# 2022–23 LKL season

The 2022–23 Lietuvos krepšinio lyga, also called Betsafe-LKL for sponsorship reasons, was the 30th season of the top-tier level professional basketball league of Lithuania, the Lietuvos krepšinio lyga (LKL). Rytas were defending champions, however, they finished as a runners-up, losing finals series to eventual champions Žalgiris.

## Teams
### Location and arenas

On 20 May 2022, during 2021–22 LKL season LKL board decided to expand the number of participating teams in tournament. The number of teams has been expanded to 12 teams. 2021-22 NKL season champions Gargždai and new team Wolves will join the other 10 existing LKL teams.
| Team | Location | Arena | Capacity |
| Cbet Jonava | Jonava | Jonava Arena | 2,200 |
| Gargždai | Palanga | Palanga Arena | 1,200 |
| Labas Gas | Prienai | Prienai Arena | 1,500 |
| 7bet-Lietkabelis | Panevėžys | Cido/Kalnapilio Arena | 5,950 |
| Neptūnas | Klaipėda | Švyturys Arena | 6,200 |
| Nevėžis-OPTIBET | Kėdainiai | Kėdainiai Arena | 2,200 |
| Pieno žvaigždės | Pasvalys | Pieno žvaigždės Arena | 1,500 |
| Rytas | Vilnius | Jeep Arena | 2,500 |
| Šiauliai | Šiauliai | Šiauliai Arena | 5,700 |
| Uniclub Casino – Juventus | Utena | Utena Arena | 2,000 |
| Wolves | Alytus | Alytus Arena | 5,500 |
| Žalgiris | Kaunas | Žalgiris Arena | 15,415 |
| Žalgiris | Prienai | Prienai Arena | 1,500 |
| Žalgiris | Garliava | Garliava Sports and Culture Center [lt] | 1,300 |

## Regular season
### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Žalgiris | 33 | 28 | 5 | 2875 | 2406 | +469 | Advance to playoffs |
| 2 | Rytas | 33 | 27 | 6 | 3070 | 2731 | +339 | Advance to playoffs |
| 3 | Wolves | 33 | 23 | 10 | 2851 | 2599 | +252 | Advance to playoffs |
| 4 | 7Bet–Lietkabelis | 33 | 23 | 10 | 2834 | 2689 | +145 | Advance to playoffs |
| 5 | Uniclub Casino – Juventus | 33 | 18 | 15 | 2859 | 2853 | +6 | Advance to playoffs |
| 6 | Cbet | 33 | 18 | 15 | 2657 | 2663 | −6 | Advance to playoffs |
| 7 | Neptūnas | 33 | 16 | 17 | 2652 | 2722 | −70 | Advance to playoffs |
| 8 | Nevėžis–Optibet | 33 | 14 | 19 | 2860 | 2912 | −52 | Advance to playoffs |
| 9 | Šiauliai | 33 | 13 | 20 | 2744 | 2852 | −108 | |
| 10 | Pieno žvaigždės | 33 | 8 | 25 | 2632 | 2963 | −331 | |
| 11 | Gargždai | 33 | 6 | 27 | 2501 | 2785 | −284 | |
| 12 | Labas Gas (R) | 33 | 4 | 29 | 2613 | 2973 | −360 | Relegation to NKL |

