The Czech point guard played his best game in the Clásico in his second spell at Barça and must continue to improve
The azulgrana team visits this Saturday at 8:45 p.m. to a Manresa that has lost almost all its references
Despite the chaotic final three minutes, Barça bathed in self-esteem on Thursday in the Clásico against a dedicated Palau and Tomas Satoransky took a great weight off his shoulders with a stroke of the pen.
The Czech point guard has returned to Barça at the age of 30 in the best moment of his career after a journey of six seasons in the NBA with the difficult mission of leading the team and replacing Nick Calathes. To this pressure has been added the severe sprain in his right ankle that he suffered with his national team and that weighed him down during the Eurobasket and in his first weeks as a Blaugrana.
‘Sato’ was not fully recovered, but he forced himself with his national team and has been doing so with Barça since he joined the team. However, his performances were far below his level. “In the last week it has been seen that I am improving, I notice it in each training session. You have to be patient & rdquor ;, explained the former Wizards in the days before the Euroleague duel against Real Madrid.
Said and done. Saras immediately saw the superiority of the Prague player over Sergio Rodríguez in the post and thus scored seven of the first 10 Barça points. Satoransky felt comfortable for the first time in many months. and offered his first great performance with Barça with 12 points and only three missed shots, seven rebounds (one in attack), five assists, six fouls received and +22 PIR.
Satoransky reigned in the Euroleague Classic
| JAVI FERRANDIZ
“Our bad start was decisive”, lamented Chus Mateo after losing at the Palau. And in those initial moments the law was marked by a ‘Sato’ who signed for four seasons and is called to raise the pace of the team’s offensive game and multiply the alternatives.
Visit to Manresa
The calendar intensifies and Barça returns to the competition with a difficult visit to the BAXI Manresa court this Saturday at 8:45 p.m. in the third day of the Endesa League before facing the first week with three games (two European and one league).
Pedro Martínez’s team is also under construction after losing last summer almost all figures who completed a historic campaign (Sylvain Francisco, Chima Moneke, Joe Thomasson, Ismaël Bako, Yankuba Sima and Luke Maye).
Together with shooting guard Giordano Bortolani (Nymburk), power forwards Tyson Pérez (on loan from MoraBanc Andorra) and Marcus Lee (Leones de Ponce) who was criticized by the coach in the preseason, ‘Tunde’ Olumuyiwa (Andorra), ‘ picked up former Baskonia center Justin Hamilton (Beijing Ducks) and entrusted the role of new leader to Jerrick Harding (24 years old and 1.85 meters).
Derrick Harding is the new leader of BAXI Manresa
After shining in the NCAA with Weber State, the American point guard comes from playing two remarkable campaigns in the Czech Nymburk authoritatively leads the league table of scorers with an average of 24 points (17 in the 70-89 loss against Lenovo Tenerife and 28 in the 84-87 win in Granada). In addition, he is the third most valued player with +22.7 on average. In the Champions League, the team from Bages have achieved two victories against Limoges (73-76 with 16 points from Harding) and VEF Riga (88-59 with 22 from Kansas and Vaulet).
No Nnaji
The young pivot of the subsidiary James Nnaji suffered a grade 1-2 sprain in the classic and joins the losses of Nikola Mirotic, Kyle Kuric and Sergi Martínez. Therefore, more problems for Saras with the quotas as they only have Àlex Abrines, Oriol Paulí and Michael Caicedo.
Being able to be the fourth a linked, options for Rafa Villar or for the Mexican (and non-EU) Gael Bonilla without forgetting either the best interior of the subsidiary, a Martín Iglesias who has just scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds under the orders of Roger Grimau.