Lonnie Walker IV shares 2 eye-opening differences between Europe and the NBA after 0/8 shooting in Euroleague debut
Former San Antonio Spurs guard Lonnie Walker IV is now playing overseas after six seasons in the NBA. Walker is now playing with Zalgiris Kaunas in the Euroleague, and he made his debut against Bayern Munich on Friday. However, Walker's first game with his new team did not go as planned.
Walker went scoreless in his first-ever Euroleague game, going 0-for-8 which also included four attempts from downtown. He also turned the ball over twice in 13 minutes of action.
After the game, Walker was asked about the difference between the NBA and the Euroleague. According to Walker, there weren't any big surprises except for two major differences.
"Probably just no defensive three seconds and the bigs are just standings there," Walker said. "The physicality's a little bit more physical but not much of a difference." (1:28-1:37).
Lonnie Walker IV and Zalgiris Kaunas had to deal with an early deficit as they only scored seven points in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich scored 19.
However, Zalgiris almost pulled off a comeback despite Walker's struggles. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Bayern won by only four points (77-74).
Sylvain Francisco led the way in scoring for Zalgiris with 20. Meanwhile, Carsen Edwards, formerly of the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons, scored a game-high 24 points for Bayern.
Also read: Top 5 available free agents ahead of 2024-25 NBA season feat. Lonnie Walker
Lonnie Walker planning to bounce back after poor debut
Lonnie Walker may have had a disappointing debut in Euroleague, but he is optimistic that he will bounce back and perform better in their next game.
“This is a new environment, but I work my tail off day in and day out, and I trust and believe in my work. I want to come back, shoot a lot more shots, and be ready for the next game, both mentally and physically,” Walker said per Eurohoops.
Lonnie Walker IV was selected 18th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in 2018. He spent the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Spurs. He had his best season with the Spurs in 2021-22. In 70 games (64 off the bench), he averaged 12.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg and 2.2 apg, which are all career highs.
That summer, he left the Spurs and signed with the LA Lakers. He signed a one-year deal worth over $6 million. He started in 32 of the 56 games he played. In the games he started in, he averaged 14.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists. And as a reserve, he averaged 7.7 points, 1.4 boards and 0.8 dimes.
After spending the 2023-24 season with the Brooklyn Nets, Walker signed a one-year deal with the Boston Celtics in August but was waived in October.