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Ander Zizic: The change that the Maccabi Tel Aviv center underwent - Walla! sport

2021-11-11T11:44:44.764Z


He lost 6 kg, regained his athleticism and better understands his role. Ante Žižić, the symbol of disappointment last season, once again mentions the chin that should be one of the best in the Euroleague


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Under Zizic: The change that the Maccabi Tel Aviv center underwent

He lost 6 kg, regained his athleticism and better understands his role. Ante Žižić, the symbol of disappointment last season, once again mentions the chin that should be one of the best in the Euroleague. Sapropoulos: "We knew he would be at this level, and we did everything To bring him back "

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  • Maccabi Tel Aviv in basketball

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Thursday, November 11, 2021, 1:30 p.m.

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13.3 points, 18 of 24 from the field, 5.6 rebounds and an index of 19 in less than 20 minutes.

Zizic (Photo: Danny Maron)

Sometimes, perceptual changes can be made at breakneck speed.

Last season, after Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Real Madrid in a battle over the signing of Ante Žižić, he became a symbol of the yellows' disappointment in the Euroleague in the Corona season;

The Croatian chin failed to manifest itself as an address on offense, and became a hole in defense.

Towards the current season, it was clear that the club would have to back itself up with a dominant inside player, who might even overshadow him and make him a replacement, but three weeks after returning from injury - that also seems to have changed.



Suddenly, precisely when the level of expectations dropped, Zizic opened the season in the best way that Maccabi Tel Aviv could have dreamed of.

He shed six pounds from his slumber, moving impressively on the parquet, and on defense, and the highlight: he, and no one else, holds the best defensive rating on the team.

In the last three games he has scored 13.3 points, hit 18 of 24 from the field, dropped 5.6 rebounds and reached an average of 19 in less than 20 minutes per evening.

And here, he again mentions that chin who played at the age of 20 with David Blatt in Drushpaka, and is considered one of the most promising prospects in Europe.

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"He was a different player than we thought."

Sapropolos and Žižić last year (Photo: Berni Ardov)

Žižić's progress compared to last season is reflected on several levels. The first plane is the physical. Maccabi says that the weight loss helped him regain some of the athleticism he lacked last year. "Jiza's heaviness was seen mainly in the defensive field," says one of the club's members. It is not clear whether this is the element that led to him becoming the owner of the best defensive index at Maccabi, or the fact that he was part of certain vehicles, but the fact that there is an improvement is clear.



The second level is at the level of understanding the game. The feeling at Maccabi Tel Aviv is that Zizic has entered the system much better this season. "Last year I told you that Ante came from the NBA and was a completely different player than we thought before he went there," Yannis Sapropoulos mentioned yesterday. "In the NBA they worked with him differently, he was heavier, not only in weight, but also in his style of play. He did not participate in many games, and did not play the role we want him to play for Maccabi.



"When you're not playing in the NBA, you're barely training properly, and you do not have to be the best to help the team succeed, so it takes time to get back in shape. He had great games last year, but also ups and downs. This season he came ready: also physically ready. To play his role, and is also mentally ready to understand the method and know what he needs to do. "



The third plane is the mental and social plane.

The fact that the chin is playing this season without the backing of his friend Dragon Bender, and made the preparation for the season without the forward who joined at a later stage, helped him.

"He has matured," admits one of the team members on the team.

"When you're here all alone, and it's been a few months until Dragon arrives, you have to take more care of yourself. That, too, has contributed to him."

In the previous meeting, Zizic played for Blatt, and Milotinov for Sapropoulos (Photo: Official website, Mikhail Serbin, CSKA)

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Speaking of Žižić, it is impossible not to mention the professional manager Nikola Vujicic, who brought him next to Eliyahu and wanted to sign him at the age of 16, and who brought to Israel a few more Croats most of whom were not too big success stories. Vujicic knows that Žižić's great success will be recorded in his name, and the fact that he is improving and progressing this season makes him very pleased.



At Maccabi Tel Aviv, there were a few who considered last summer whether it was worth returning the player, who is earning more than a million dollars this year, or going for other options. This discussion was very brief, with both Vujicic and Sapropolos in favor of the chin. "We knew he would be at that level, because we knew who he was and I wanted him at Maccabi from the moment we could bring him back from the NBA," the Greek coach said.



Tonight (Thursday, 19:00) Ziza will face a difficult test.

Opposite him will play Nikola Milutinov, one of the best and most expensive chins on the continent, who has been sorely missed by the Russians for most of last season, and in fact to this day.

Only once did the two meet at the Euroleague level, with Žižić at Blatt in Drushpaka and Milotinov at Sapropoulos at Olympiacos, but they were not key players in those teams.

"This is a great opportunity for him, in front of such a player, to show what he can and knows how to do," admits one of the Maccabi men.

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Source: walla

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