Zalgiris Kaunas ended a three-year playoff drought last season under Coach Kazys Maksvytis by reaching the quarterfinals against FC Barcelona and the Lithuanian champs will accept nothing less in 2023-24. It won't be easy, at least early on, as Zalgiris plays most of its games in the first third of the season on the road, but will have four of its last five games of the season at home. Here is a look at some of the more interesting games on the Zalgiris schedule this season.
Zalgiris Kaunas regular-season schedule
An opening night test in Italy
Round 1: Virtus Segafredo Bologna vs. Zalgiris Kaunas
Zalgiris opens the season in Bologna against a Virtus team that it beat twice last season. It is also an opportunity for Zalgiris to check in on power forward Achille Polonara, who played for Zalgiris in the second half of last season. But the real reason this is a game to watch is the expected return of Keenan Evans, who was authoring a breakout last season when he was stricken down by a torn Achilles tendon. With Evans back, Zalgiris will test its weapons against Virtus and another win in Bologna could be the perfect start for a Zalgiris team with a tough schedule in the first months of the season.