle sounds.

Valanciunas continued: Although the appearance of big-name stars such as Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo made the game very popular, each team may become a potential disruptor. I think every team is very capable. Some of our opponents have many big-name stars participating in the competition, including Serbia, Turkey, Germany, Slovenia led by Luca and Greece led by Giannis. They are all teams that are difficult to deal with. There are too many big-name stars in this game, but I feel that every team is very capable, each team has its own characteristics, and each team can cause some waves. For us, we must take every opponent seriously and play every game well, which is also a key factor in whether we can win. In a deal before the trade deadline for last season, Valanciunas was sent to the Sacramento Kings by the Washington Wizards. After joining the Kings, Valanciunas made a total of 32 appearances in the NBA regular season, averaging 16.9 minutes per game, averaging 8.7 points, 7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.6 blocks, and 1 turnover and 2.6 fouls. He shot 55.6%, three-point shooting percentage 10%, and free throw shooting percentage 84.7%. This summer, the King and the Nuggets completed a deal, and the Nuggets sent Dario Saric to the King and exchanged Valanciunas from the King. Valanciunas was once unwilling to play for the Nuggets and hoped to return to the European arena, but after the Nuggets' continuous efforts, Valanciunas decided to continue to stay in the NBA field in the new season and play for the Nuggets. I don’t know what Valanciunas will perform in the next European Cup.