Interview: Barış Turgut, TrendBasket
Western Conference powerhouse San Antonio Spurs beat the Denver Nuggets 121-97 in a home game on Saturday night. Prior to the game that we attended as TrendBasket, we did an exclusive interview with Spurs’ Latvian sharpshooter Dāvis Bertāns.
.@spurs, 6 oyuncusundan çift haneli skor katkısı bulduğu maçta @nuggets‘ı 121-97 gibi farklı bir skorla mağlup etmeyi başardı. #TBHerYerde pic.twitter.com/KyeYH8VkK8
— TrendBasket (@TrendBasket) 5 Şubat 2017
You made a series of remarkable performances in your first season with the NBA. What is your adaptation process like?
I’ve been getting more minutes on the court, just getting more comfortable and more confident. It feels great to be on the court.
San Antonio Spurs are using you at 4. You also played 4 in Baskonia. What is the difference between NBA power forwards and European power forwards?
I did not play four that much in Europe, only for the last season. The difference is not that big of a difference, actually. Especially now, there are more stretch fours shooting three pointers in the game. Defensively, it sometimes feels like you’re guarding a small forward. It’s a little bit tougher against more physical guys, who are more like post players. Overall, the difference is not that big.
Even though you missed the Final Four because of your injury, you contributed a great deal to the success that Baskonia had last year. How would you describe that team’s spirit?
It was great to reach the Final Four and play against those teams. Our semi final game against Fenerbahçe was a close game. Anythying can happen in games like that but unfortunately, we couldn’t get to the Final. It was still a big deal for us to just be there. It was a great season overall.
How do you feel about this year? Do you think they can make it to the Final Four again?
Definitely. They’re really good and I love the team, what they’re doing, even though a lot of players from the last season’s roster left. A core of guys stayed. I’m happy for them and they’re doing so good right now.
Are you going to play for Latvia in EuroBasket Men 2017?
I don’t think about that during the season. First, I will see how the season goes, how much I’ve played. Then, at the end of the season, it will be a decision to make.