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Raptors interviewing former Pacer Sarunas Jasikevicius for Head Coach vacancy

By Tony East

INDIANAPOLIS - OCTOBER 3: Sarunas Jasikevicius #3 of the Indiana Pacers poses for pictures during the Pacers Media Day on October 3, 2005 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice: Copyright NBAE 2005 (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS - OCTOBER 3: Sarunas Jasikevicius #3 of the Indiana Pacers poses for pictures during the Pacers Media Day on October 3, 2005 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice: Copyright NBAE 2005 (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Sarunas Jasikevicius only played two seasons in the NBA, but he was on the Pacers for both. Now, he is interviewing for the Toronto Raptors head coaching vacancy.

Sarunas Jasikevicius’ time in Indiana as a player was short. He played in only 112 games across two seasons, and he played just over 2500 minutes in his entire NBA career. Most of his time as a basketball player was spent playing in Europe and for the Lithuanian National team, Domantas Sabonis’ current squad.

But Jasikevicius time in the NBA might not be over just yet. No, he isn’t coming back as a player. That would be crazy at age 42. Instead, Sarunas could come back as a head coach. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported today that Jasikevicius interviewed for the head coaching vacancy in Toronto:

Jasikevicius has at least one tie to the Raptors organization. Toronto center Jonas Valanciunas currently is the star of the Lithuanian basketball team, Sarunas’ former national squad. The ties could go beyond that, but on the surface that one is obvious.

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In his time as a player in Indiana, Jasikevicius was a deadly shooting point guard. He made 36.6 percent of his three-pointers and 91.4 percent of his free throws while playing for Indiana, and he amassed 16 starts across two seasons with the Pacers. His tenure in Indiana came to an end when he was traded away as a part of the Troy Murphy/Mike Dunleavy Jr. deal.

Jasikevicius does have some head coaching experience. In January 2016, he was named the head coach of Žalgiris Kaunas, a team in the Lithuanian league. He was named Coach of the year in the Lithuanian league in 2016-17. This past season, he led his squad to the Euroleague final four, showing off his skills as a coach and leader.

Teams have attempted to bring him to the NBA before. The Spurs invited Jasikevicius to help coach their summer league team in 2017, but he declined for unnamed personal reasons. Even though he turned it down, it is clear other NBA teams have eyed him as a good coach long before the Raptors chose to interview him.

Next: 2017-18 Pacers Player Reviews: Cory Joseph

It is always cool to see former Pacers succeed in their post-playing endeavors. Best of luck to Jaskievicius in the interview process and all of his future coaching jobs.

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