'The Problem' solving Dominicans' problems in Piraeus

    3 min to read
    Interview
    Jean Montero

    Love a good talk about athletes' nicknames? Then you'll enjoy meeting Jean Montero, the birthday boy known as 'The Problem' in the basketball world.

    PIRAEUS (Greece) - It's easy to find the numbers and judge somebody by their stats and percentages. You're probably assuming a guy averaging 15.7 points, 5 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game in the Spanish Liga Endesa is a problem for the opponents.

    You're only half right, because he is not a problem. He's El Problema. That's Jean Montero's nickname, about to go worldwide as he shines in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Piraeus, Greece.

    "I don't have a problem with it," Montero laughed when asked about his nickname, dating back to his U16 days with the national team, when he torched Argentina with 49 points in 2019.

    "I've been called worse things when I was a kid."

    He's not a kid anymore. In what was a sort of coming-of-age moment, Jean put up 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 26 minutes of action in a 90-77 win over Egypt on day one of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Greece, earning TCL Player of the Game honors.

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    An amazing way to celebrate your last day as a 20-year-old, because on Wednesday, Montero turned 21.

    "After this game, after waiting for this game for so long, I think all of us, my teammates, me, the staff, we're all very proud of ourselves. But what we need to do is stay together for the next, because the next game we got Greece," Montero said after the game.

    It's a perfect birthday party. In one of the world's most famous basketball arenas, in the legendary Peace and Friendship Stadium, against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece, looking to cause even more problems.

    Or, even better, solve the Dominicans' issues. Because coach Che Garcia's men struggled against Egypt in the first 15 minutes on Tuesday, until Montero came in off the bench and changed the rhythm of the game completely.

    "For me, coming off the bench is pretty much the same. If you're coming off the bench, you gotta give that energy, extra energy to the team, and I think that's what I gave to them," he said.

    He is the youngest member of the Dominican Republic, and everybody just loves him, on the court or off the court.

    During games, you can see and hear his teammates pushing him to be even more aggressive and attack the rim, resulting in three first half offensive rebounds out of nowhere for the point guard.

    Before and after games, his teammates will turn to Montero for laughs and dance lessons, as he was unanimously picked as the one with the best dance moves in an - entirely unofficial - poll of the entire Dominican team.

    Alongside the starting point guard Andres Feliz, Montero is creating one of the most lethal backcourt tandems in international basketball. Montero turned 21, Feliz will turn 27 in mid-July, meaning they've got another decade of running the Dominican offense together.

    Andres Feliz, Jean Montero

    "Good young players who are making their name. They are good, good players, they've got a lot to show, and they will continue being successful, for sure," Chris Duarte praised them both.

    'Continue being successful' is spot on. Because they already are collecting accolades left and right, especially Montero, the two-time Spanish Liga Endesa Best Young Player award winner.

    He was already a minor problem with Real Betis in 2022-23, although he appeared in only 16 games.

    The move to MoraBanc Andorra in 2023-24 was a major step towards maturity, as his average of just 1.5 turnovers per game demonstrates, which is especially impressive considering that he's got the ball in his hands most of the time, that he dishes out 5 assists per game, and that he's up to 2 steals in one of the toughest leagues in the world.

    His three-point shooting is in the low 30s in percentages, but the shooting mechanics are there and he's converting 89.2 percent of his free throws, meaning there's a lot of potential to take his long range shooting up a notch or two.

    Once they do, the entire world will have a big problem on their hands.

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