Budućnost Voli coach Andrej Žakelj wanted a reaction and he got it from his players - the "blues" defeated Cedevita Olimpija 88:71 and mostly looked like the team the Slovenian expert wants to see.
It was the first triumph of the Podgorica team in the ABA League, after they disappointed against Spartak in the premiere.
"I congratulate the team on the victory, it was important to win the game because of the players' mentality. We started as we agreed, with focus, and our solidity in defense gave us the result. We gave in in the 2nd quarter, and only when we have solidity and aggression are we a good team. I expected the team's reaction, I saw it in training. We had a great game when it came to energy and ball flow, although there were still periods of relaxation," said Žakelj.
Žakelj commented on the games of James Thompson, who has not shown much so far.
"This is far from his level. Thompson is used to a different way of playing and role. That's causing problems now, but he will definitely play through. He trains well and is quite effective with little playing time," Žakelj pointed out.
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And Djordje Jovanovic?
"I'm not worried about him, I'm sure he'll be back. He had a day or two off throughout the summer, and due to his performance at the European Championship, he was late to get back into the team. He's giving his all and I believe in him, with the extra minutes he'll definitely gain enough confidence," Žakelj commented on the Montenegrin national team player's performance.
Andrija Slavković played only 31 seconds against Spartak this season.
"We have 13 players, because Zoran Nikolić is slowly entering the rotation. Anyone can cope in training and matches, and it is not realistic to play with 12 players," concluded Žakelj.
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