About Jaleen Smith stint in Virtus
Banchi quickly revived Marco Belinelli and Daniel Hackett in a short amount of time, turning the oldest team in the EuroLeague into a system where they play at the fourth-fastest pace in the competition. Belinelli, who was on the verge of rotation under Scariolo, is experiencing a second youth this season. He averages 14.6 points on 47% shooting from the field and 45% from three-point range (2.6 three-pointers per game).
In that system, Jaleen Smith simply did not assert himself (played 13 games with an average of 11.4 minutes, 5.8 points, and 0.8 assists with 48% three-point shooting). Josip Sesar, the head coach of the Croatian national team, provides insight into the situation from a tactical aspect.
“After a fantastic last season and summer with the national team, Smith joined a great club. However, he did not impose himself in that system under the new coach, considering that Scariolo started the season, and then Banchi came in his place.
Regarding Banchi’s system itself, he likes to play fast and with a lot of shots. It should be emphasized that coaches always have certain players who are their favorites and to whom some shots or lost balls are allowed more than other teammates in the same position,” begins Josip Sesar in this conversation.
“He is a guy who unquestionably does what is asked of him”
Josip Sesar further highlights the qualities of the American guard that could make him fit seamlessly into Partizan’s machinery.
“He is not a classic foreign player who will come to the team and take all the responsibilities upon himself, shooting about 20 balls. He is a role player, and I believe that every team should have such a player, especially at such a high level as Partizan plays.
My experiences with Smith are excellent – a guy who unquestionably does what is asked of him. An excellent player for both the team and the coach, very grateful for the locker room. In the national team, there were Saric, Zubac, Hezonja, and him as leaders, but he stood out the least and didn’t demand the ball.
He is a player who has fully committed himself to the system and the team, and perhaps that’s why he didn’t manage to establish himself in Virtus, given that he had players alongside him who sought minutes and shots. I think going to Partizan is a great move for him. He stated how thrilled he is to work with Zeljko Obradovic, and I believe he fits into the shoes of Aleksa Avramovic,” says the head coach of Dinamo Zagreb.
“Smith is the type of player who processes information very quickly”
In recent seasons, Smith has established himself as a defensive specialist, a combo guard who thrives in a 3&D role on the court. With Aleksa Avramovic injured, Smith naturally steps in as his direct replacement.
“Smith is a great addition for them because he can contribute a lot in that role. Defensively, he can guard the best defensive players on the ball, and I believe that Zeljko will use him there. As for the offensive part, he can play as a point guard, although he is not a classic playmaker, so it remains to be seen how Zeljko will integrate him in that aspect.”
“Zeljko definitely knows what he’s doing, and I don’t believe he would bring in a player he can’t fit into the system”
Since coach Obradovic returned to Partizan, the team has been playing without a traditional point guard. This was not the case earlier in his career, but that’s likely why he is arguably the best European coach of all time – he adapts to trends. Positionless basketball is the hallmark of the modern style of play. Yam Madar and Dante Exum last season, and P.J. Dozier this season – none of them are classic floor generals. Josip Sesar highlights the innovations in Zeljko’s coaching style.
“Zeljko has obviously changed that aspect because in Panathinaikos he had Dimitris Dimanatidis, and in Fenerbahce, he had Kostas Sloukas, who were dominant point guards. They had the ball a lot of the time. Now he has flipped the game, and there’s no longer a classical point guard. He now focuses on having a solid body, a player with good physical predispositions at the one position, which is great if you can have that in the EuroLeague.”
About Dante Exum
Josip Sesar then reflected on Dante Exum‘s excellent performances in theDallas Mavericks and the progress players make working with Obradovic.
“I would like to add one thing about Exum. You can see the experience of playing in Europe, especially the seasons under Zeljko, were fantastic. It’s challenging to play in a team with such a dominant individual like Luka Doncic. When the ball comes to you, you have to know immediately what to do with it, and playing in Europe contributed the most to his quick adaptation to the Dallas Mavericks’ system.
Last year, Dante Exum was the player who provided penetration and post play for Partizan. This year, there is PJ Dozier, who also has a solid body but is not a similar profile to Exum, but he has his qualities. Here again, we come to the fact that Zeljko’s teams play much better in the second part of the season when they fully embrace his system and everything he demands. Zeljko certainly knows what he’s doing, and I don’t believe he would bring in a player he can’t fit into the system.
