The 36-year-old made his first appearance of the season
Thomas Heurtel’s debut the only bright spark on a night to forget for ASVEL
Artículo
3 Min lectura
Regular Season
Round 12 of 38
Regular Season
LDLC ASVEL VilleurbanneASV
5284
AS MonacoASM
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There were very few reasons for LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne fans to feel happy after Wednesday night’s 52-84 loss against AS Monaco, but the debut of Thomas Heurtel was one.
The veteran point guard, who sits eighth all-time in EuroLeague assists, was given the nod by coach Pierric Poupet just under four minutes into the game and went on to finish with 7 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists in over 13 minutes on the floor.
“It's exciting to get back on the court with the team,” Heurtel told EuroLeague TV in the pre-game interview. “It’s been a long wait. I will try my best.”
With fellow veteran Nando De Colo forced to watch on from the sidelines as he recovers from a hamstring injury, which is expected to keep him out for another week or so, Heurtel showed glimpses of what he can offer the team, particularly when it came to keeping his cool amidst the chaos going on around him.
Naturally there was a bit of rust while Heurtel was out there, having not featured at all in the EuroLeague or French League this season, and that helps to explain his 4 turnovers. But there were also moments where he slowed things down, showing a poise that no other ASVEL player seemed to have as the tide began to turn.
Over the coming weeks, the 36-year-old – who played 253 EuroLeague games between 2011 and 2022 for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Anadolu Efes Istanbul, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid – will be one of the players Coach Poupet leans on most to guide this young, inexperienced group.
Despite the debut of Heurtel, it really was a night to forget for ASVEL. Not only did it tie its second-lowest scoring total in a EuroLeague game, but it suffered its sixth heaviest EuroLeague defeat. Its 23 turnovers tied for the club’s second-highest figure in this category, too.
“We just had a much better team in front of us,” Coach Poupet lamented in his post-game interview with EuroLeague TV. “I didn’t recognize my team today. I’m the first person who is responsible for this, so I’ll take the blame. We’ll find solutions in order to play better. That’s all I can say right now.”
As tough as it was to lose to Monaco like that, the 41-year-old play-caller will be hoping that he may have already found one of those solutions in Heurtel, while the return of De Colo in the coming week or two could be just the remedy ASVEL needs.
