Lithuania coach Jonas Kazlauskas confirmed that Toronto Raptors’ pair Jonas Valanciunas and Linas Kleiza will both be on his 12-man roster for this summer’s Eurobasket in Slovenia.
However, Valanciunas will miss the start of Lithuania’s preparations due to competing in the NBA summer league in July. He will join up with the team in the later stages of the build-up. Kleiza’s last competitive game for the Raptors was on December 28, but the veteran coach is confident of seeing Kleiza, as well as Valanciunas suit up.
“At the time that I visited Toronto and we spoke there was no problem,” Kazlauskas said.
“[Kleiza] has still not returned to Lithuania but I do not think anything has changed in the meantime.”
Kazlauskas was also optimistic that Real Madrid shooting guard Martynas Pocius will be available as well despite undergoing surgery for a stress fracture in his right ankle in March.
Lithuania’s Eurobasket fixtures include games against Sweden, Belgium, Macedonia. Their final warm-up game will be against Georgia on September 1st, three days before the tournament begins.
Lithuania will be housed in Group B, known as Eurobasket’s “group of death” where they face Latvia, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
