"There are always areas to improve. As we have seen in all our games, we do not play well for all 40 minutes of the game; instead, we do so for 25-30 minutes. We have to maintain a high level of concentration and play good basketball for all 40 minutes. Of course, there will be ups and downs, but we have to try to avoid them and be more consistent during the game," said the Lithuanian center, who is emerging as the dominant force in the red-and-black side's paint.
Even so, Birutis ruled out describing himself as a leader because the team "is not based on individual performances" and "the most important thing is to get wins." "There are 18 teams in the ACB and it is only October, so it is far too early to talk about anything," the Casademont center replied when asked whether it was too soon to get excited about ambitious goals after the Aragonese side's 3-1 record at this early stage of the league.
Casademont will therefore face a Barcelona side competing in the EuroLeague, a competition the Lithuanian knows well from his previous seasons. "We have to play as a team and not allow them to score easy baskets, especially against EuroLeague teams that punish every turnover. It is not easy to win because they are a very talented team; we have to punish every turnover and attack the offensive rebound, and we have to try to win," Birutis explained about the keys to winning at the Palau Blaugrana and securing a fourth victory for the red-and-black side.
HIS QUICK ADAPTATION
Despite arriving this summer and returning to the ACB, where he had not played for four years, the center has made an immediate impact in the red-and-black side's system. "So far, it has not been a new experience for me because I had previously played two years in Spain, so the culture and everything else were similar and I adapted quickly. The city has everything: places to eat, go shopping and do things, so it has been good," said the Lithuanian player, who pointed to the faster pace of the game as the biggest change in Spanish basketball.
Birutis also highlighted the work being done by Gonzalo García de Vitoria, who is in his first season as a head coach in the ACB: "He is finding a way to communicate with the players. He is fun, makes the team feel united, creates good chemistry among everyone, and that is fundamental for the team."
