Joffrey Lauvergne reflects on his NBA departure, labeling his lack of patience a mistake. The French center also discusses Zeljko Obradovic’s coaching philosophy at Fenerbahce and shares his surprise regarding recent high-profile European transfers involving Sylvain Francisco and Cedi Osman.
Credit Luka Milosavljevic/SIPA - Scapix
In an exclusive interview with Skweek, Joffrey Lauvergne revealed that he feels bad about being impatient earlier in his career and nor staying in the NBA:
"I think it was a mistake. I had another year left on my NBA contract. Throughout my career and my life, I've been very impatient. Maybe it's because I'm afraid of what the future holds. Who knows what's going to happen in the NBA? The hardest thing is to get another contract, and I did it."
"I definitely should have stayed there. I've made a lot of mistakes in life, in basketball and outside of it. I think smart people learn from the past. I'm definitely more patient today than when I was younger. If I could go back and talk to myself, I would tell myself that it would be better if I stayed in the NBA," Lauvergne said.
French center reflected on the tenure with Zeljko Obradovic in Fenerbahce:
"Zeljko has a really different way of doing things. He taught me that you don't do things for the club or the coach, but for yourself. That's probably the most important lesson I learned from him. Many coaches try to be relaxed and socialize with the players, but Zeljko doesn't care much about that."
"He does what he thinks is necessary to make the team as successful as possible. He has his own way of working, which you may or may not like, but that's him. False friendship is not his style," he said.
Lauvergne also commented on some of controversial moves this summer, like Sylvain Francisco joining Panathinaikos after initially declaring with LDLC ASVEL-Villerbaunne and Cedi Osman going to PAOK:
"It's quite difficult for me to understand. He's Turkish, and there are three Euroleague clubs in Turkey, while he's going to Greece and won't be playing in the Euroleague. However, everyone at some point in their career wants and expects something new. If he made such a decision, I assume he wants to stay in Greece or play for Andrea Trinchieri. He really surprised me."
"The transfer of Sylvain Francis was unexpected. The situation with Moses Wright was crazy, who was supposed to go to Barcelona, and in the end he ended up in Milan. There's also Olympiacos, who have been playing great for years. There's Panathinaikos, who are building an incredible team, and there's Zeljko," Lauvergne concluded.
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