VALENCIA (Liga Endesa/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Mindaugas Kuzminskas is a wiry, 2.04m small forward with tantalizing skills.

If you area fan of international basketball, then you know him well because he plays for one of the most famous sides in the world, Lithuania.

You might remember that he was the player that shone brightest on 11 September at the FIBA Basketball World Cup against the United States in Barcelona.

In that Semi-Final, the one player the USA never managed to get to grips with was Kuzminskas, who had 15 points and finished a rebound shy of a double-double.

When he emerged from the Unicaja Malaga locker room on Sunday night after an 18-point, six-rebound performance in a convincing 75-64 victory at Valencia Basket, one could not help but remember his great game against the USA.

"But we lost (to the USA, 96-78) so your individual performance is nothing," he said to FIBA.com.

Still, it was an individual effort that Kuzminskas does remember.

"That game was one of the best for me in that World Cup," he said.

"I saw that those players are great players but they are also human.

"They are not like robots or something, and you can play against them, too."

Kuzminskas did not consistently put up solid numbers or receive big minutes for Lithuania at the World Cup, but he is likely to in the future.

He seems to be coming into his own this year with Unicaja, his second with the team.

In the Turkish Airlines Euroleague, he has hit double-figures in points in five of the team's six games, and Unicaja have benefitted by winning four of those.

Unicaja coach Joan Plaza, who coached Kuzminskas at Zalgiris in the 2012-13 season, has also been his boss for the Lithuanian's two years in Spain.

Last season, Plaza did not want to lean too much on the player in his first season away from home.

This year, it's been different. He is playing Kuzminskas 23 minutes per game in the Euroleague and 22 minutes per game in Spain.

"I've known him from my time in Lithuania and I think from the beginning, he's been improving," Plaza told FIBA.com. 

"Last year, he tested the first year outside of his country and it's quite difficult because I know there is a lot of pressure around the team in Malaga since they haven't done so well in recent years. 

"But he works like he's a guy that plays 30 minutes per game."

Plaza is a good coach for Kuzminskas, forcing him to stretch his comfort zone.

"It's true that I ask him to do things that he's not used to, like having him bring the ball up the floor or having him make decisions in our set plays on offense," Plaza said. 

"This is a process. I think he is growing and growing every day."

Plaza says that the opinion that Kuzminskas sometimes runs short of confidence is not accurate.

"No. When I arrived in Lithuania, he was a player that didn't have much responsibility within the team," he pointed out.

"The people thought that he could help the team but never have the capacity to do so as one of the five starters. 

"He was growing in the shadow of Tremmell Darden in the first part of the season and in the second part of the season, when we finally won the championship, he fit in like a starter.

"But you have to keep working. He's excellent and has a great personality. He is the first to arrive at practice and the last to leave."

While Plaza has high hopes for Kuzminskas, he admits the jury is still out on how far he will go.

"I really believe in this guy but it's true that before he makes one great jump in the future, he needs to be more mature and test himself (in big games)," said the coach. 

"We'll keep working and see what happens."

The amount of time that Plaza is giving Kuzminskas is proof that he believes in him.

"Practices and games are not the same," said the 25-year-old. "You are improving much more playing instead of practicing. What I've always said is that you shouldn't pick a team because of money (salary), you should pick a team where you are going to get playing time."

Kuzminskas is not a player that needs to have a pat on the back. He's already got a mature approach with respect to criticism.

"You can look from critics also because they can motivate you to work harder," he said.

Right now, Kuzminskas has an extra bounce in his step.

There is a lot to work on, and tough games ahead, but he appears to be on the right track.

"We are winning, playing better this year and I think I am improving as a player and as a person," he said. 

FIBA