Kats explains why Lonnie Walker was left off Maccabi Tel Aviv’s finals roster

Maccabi Tel Aviv won the Israeli championship on Tuesday night, beating Hapoel Tel Aviv 83-79 to seal the best-of-five finals 3-1 and claim the club’s 58th title. One notable storyline was that guard Lonnie Walker was not registered for a single game in the series, even though he is expected to stay for next season.

After the title-clinching win, Walker said, “Maccabi is in my heart. Next year we will be better.” Later, head coach Oded Katash addressed the decision and said he had heard “noise” about it, but insisted the roster choices were dictated by injuries and not by any issue with the player.

Katash said Tamir Blatt’s injury left the team with no real alternative. He explained that Maccabi needed another big man alongside Jaylen Hoard, while injuries to TJ Leaf and Gur Lavy prevented that option. He added that the team also needed its two dominant guards, and reminded reporters that Amit Abo, who had been brought in for this purpose, was also dealing with an injury.

According to Katash, those four absences left no room to play Walker in the finals. “I did not need to talk to him,” he said. “He understands, he was with us. He was positive before the games and after them. There is no issue here.”