Mathias Lessort, a basketball player for Greek club Panathinaikos, spoke after the victory against Valencia in the EuroLeague, touching upon his return to Belgrade.
The Athens-based club has played seven out of ten EuroLeague games at the OAKA Arena. While they have capitalized on the significant home advantage, maintaining the fourth position or closing in on Real Madrid requires success on the road as well. The “Greens” will visit Partizan next week, preceded by a match against Efes, and this game will be special for Mathias Lessort.
He contributed 17 points to the victory against Valencia, emerging as the top scorer for the Athens club, and also grabbed seven rebounds. With three consecutive double-digit performances in the EuroLeague, he stands among Panathinaikos’ most effective players. Initially, fans criticized him, expecting more, and were displeased when he joined in Partizan’s celebration after the derby, where Aleksa Avramovic invited him over the phone.
All that is behind Mathias Lessort, and ahead of him is a return to the place where he left a deep mark in previous seasons:
“I am soon returning to Belgrade, it will be a very emotional moment for me,” said Lessort to the Greek newspaper Gazzeta.
He was fouled 11 times in the match against Valencia, absorbing hits and not shying away from physical play. Recently, he even managed to escape from Kris Bankston with a poster-worthy move. Perhaps he had this in mind when discussing his approach to contact in the game:
“I try to be tough. I am not afraid of contact or hits; I am often fouled. The most important thing is that we win, and we are on the right path. We were fortunate to play at home (the last three EuroLeague games, editor’s note), and the fans give us a boost. We are grateful to them. We need a full OAKA for a bigger boost. Panathinaikos plays better and better when it’s packed.”
Panathinaikos is performing much better now than at the beginning of the season, with new acquisitions grasping Ergin Ataman’s ideas, along with the seasoned players. They are now less preoccupied with what needs to be done, paying more attention to the on-court action.
“We think less now because we have more automatism in our game, allowing us to be 100% more aggressive in both offense and defense. When you precisely know your role and what you need to do on the court, you can be faster and more aggressive,” concluded the French basketball player.