Maccabi Tel Aviv came to a difficult away game against Zenit St. Petersburg and already in the first quarter fell behind in double digits.
The Yellows finished the first quarter with 10 points and went down to the half with a lag of 15 points when most of the team's points actually come from the bench.
At the start of the third quarter, it seems that Maccabi manages to return to the game behind Jaylen Reynolds, who controlled under the baskets and took over the game on the offensive side as well.
Towards the middle of the fourth quarter the Yellows managed to narrow the gap to six and thanks to pressure from Wilbkin were able to snatch and lead by a point after Williams' sinking 16 seconds to go.
Billy Baron scored a three-pointer 9 seconds to go that ended the game.
The final result does not reflect the game itself, when at its peak, the gap reached 17 points.
Despite Reynolds' display (24 points, 11 rebounds and an index of 28), the unimpressive team abilities continue Maccabi's deterioration in the Euroleague and at the moment it seems that it is rapidly moving towards a shock.
In the world of sports and completely wrongly the shock usually amounts to the dismissal of the coaching staff and there he is detained for an unknown period of time.
The required improvement usually does not occur as a result.
According to a 2012 study, NBA teams where coaches were fired during the season showed minimal improvement that did not lead the team to significantly better results.
By the way, when David Blatt was fired he held a balance of 11:30.
His replacement Tyrone Lou held a 14:27 balance at the end of the season, meaning the team's success is not necessarily recorded in his name.
In the specific case of Maccabi, in recent years it is not clear who is responsible for building the staff.
On the face of it, the coach does not seem to be the professional who gives the last word, and this is a serious problem.
To expect a coach who does not trust the professional structure of the team to lead it to successes, especially when the team formed does not match his strategic thinking, is an excessive request.
Sapropoulos managed to turn Maccabi into an elite defensive team and led it to success until the Corona forfeited the cards and knocked the team to the boards.
The red lights have been flashing for a long time.
Scotty Wilbkin is a fine offensive player but he is not a coordinator.
Therefore, when the game plan goes wrong the ball automatically moves to the Scot and he loses his head.
There is no player on the team that can be defined as a defensive lift and the team finds itself without tools that are suitable for returning from behind.
Wilbkin.
Photo: Courtesy of the official website of Maccabi Tel Aviv, Photo: Courtesy of the official website of Maccabi Tel Aviv
Surprisingly, Ante Zizic leads along with Yiftach Ziv on average steals per game (1.3) which is relatively respectable but does not compensate for the other coordinators who have apparently given up on this aspect of the game.
In Europe such concessions lead to severe losses.
The gap in the team's abilities is reflected in the fact that no Maccabi player is in the top 5 of any category in the Euroleague (Wilbkin is seventh in points average).
The media is already preparing the ground for the dismissal of Sapropoulos, although it is clear to everyone that the problem is not with him and it will not be solved even after he leaves.
The dismissal of coaches aims to shock the system without giving up large sums.
As mentioned, their effect is not very effective.
If Maccabi really wants to produce change, it needs to make a drastic move of throwing a player that can be defined as a luxury.
Derrick Williams belongs to this category and separation from it - has the power to reset all the other top players, including Wilbkin, and it may even create confidence in the philosophy of the game that the coach wants to instill in the team.
The shock will come sooner or later to ensure that at least Maccabi does not lose the championship.
Yannis has proven he has the abilities to lift the team to success while emphasizing defensive play.
If the team fires him the spin will continue and the players will continue to play a personal and ineffective game against the teams competing in the Euroleague.
It will not hold water and it is time for them to understand it in the management of Maccabi Tel Aviv.
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