Matt Thomas joins Rytas Vilnius for the rest of the season

Rytas Vilnius has signed 32-year-old American guard Matt Thomas to strengthen its backcourt. The club announced on Saturday that it had signed the player, who has NBA and EuroLeague experience, through the end of the current season. Thomas wore the Unicaja Malaga jersey in Spain this season.

Thomas played for three NBA teams during his career. In EuroLeague, he represented Panathinaikos and ALBA Berlin. In 2019, he won the EuroCup title with Valencia Basket. During Valencia's successful EuroCup campaign, statistics showed that the player posted a 99 percent effective shooting accuracy on open-position shots. This figure led to the nickname "Mr. 99%".

Thomas has appeared in two Basketball Champions League games this season, averaging 11.5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist per game. He made 70 percent of his three-point attempts. He delivered his standout performance on November 3 against Pallacanestro Reggiana, scoring 20 points in 19 minutes and making six of nine three-point attempts.

Rytas Vilnius Sporting Director Artūras Jomantas said that Thomas would add new options to the team's offense while evaluating the player. Jomantas described Thomas's ability to take difficult shots, his quick decision-making and his high-level experience as qualities the team was looking for.