Title hopes and dark horses: who’s going to win the EuroLeague?
Nothing is certain in the EuroLeague except that ALBA Berlin will likely be the last in the standings or close to it. With the new season starting on October 3rd, there’s plenty of excitement, as clubs have been busy over the summer: some have reinvented themselves, while others added just the missing piece needed to complete their puzzle.
Anyone expecting to find out which club will lift the trophy next May will be disappointed. Even if one wanted to predict the winner, it’s impossible, as there are too many strong candidates and the margins are small. Or, as athletes say: “In the end, the devil is in the details.”
Let’s start with the reigning champions, Panathinaikos Athens. Instead of resting on their laurels and sticking with the same roster, the club spent millions, acquiring Lorenzo Brown from Maccabi Tel Aviv and bringing in two Turks from the NBA: Ömer Yurtseven and Cedi Osman.
Since Panathinaikos’ head coach is the Turkish national team coach, Ergin Ataman, it’s clear why Osman and Yurtseven returned to the Old World with the team that won its seventh EuroLeague title last spring.
Olympiacos got their man
Panathinaikos’ recruitment policy is an excellent example of three trends visible in the transfer market. First, European clubs have never brought in so many players directly from the NBA in one summer. Second, money is far from disappearing from European top-tier basketball. Third, clubs are increasingly aiming to build teams with as much depth and quality as possible.
For example, there’s no doubt that Panathinaikos’ backcourt stars remain Kostas Sloukas and Kendrick Nunn, but with the addition of Brown, if either of the two struggles with health or form, the team won’t suffer one bit.
Real Madrid, always a contender for the title, has been the benchmark for depth for years. After losing the Spanish Supercup final to Unicaja Malaga, head coach Chus Mateo admitted the club needs reinforcements, as Real cannot survive an approximately 90-game season otherwise.
The Spanish royal club needs additional help in the backcourt, as only two new players, Andres Feliz, and Xavier Rathan-Mayes, have been added after Carlos Alocén, Sergio Rodriguez, Rudy Fernandez, and Fabien Causeur’s departures or retirements.
Perhaps Mateo would also like some reinforcements on the forward positions, where Guerschon Yabusele’s surprising return to the NBA after a brilliant campaign in the Olympics caught Real off-guard.
Panathinaikos’ eternal rival, Olympiacos, lost four players over the summer, though only Isaiah Canaan had a significant role. However, their additions are stunning: Aleksandar Vezenkov returned from the NBA, and Tyler Dorsey, Evan Fournier, Luca Vildoza, and Keenan Evans were brought in to score points in the backcourt.
The lack of offensive firepower in the backcourt was Olympiacos’ Achilles’ heel last season. Dorsey is inconsistent but can be fantastic on his day; Fournier returns to Europe after 12 seasons in the NBA and is, theoretically, precisely what Olympiacos needed; Vildoza has the potential to be a top EuroLeague player but hasn’t found his footing since returning from the NBA; Evans has been sidelined for several months with a knee injury.
Fenerbahce Istanbul took advantage of Maccabi’s poor situation, bringing in Wade Baldwin and Bonzie Colson. They also revamped their center position, adding Nicolo Melli, Khem Birch, and the 224 cm tall Boban Marjanovic, who spent years in the NBA. Head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius added three defensive-minded centers, with Birch and Marjanovic being excellent rim protectors.
To top it off, you can’t underestimate Barcelona, who has a new head coach, Joan Penarroya, and a deeper, higher-quality team. The same applies to Monaco.
A new-look Partizan
As dark horses, one should look at two teams coached by legendary figures: Zeljko Obradovic’s Partizan Belgrade and Ettore Messina’s Olimpia Milano.
Partizan, which won nothing last season, practically rebuilt the entire squad. The only one to keep his place was Balsa Koprivica, the backup center to the backup center. Sure, considering names on the paper, the Belgrade club doesn’t seem as powerful as Panathinaikos, Olympiacos, or Real, but…
Obradovic is Obradovic, and as he mentioned this summer, he has rarely been in a situation where his club’s budget is the largest in the EuroLeague. Nonetheless, the Serbian coach has nine titles with five different teams.
In other words, Obradovic can deliver fantastic results without a lineup full of stars. Take, for example, the season before last, when the only star in his squad before the ball was tipped was now-Barcelona player Kevin Punter.
That season ended with Partizan one win away from the EuroLeague Final Four, Lessort rising to become one of the EuroLeague’s top centers, and Dante Exum playing so well that he earned his way back to the NBA.
Partizan has built a team with both youth and experience. If one had to describe the squad in one word, it would be “dynamic,” as Obradovic has versatile and mobile players in every position.
It will be exciting to see how Carlik Jones performs. The South Sudanese point guard proved himself a high-quality player at the World Cup and the Olympics, and alongside center Brandon Davies, he has been Partizan’s standout performer in preseason matchups.
Messina’s last chance?
Ettore Messina, who has “only” won four EuroLeague titles, is often seen as a dinosaur with no business coaching in today’s game. In the last couple of seasons, his teams haven’t exactly played beautiful basketball, but the Italian hasn’t had the player to bring his system to life.
Messina needs the right point guard for that, and for this purpose, he recruited Nenad Dimitrijevic. He became a star in Russia and was named MVP of the Italian Supercup, which Milano won this last weekend. LeDay is back, and the new starting center is Josh Nebo.
Considering Shavon Shields and Nikola Mirotic continue on the forward slots, Milano’s starting five is one of the best in the Old World and can hold its own against Panathinaikos and other favorites. But can Messina mold the team into a united force, and is the bench deep enough to fight for the title? The answers are maybe and no, respectively.
But don’t count Milano out before the season starts. Since Messina likes to play his stars 30+ minutes a game, depth may not even be that important. After all, Ataman used his core players a ton last season but still won the EuroLeague and the Greek championship.
On the other hand, don’t raise your eyebrows if Milano starts the season with two wins and six losses and Messina’s seat starts to wobble.
Again.