### Results

| Home \ Away | LIE | JSK | GAR | PRI | NEP | NEV | PZV | RYT | SIA | JUV | WOL | ZAL |
| 7Bet–Lietkabelis | — | 86–84 | 82–73 | 74–86 | 80–73 | 111–108 | 86–74 | 79–70 | 94–103 | 91–71 | 92–96 | 66–74 |
| — | 85–72 | — | 81–75 | 73–81 | — | 95–90 | — | — | — | — | 87–85 |
| Cbet | 88–91 | — | 92–85 | 74–85 | 83–66 | 71–64 | 84–77 | 62–75 | 74–82 | 82–84 | 80–62 | 75–80 |
| — | — | 67–65 | — | — | 89–78 | — | 81–106 | — | 76–88 | 74–85 | 82–89 |
| Gargždai | 71–91 | 68–69 | — | 74–71 | 54–73 | 71–73 | 79–69 | 81–99 | 76–78 | 68–85 | 68–73 | 71–89 |
| 65–86 | — | — | — | — | 73–87 | — | — | 56–60 | 77–76 | 85–82 | — |
| Labas Gas | 77–96 | 74–80 | 68–95 | — | 92–99 | 86–98 | 89–92 | 66–89 | 63–81 | 68–92 | 78–88 | 66–91 |
| — | 69–72 | 90–77 | — | 84–94 | — | 85–91 | 86–97 | — | — | — | 57–94 |
| Neptūnas | 73–86 | 77–93 | 94–69 | 80–75 | — | 86–79 | 91–92 | 70–82 | 93–79 | 98–97 | 100–80 | 71–79 |
| — | 76–70 | 91–86 | — | — | 97–91 | — | 86–90 | — | — | 75–104 | 80–91 |
| Nevėžis–Optibet | 73–78 | 91–83 | 99–92 | 89–81 | 67–71 | — | 83–65 | 84–86 | 81–92 | 71–74 | 76–81 | 69–97 |
| 77–90 | — | — | 112–105 | — | — | — | — | 91–81 | 143–134 | 81–88 | — |
| Pieno žvaigždės | 71–77 | 90–92 | 97–92 | 115–110 | 91–85 | 84–93 | — | 72–107 | 75–76 | 80–87 | 71–90 | 59–92 |
| — | 98–100 | 89–78 | — | 78–87 | 98–88 | — | 75–104 | — | — | — | 61–88 |
| Rytas | 109–104 | 71–78 | 102–72 | 98–77 | 93–67 | 88–92 | 118–73 | — | 107–101 | 77–88 | 76–88 | 89–85 |
| 92–91 | — | 91–65 | — | — | 99–93 | — | — | 109–84 | 103–101 | 102–98 | — |
| Šiauliai | 85–88 | 85–89 | 92–99 | 97–89 | 61–60 | 95–107 | 81–65 | 80–85 | — | 85–92 | 107–102 | 75–93 |
| 80–89 | 73–84 | — | 114–87 | 87–89 | — | 95–89 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Uniclub Casino – Juventus | 87–84 | 88–78 | 92–90 | 94–76 | 95–77 | 84–85 | 93–77 | 88–90 | 85–84 | — | 81–86 | 67–78 |
| 91–93 | — | — | 86–90 | 85–83 | — | 84–81 | — | 89–80 | — | — | — |
| Wolves | 80–86 | 94–99 | 96–82 | 79–70 | 79–63 | 94–73 | 76–69 | 89–91 | 89–78 | 95–68 | — | 80–75 |
| 70–65 | — | — | 94–58 | — | — | 94–63 | — | 83–73 | 106–79 | — | — |
| Žalgiris | 85–77 | 76–80 | 86–74 | 86–80 | 77–46 | 93–75 | 84–61 | 94–100 | 96–60 | 109–76 | 90–85 | — |
| — | — | 96–70 | — | — | 95–89 | — | 81–75 | 84–60 | 92–78 | 71–65 | — |

## Playoffs

Quarterfinals will be played in a best–of–three format, while the semifinals, third place game and final in a best-of-five format.

### Bracket

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| Žalgiris | Žalgiris | Žalgiris | 90 | 92 | – | | | | | | |
| Nevėžis–Optibet | Nevėžis–Optibet | Nevėžis–Optibet | 71 | 86 | – | | | | | | |
| Nevėžis–Optibet | Nevėžis–Optibet | Nevėžis–Optibet | 71 | 86 | – | Žalgiris | 69 | 86 | 66 | 95 | – |
| | | | | | | 7Bet–Lietkabelis | 58 | 83 | 67 | 66 | – |
| 7Bet–Lietkabelis | 7Bet–Lietkabelis | 7Bet–Lietkabelis | 85 | 77 | 101 | 7Bet–Lietkabelis | 58 | 83 | 67 | 66 | – |
| Uniclub Casino – Juventus | Uniclub Casino – Juventus | Uniclub Casino – Juventus | 73 | 86 | 99 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Uniclub Casino – Juventus | Uniclub Casino – Juventus | Uniclub Casino – Juventus | 73 | 86 | 99 | | | | | | | Žalgiris | 108 | 71 | 95 | 68 | 97 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | Rytas | 93 | 94 | 80 | 69 | 87 |
| Rytas | Rytas | Rytas | 107 | 95 | – | | | | | | | Rytas | 93 | 94 | 80 | 69 | 87 |
| Neptūnas | Neptūnas | Neptūnas | 99 | 91 | – | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Neptūnas | Neptūnas | Neptūnas | 99 | 91 | – | Rytas | 82 | 82 | 90 | – | – | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | Cbet | 74 | 67 | 85 | – | – | Third place | Third place | Third place | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| Wolves | Wolves | Wolves | 76 | 75 | – | Cbet | 74 | 67 | 85 | – | – | Third place | Third place | Third place | Third place | Third place | Third place |
| Cbet | Cbet | Cbet | 80 | 80 | – | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Cbet | Cbet | Cbet | 80 | 80 | – | | | | | | | 7Bet–Lietkabelis | 80 | 88 | 63 | 75 | 84 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | Cbet | 89 | 87 | 82 | 55 | 72 |
* 2022–23 LKL champions
* Žalgiris (24th title)

