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Laprovittola: "Jasikevicius has released my game"

2023-02-16T22:54:02.945Z


The Barcelona shooting guard, who this Thursday faces Unicaja in the Copa del Rey basketball quarterfinals, explains his good playing time thanks to the communion of the squad


Nicolás Laprovittola, in the sports city of Barcelona. Gianluca Battista

Training is over and Saras Jasikevicus has already gathered the team in the center of the pitch to shake hands and give each other a collective applause before facing the Cup —today (21:30 Movistar) they face Unicaja—, but Nico Laprovittola (Morón, Argentina; 33 years old) is reluctant to leave the track, not to try a couple more triples.

They come in clean, stroking the net, and he nods.

But what makes him smile are the jokes with his teammate Paulí, also a ball hit in the face by a technical assistant who wants to catch a rebound in a bad way.

He is the nerve center of the squad, a player with charisma who knows he is a leader together with Mirotic.

Ask.

Is the best version of Laprovittola being seen?

Answer.

I don't know if it's the best, but I am playing at a very high level.

I am surrounded by some colleagues with a lot of quality who are also good people.

And that allows me to have a good time on the court.

Q.

Is maturity a good traveling companion in basketball?

A.

A lot.

For me and for the team, because several of us are over 30 years old and that means we know what we are playing for without giving anything away.

In my case, also, being a father has given me stability.

Bruna, my daughter, and Delfi, my wife, who has always supported me in difficult moments, are the pillars of my life.

Q.

I imagine that you are referring to situations such as when they separated you from Zenit in 2018…

R.

I was in shit and at that time I had to work on many things inside me, in my head, thoughts that I no longer have today.

In Russia I felt that I had hit rock bottom and, pushed by my wife, I had to ask for help.

It helped me a lot.

Now I have a relationship with the psychologist, but just talking, we are not working.

Q.

You also went through tough personal situations, such as the kidnapping of your mother (Margarita Stolbizer, a politician who was a candidate for the presidency of Argentina)…

R.

Not only her, but also my brother.

It is very hard to experience it from the outside when your family is at home.

We think that they were not considered, that these are things that happen in Argentina.

Luckily nothing serious has ever happened, but they are situations that mark.

Q.

And whatever happens to the player, the fans will judge him by what happens on the field, right?

A.

It is difficult to compete against that or find a balance point because you are judged in a bad way without having a basis for why things happen.

It is the life of the athlete, who is always in the spotlight and is valued for what makes others vibrate.

It is something we have to accept.

It's about looking ahead and putting on a smile.

Q.

If you smile, do you play better?

A.

It has always been like that.

And now at Barça it happens because I have a very good relationship with everyone, because it is a very fun dressing room.

I also try to make everyone smile, even Saras, although sometimes it's difficult.

You have to know how to choose the moments.

It's about not always having a tough, strict relationship;

sometimes you have to relax.

P.

On the track he lives angry.

R.

We already live it in a natural way.

We know how he is and he does that to try to get the best out of the players, he tries to infect their energy.

He doesn't want to give anything away, he carries it inside.

They are very good things for the team so we have to learn to deal with it.

For me, he is a coach who has marked me.

Laprovittola, in the sports city of Barcelona. Gianluca Battista

P.

It makes you play more as a shooting guard than as a point guard.

R.

He saw my facet of 2, although I had already interspersed the position with that of 1 in other teams or in the national team.

He put me there to take advantage.

It has freed me up in my game and I appreciate it.

Q.

Saras revealed that he had improved with the videos, is that correct?

A.

Individualized video sessions make our job easier.

I try to work a lot on the tension that the rivals have with me.

When I penetrate see where I have to get the ball.

There are specific plays that are for me and for certain game situations in which we try to take advantage.

I also work situations in which I am distracted or have a loss that costs us dearly.

Q.

But are there also days when you notice that you are inspired?

R.

Yes, but for that it is important to put first gear.

That gives confidence.

And there are times when you feel that you put everything in.

Q.

So much that you could do as Curry and turn around before the ball went into the basket?

R.

I couldn't do it here, I think Saras would have an attack.

But I know if he's on the right track, he's going to go in.

Although sometimes some that are not good enter.

Q.

Has Saras made you a more offensive player?

R.

I always tried to be offensive, a point guard who made aggressive decisions.

I like that they pressure me, that they defend me a lot, that they are on top of me.

It gives me confidence because that's how I feel I'm dangerous.

But if you don't make an effort in defense, you wouldn't be here, in a team like that.

I try to be on both sides of the court.

P.

Although in Madrid they did not renew him and as a farewell, a manager said that he "did not defend a pepper"...

R.

Well, I always tried to defend.

But I think I needed to get here to realize how to improve, where to be positioned, how to deal with contacts... But it's also true that Barça have accepted my way of defending because maybe I'm not as intense as others, but I have my qualities.

Q.

When you left Madrid, were you more pleased to sign for Barcelona, ​​because of the bitter rivalry between the two teams?

R.

Let's see, when we play against them it is possible that I am more motivated than in other games...

Q.

They may meet in the semifinals of the Cup if they beat Unicaja and they beat Valencia.

R.

It is a very important competition and many people are expecting what happens here.

There are three games that do not allow you to fail and the first is Unicaja, who are having a great season, surprising many with their physical and fast basketball, which is sometimes not the most comfortable for the rival.

But we are prepared for it because if you lose you go home.

Q.

Do you feel that you now know more about basketball?

R.

I feel like I understand.

Q.

Although to feel, he felt the World Cup that Argentina won… He was seen crying!

A.

A little, yes.

And that when I have won a title I never started to cry, maybe with a game of great tension.

But it is that that's where the soccer fan that all Argentines carry inside of us came out.

I lived it very intensely.

It is difficult to explain, but in Argentina the passion is transmitted and it is understood with the images how we search for that title.

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Source: elparis

All sports articles on 2023-02-16

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