Bartzokas: «Papanikolaou proved why he is a true leader»

Giorgos Bartzokas praised Kostas Papanikolaou following the win in Kaunas. 

"It was a critical game for us, as well as for Zalgiris. For me, all games, wins and losses, have added value, because math is very important in terms of our goals. I want to congratulate everyone and especially our captain, Kostas Papanikolaou. He proved why he is a true leader. He was in extreme lower back pain, he wasn't able to move in the morning. He got in injection and played for 27 minutes, helping the team get this important win. I can't even express how grateful I am about his effort. I would also like to thank our medical staff, they worked with him the whole afternoon, they did an amazing job and he was able to play". 

He added: "Congrats to the whole team. They all had to do with this huge result. We dished a lot of assists and had amazing percentages in two-point shots. We controlled the tempo of the game; he created a lot of open shots and made them. Our main problem was only with some defensive rebounds we lost so Zalgiris had some second chance shooting. I wish Andrea Trinchieri and Zalgiris all the best. We have two games at home following, against Virtus and Panathinaikos and we are very optimistic". 

Asked about what Ignas Brazdeikis should be doing to help more in the future, he replied: "He's been having ups and downs. He has made some very good games and some not so good. This is only logical until he gets fully acclimated in his new environment. Many players play better during their second season with our teams, just look at the example of Peters, Canaan, even Walkup. He needs to adjust to the small things that shape our philosophy and that takes time. He's a very positive character, he works hard and I'm very optimistic about him". 

Finally, about whether Walkup is going to be the next captain of Olympiacos, he replied: "He's our second captain, behind Papanikolaou and this is something really rare for teams like Olympiacos. He's very important for the team and he's not self-serving. He plays to include all his teammates into the team's system. He always plays to win. I respect and love him".