## Final standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Žalgiris (C) | 44 | 36 | 8 | Already qualified to EuroLeague |
| 2 | Rytas | 43 | 34 | 9 | Qualification to Champions League regular season |
| 3 | 7Bet–Lietkabelis | 45 | 29 | 16 | Qualification to EuroCup |
| 4 | Cbet | 43 | 22 | 21 | Qualification to Champions League qualifying rounds |
| 5 | Wolves | 35 | 23 | 12 | Qualification to EuroCup |
| 6 | Uniclub Casino – Juventus | 36 | 19 | 17 | |
| 7 | Neptūnas | 35 | 16 | 19 | |
| 8 | Nevėžis–Optibet | 35 | 14 | 21 | |
| 9 | Šiauliai | 33 | 13 | 20 | |
| 10 | Pieno žvaigždės | 33 | 8 | 25 | |
| 11 | Gargždai | 33 | 6 | 27 | |
| 12 | Labas Gas (R) | 33 | 4 | 29 | Relegation to NKL |

## Statistics
### Average attendances

| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
| 1 | Žalgiris | 105,346 | 14,077 | 461 | 4,580 | +99.2%$^†$ |
| 2 | Lietkabelis | 50,865 | 3,970 | 1,099 | 2,211 | +15.7%$^†$ |
| 3 | Wolves | 33,513 | 3,957 | 1,145 | 1,971 | n/a$^1$ |
| 4 | Rytas | 39,120 | 2,579 | 1,015 | 1,778 | −16.8%$^†$ |
| 5 | Šiauliai | 28,007 | 5,037 | 991 | 1,750 | −17.3%$^†$ |
| 6 | Neptūnas | 28,543 | 4,422 | 511 | 1,585 | +65.6%$^†$ |
| 7 | Cbet Jonava | 26,844 | 2,200 | 631 | 1,278 | +63.2%$^†$ |
| 8 | Uniclub Casino – Juventus | 21,618 | 2,632 | 723 | 1,271 | +43.9%$^†$ |
| 9 | Nevėžis-OPTIBET | 15,126 | 2,195 | 450 | 889 | +61.3%$^†$ |
| 10 | Gargždai | 10,719 | 1,313 | 294 | 669 | +604.2%$^2$ |
| 11 | Labas GAS | 8,030 | 1,100 | 155 | 472 | +49.4%$^†$ |
| 12 | Pieno žvaigždės | 5,860 | 1,250 | 100 | 344 | −0.3%$^†$ |
| | League total | 373,591 | 14,077 | 100 | 1,667 | +34.5%$^†$ |
Source: LKL.LT Notes: 1: Team will make its debut. 2: Team played last season in NKL.

### Individual statistics
#### Rating

| Rank | Name | Team | Games | Rating | PIR |
| 1. | Ahmad Caver | Wolves | 33 | 671 | 20.33 |
| 2. | Jeff Garrett | Cbet Jonava | 43 | 822 | 19.12 |
| 3. | Martynas Echodas | Rytas | 23 | 439 | 19.09 |
Source: LKL.LT

#### Points

| Rank | Name | Team | Games | Points | PPG |
| 1. | Ahmad Caver | Wolves | 33 | 564 | 17.09 |
| 2. | Deshawn Freeman | Nevėžis–OPTIBET | 21 | 351 | 16.71 |
| 3. | Marcus Foster | Rytas | 37 | 612 | 16.54 |
Source: LKL.LT

#### Rebounds

| Rank | Name | Team | Games | Rebounds | RPG |
| 1. | Austin Wiley | Neptūnas | 23 | 205 | 8.91 |
| 2. | Giedrius Staniulis | Gargždai | 26 | 198 | 7.62 |
| 3. | Tim Lambrecht | Nevėžis–OPTIBET | 35 | 264 | 7.54 |
Source: LKL.LT

#### Assists

| Rank | Name | Team | Games | Assists | APG |
| 1. | Donatas Sabeckis | Šiauliai | 31 | 217 | 7.00 |
| 2. | Žygimantas Janavičius | Neptūnas | 32 | 192 | 6.03 |
| 3. | Ahmad Caver | Wolves | 33 | 191 | 5.79 |
Source: LKL.LT

