Giannis Antetokounmpo is aiming for history
This might well be Giannis Antetokounmpo’s last shot at a medal with Greece. It could also be his best given the way he’s being deployed. The Greek Freak goes up against a tactically smart Lithuania side that may not lean on Jonas Valanciunas. Emmet Ryan previews their EuroBasket 2025 quarter final match-up.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been involved with the Greece national team since 2014. It took until EuroBasket 2025 for that side to find the best way to use him. Lithuania were expected to lean on Jonas Valanciunas, yet a tactical masterstroke by Rimas Kurtinaitis has made him a supporting character. This promises to be quite the fascinating quarter final match-up.
Key details
What: Greece vs Lithuania, EuroBasket 2025 quarter final
Where: Xiaomi Arena, Riga, Latvia
When: 9 September 2025 at 21.00 (local), 19.00 (Ireland/UK), 14.00 (EST)
Odds: ML Greece 4/11 Lithuania 40/17. Spread Greece -7.5 points.
It’s about time
Prior to EuroBasket 2025, the philosophy of the Greece national team was to dominate because of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Vassilis Spanoulis has changed this approach so that the team focuses on developing the best situations for Giannis to dominate. This involved resting him twice in the group stages and smart use of their back-ups to wear down opponents.
The result has been a Giannis that has remained energised throughout the competition. In past tournaments, Antetokounmpo had to give his all from the off. An international tournament is essentially a marathon of sprints. Eventually, that tends to reduce the efficacy of even the best stars. Managing the game to best suit Giannis while also managing his usage has changed that dynamic for Greece.
The only question is whether the change has come too late. Kostas Papanikolaou and Kostas Sloukas are the two most important players for Greece outside of Antetokounmpo. They are also likely going to retire during this Olympic cycle. With Greece having failed to win a major medal since taking bronze at EuroBasket 2009, this might be the last chance for the nation to capitalise on their superstar.
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A different type of opponent
Lithuania have one thing in common with Greece, their biggest star is large and powerful. He’s also not been the focal point of their game since an injury crisis forced a tactical shift in the middle of EuroBasket 2025.
While the casual observer might expect Jonas Valanciunas to be the man assigned the duty of battling Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rimas Kurtinaitis will likely instead lean on Azuolas Tubelis and Marek Blazevic to do the heavy lifting in a more agile front court. That will force adjustments from Spanoulis, potentially using Alex Samodurov and Dinos Mitoglu to mitigate that aspect of Lithuania’s game.
Of course, knowing Kurtinaitis, he might well have yet another wrinkle in mind. Spanoulis has been able to outwit what he expected so far. While early in his coaching career, he’s already proven to be strategically astute. That makes this one a little bit more interesting.
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Prediction time
This one has the makings of a classic knockout EuroBasket game. All of the eyes will be on Giannis Antetokounmpo and he’ll get big numbers for Greece. The question is if Lithuania can restrict those around him enough to make a difference. My gut is saying not this time for Rimas Kurtinaits and my head agrees.
Pick: Greece to win.
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