Zeljko is a coach who elevates the value of players, which is crucial for the players. I think it’s a great situation for Smith to have come to such a coach, and he will surely raise his value. I don’t believe he will immediately have significant minutes until he gets into the machinery and everything Zeljko is looking for. Smith is a good person and an honest guy in his work, towards the coach and teammates, and that’s a factor Zeljko will consider and could earn his trust,” concludes Josip Sesar.
“An authentic European player…”
Damir Mulaomerovic, our second interviewee in this special feature, is a former coach of the Croatian national team and the person who personally brought Jaleen Smith into the national team.
“We’re talking about a great guy who is an excellent player and covers positions one and two. He has a great work ethic, which is sometimes more important than other things. Zeljko has surely checked all of that, and he knows what kind of player he has brought in. From that perspective, I think he will be of great benefit to Partizan, especially in covering the part of the player position that they lack.
He is an excellent defender who does everything the team needs. He’s not a classic American player who ‘runs wild’; instead, he is a true European player who proved himself through Alba, where he was the MVP of the Bundesliga for one season.
Character-wise and basketball-wise, he is a fantastic player. I think with me, and especially with Sesar, he showed even more, playing in the pre-Olympic tournament, that he is a guy who loves what he does.”
“With Zeljko, there are certain rules where the team is always above everything”
The popular “Mula” was the starting point guard in the Real Madrid back in 2002 when Obradovic won his fifth EuroLeague, and he is very familiar with the working methods of the most decorated European coach of all time.
“Zeljko has a specific way, and his teams always play well when it matters. There’s no need to say much about him as a coach because he is undoubtedly the best coach, and it will take a long time for someone to reach his level. I think Smith will fit in very quickly.
With Zeljko, there are certain rules where the team is always above everything, and that’s what I mentioned. There’s no mistake on that front. Especially when you have a large number of games because you’ve seen for yourself that we have a lot of player injuries, and the games are in a Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday tempo, so you lose a lot of time on travel. That’s why Real Madrid has 16 players, which is why they are so dominant in this first part of the season.”
“An absolute hit for Sesar was having Smith at the shooting guard position”
After Mulaomerovic, Josip Sesar was chosen as the new head coach in a turbulent manner, during which he moved Smith from point guard to shooting guard. After a long time, Croatian basketball had a reason to celebrate. The national team had a perfect summer under Sesar with a win-loss record of 12-0.
Smith was outstanding in the final of the pre-Olympic tournament in Istanbul against Ergin Ataman’s Turkey, led by the upcoming NBA star Alperen Sengun. He scored 14 points (4-7 from three-point range), averaging 11.8 points and 3.4 assists.
“With Sesar, he changed his role since Goran Filipovic played really well at point guard. An absolute hit for Sesar was having Smith at the shooting guard position. It’s essential with him that when you give him a role, he accepts it, regardless of the position. This is especially crucial in today’s basketball, where small-ball is played, and where big men step out, requiring aggression and speed.
He is excellent there because he can cover all three perimeter positions. What’s important with such players is that they can score 4-6 points, but when given the defensive task to guard the best players, he does that,” adds the former coach of the Croatian national team.
“They couldn’t bring in a better player for the team aspect, which is crucial for Zeljko”
The head coach of Cedevita Junior also highlights Smith’s defensive virtues.
“Not everyone is destined to be, for example, like Punter, who is a decent defender, but he is an outstanding attacker, and he should be preserved in defense. In that segment, I think Smith will bring them stability because he is excellent on the ball, and his understanding of the game is brilliant. They couldn’t bring in a better player for the team aspect, which is crucial for Zeljko,” says Mulaomerovic.
Competition at the shooting guard position is fierce. PJ Dozier, James Nunnally, Kevin Punter, and Danilo Andjusic – players who are secure in Zeljko Obradovic’s system. We mentioned earlier that Partizan plays without a traditional point guard, and it’s evident that Ognjen Jaramaz is not yet at the expected level. A logical sequence of events suggests that the black and whites will use Smith at point guard.
“It’s difficult to talk about that. Probably, the people who have done that scouting know it best. I am sure that wherever they put him, he will do it very well. Last night, we exchanged messages, I congratulated him, and he told me that it is a great challenge for him to be coached by Zeljko Obradovic. There are players who want that, and it’s certain that Zeljko will elevate his level of play and understanding of basketball even further. That’s ultimately the most important thing.
No individual is above the team, and that’s the only philosophy that works because, in the end, that’s what matters. I am confident that just as Zeljko elevated Mathias Lessort to this level, he will do the same with Bruno Caboclo, who will automatically gain more value,” concludes Damir Mulaomerovic.