#### Other statistics

| Category | Player | Team | Games | Average |
| Steals | Alex Hamilton | Uniclub Casino – Juventus | 21 | 2.52 |
| Blocks | Reggie Lynch | Uniclub Casino – Juventus | 21 | 2.24 |
| Turnovers | Joshua Newkirk | Gargždai | 33 | 3.18 |
| Fouls drawn | Artūrs Žagars | Nevėžis–OPTIBET | 22 | 5.50 |
| Minutes | Joshua Newkirk | Gargždai | 33 | 32:41 |
| FT % | Stefan Peno | Lietkabelis | 24 | 94.12% |
| 2-Point % | Laurynas Birutis | Žalgiris | 42 | 75.46% |
| 3-Point % | Kevarrius Hayes | Žalgiris | 42 | 50.00% |
| 3-Point % | Julius Jucikas | Pieno žvaigždės | 20 | 50.00% |
Source: LKL.LT

### Individual game highs

| Category | Player | Team | Opponent | Statistic |
| Rating | Tim Lambrecht | Nevėžis–OPTIBET | Labas Gas (Mar 25, 2023) | 45 |
| Points | Mindaugas Girdžiūnas | Neptūnas | Nevėžis–OPTIBET (Dec 12, 2022) | 40 |
| Rebounds | Austin Wiley | Neptūnas | Labas Gas (Dec 21, 2022) | 24 |
| Assists | Donatas Sabeckis | Šiauliai | Nevėžis–OPTIBET (May 8, 2023) | 14 |
| Steals | Evaldas Šaulys | Pieno žvaigždės | Uniclub Casino – Juventus (Dec 22, 2022) | 7 |
| Steals | Alex Hamilton | Uniclub Casino – Juventus | Žalgiris (Feb 15, 2023) | 7 |
| Blocks | Reggie Lynch | Uniclub Casino – Juventus | Labas Gas (Mar 18, 2023) | 9 |
Source: LKL.LT

### Team statistics

| Category | Team | Average |
| Rating | Rytas | 105.98 |
| Points | Rytas | 91.84 |
| Rebounds | Rytas | 37.88 |
| Assists | Žalgiris | 20.70 |
| Steals | Cbet Jonava | 8.93 |
| Blocks | Neptūnas | 3.23 |
| Turnovers | Uniclub Casino – Juventus | 15.78 |
| FT % | Žalgiris | 78.55% |
| 2-Point % | Žalgiris | 60.32% |
| 3-Point % | Wolves | 38.08% |
Source: LKL.LT

## Awards

All official awards of the 2022-23 LKL season.

### Regular Season MVP

| Pos. | Player | Team | Source |
| PG | Ahmad Caver | Wolves | |

### LKL Finals MVP

| Pos. | Player | Team | Source |
| PG | Isaiah Taylor | Žalgiris | |

### All-LKL Team

| Pos. | Player | Team |
| PG | Ahmad Caver | Wolves |
| SG | Marcus Foster | Rytas |
| SF | Jeffery Garrett | Cbet Jonava |
| PF | Martynas Echodas | Rytas |
| C | Laurynas Birutis | Žalgiris |

### Coach of the Year

| Coach | Team | Source |
| Virginijus Šeškus | Cbet Jonava | |

### Breakthrough of the Year

| Player | Team | Source |
| Matas Jogėla | Neptūnas | |

### Referee of the year

| Referee | Source |
| Gytis Vilius | |

### "Fair play" award for gentlemanliness in sport and life

| Team | Source |
| Žalgiris | |

### Player of the month

| Month | Player | Team | PIR |
| 2022 |||||
| October | Jeff Garrett | Cbet Jonava | 19.8 |
| November | Giedrius Staniulis | Gargždai | 23.5 |
| December | Gytis Radzevičius | Rytas | 25.7 |
| 2023 |||||
| January | Martynas Echodas | Rytas | 27 |
| February | Deshawn Freeman | Nevėžis–OPTIBET | 28 |
| March | Tim Lambrecht | Nevėžis–OPTIBET | 31.5 |
| April | Tim Lambrecht | Nevėžis–OPTIBET | 22.9 |

## Lithuanian clubs in European competitions

| Team | Competition | Progress |
| Žalgiris | EuroLeague | Playoffs |
| Lietkabelis | EuroCup | Eighthfinals |
| Rytas | Champions League | Round of 16 |
| Šiauliai | Champions League | Qualifying rounds |
| Cbet Jonava | FIBA Europe Cup | Qualifying rounds |
| Wolves | FIBA Europe Cup | Qualifying rounds |

## Lithuanian clubs in Regional competitions

| Team | Competition | Progress |
| Wolves | European North Basketball League | Runners-up |
| Šiauliai | European North Basketball League | Regular Season |