Fenerbahce’s Jasikevicius defends roster moves and calls for patience

12/10/202614:59

Sarunas Jasikevicius: Mi piace la pressione che abbiamo, perché ci fa dare il meglio di noi

The Lithuanian coach urges caution despite a 3-1 EuroLeague start, backs the team’s veteran signings and criticizes the short preseason disrupted by two Super Cups.

Fenerbahce have opened the 2026-27 EuroLeague season with a 3-1 record, but head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius is urging patience. Ahead of the matchup against Zalgiris Kaunas, the Lithuanian coach stressed that his revamped roster needs more time to establish consistency.

“We have more experienced players, but we practice and play with ups and downs. Maybe it’s somewhat logical that this is happening,” Saras explained, also pointing to players sometimes stepping outside the team structure in an effort to make individual plays.

Jasikevicius also defended the club’s recruitment strategy, including the additions of veterans with injury histories such as Shane Larkin, Shavon Shields, and Will Clyburn. “As Tomas Masiulis would say: what would be better? Who could we have gotten that would be better than the players we got?” he said.

The coach also criticized the extremely short preseason, complicated by the team’s participation in two Super Cups, calling the situation “nonsense.”