Euroleague Group A preview and team-by-team analysis
The preview of the Group A of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague
GROUP A:
- FC Barcelona
The roster has seen a remarkable improvement from last year's Final Four team: in the frontcourt have been added Bostjan Nachbar, Maciej Lampe and Joey Dorsey to replace CJ Wallace and Nathan Jawai, while with Pete Mickeal gone, to fix the hole at the small forward position has been taken Kostas Papanikolau, one of the best European player in this spot.
From what we've seen in preseason, the backcourt is already well rounded despite the loss of Carlos Navarro, sidelined due to a minor foot injury: they execute well, play excellent defense especially with Papanikolaou and are a constant threat from three point range; Navarro's presence however will be needed in order to have another ball-handler in the backcourt, since Papanikolaou and Brad Oleson are not suited to beat the defender off the dribble and struggle to create from a static situation, while Alex Abrines plays mostly off the ball. Jacob Pullen could play also as a shooting guard and help in replacing Navarro, but as for now he still seems to be a little out of place, struggling a bit.
Probably what this team would have needed is an upgrade at the point guard position, with Huertas being a tremendous pick and roll player that however underperforms on defense and has struggled in the past in run the offense outside of pick and roll plays, and Sada being a tough and smart defender but too limited on the offensive end.
However the major force of this team is one of the best frontcourt in Europe, especially after the huge improvement made by Ante Tomic in terms of toughness and defensive impact: an essential player thanks to his both on-man and help defense, he would have a pivotal role in cover the defensive woes of Nachbar and Lampe. Behind Tomic, to improve the erratic defense in the paint, has been added Dorsey, a big, athletic and tough center that would be essential in defense and rebounding, a good fit in this frontcourt that however is fairly limited on offense.
- FC Barcelona
The roster has seen a remarkable improvement from last year's Final Four team: in the frontcourt have been added Bostjan Nachbar, Maciej Lampe and Joey Dorsey to replace CJ Wallace and Nathan Jawai, while with Pete Mickeal gone, to fix the hole at the small forward position has been taken Kostas Papanikolau, one of the best European player in this spot.
From what we've seen in preseason, the backcourt is already well rounded despite the loss of Carlos Navarro, sidelined due to a minor foot injury: they execute well, play excellent defense especially with Papanikolaou and are a constant threat from three point range; Navarro's presence however will be needed in order to have another ball-handler in the backcourt, since Papanikolaou and Brad Oleson are not suited to beat the defender off the dribble and struggle to create from a static situation, while Alex Abrines plays mostly off the ball. Jacob Pullen could play also as a shooting guard and help in replacing Navarro, but as for now he still seems to be a little out of place, struggling a bit.
Probably what this team would have needed is an upgrade at the point guard position, with Huertas being a tremendous pick and roll player that however underperforms on defense and has struggled in the past in run the offense outside of pick and roll plays, and Sada being a tough and smart defender but too limited on the offensive end.
However the major force of this team is one of the best frontcourt in Europe, especially after the huge improvement made by Ante Tomic in terms of toughness and defensive impact: an essential player thanks to his both on-man and help defense, he would have a pivotal role in cover the defensive woes of Nachbar and Lampe. Behind Tomic, to improve the erratic defense in the paint, has been added Dorsey, a big, athletic and tough center that would be essential in defense and rebounding, a good fit in this frontcourt that however is fairly limited on offense.
Lampe and Nachbar provides a complete offensive production at the 4, with the former that can play also at the 5 and the latter that could see some minutes at the 3, but they also have appeared to be too harmful on defense, especially when have to play together, as we seen for example in the very poor effort in Spanish Supercopa. That's something that Pascual will have to improve during the season, also hoping that Erazem Lorbek won't be the same that played in last season.
The roster is completed by young Marko Todorovic and Mario Hezonja, which seem to be too closed in this roster and will hardly earn consistent playing time in Euroleague.
Barcelona is battling some injuries, with Navarro just coming back on the court, Lorbek still facing a bothering knee issue and Oleson sidelined for two month because of a stress fracture in his right fibula, but they are a very deep and talented team with a powerful frontcourt that could easily repeat last year's Final Four run and aiming for the Euroleague title.
- CSKA Moscow
As coach Messina wrote in his last book: "But I also know that I cannot be in a hurry, because,as the great Aza Nikolic said, with a new coach and new players it takes at least one season to become a real team". That season is over, and CSKA has retained almost the entire playing roster while making three key additions with Kyle Hines, Jeremy Pargo and Vitaly Fridzon.
Hines is one of the best defensive big men in Europe (well, not so big), and as the last year's top offensive rebounder he fills a crucial lack in one of the worst teams in this area: a lack that has sometimes forced Messina to try playing Nenad Krstic along with Sasha Kaun, with mixed success, and with Hines this won't hopefully be necessary anymore. This is also a huge addition on the defensive end, since he has quick feet and is an excellent pick and roll defender that can switch on guards and also be effective in the paint against players three or four inches bigger than him, so he could have a pivotal role in avoiding mismatches in ISO situations.
Pargo is back to Europe after a two-year NBA experience: the former Euroleague All-Second Team member is an extremely athletic player that can score in one-on-one situations and run the pick and roll, and has also the physical tools to play defense against taller guards. He brings help in a role in which Aaron Jackson seemed to have too much pressure: last season Messina preferred to start with Khryapa playing as a small forward and Weems at the 2, but largelyutilized also a smaller backcourt with Weems, Jackson and Teodosic; Pargo will lessen Jackson's responsibilities and will guarantee a better on-man defense, maybe allowing the former Bilbao player to act mainly as an offensive spark off the bench, using his speed and creativity.
Finally Fridzon is a 'three-and-D' type of player, an outstanding shooter that, as a true specialist, takes a role that probably this team needed, since, despite having a good amount of three point shooters, sometimes seemed to lack a constant threat in shooting off the catch.
Sonny Weems and Victor Khryapa could really well be this team's most important players: Khryapa with his defensive versatility both in man and zone defense and his excellent passing ability, particularly crucial from the wing; Weems on the offensive end, with his ability to take advantage of the mismatches that CSKA frequently searches, as a complete player that can score easily in isolations, out of the pick and roll or in posting-up smaller guards. The heaviest pressure is however on Milos Teodosic: he stays in Moscow with a renewed trust, and in order to get the trophy he would finally have to step up at the right moment.
- Fenerbahçe Ulker
After a really troubled season, a stellar budget has allowed the Turkish powerhouse to assemble a tremendous roster and to bring in Zeljko Obradovic, putting them in the first row in order to gain the Euroleague title.
The starting five has an impressing offensive firepower, with a McCalebb-Bogdanovic backcourt, Linas Kleiza and Nemanja Bjelica on the wings and Luka Zoric inside the paint. To get Zoric, Fenerbahçe has paid to Malaga an almost 1 million € buyout, securing an assertive and smart player that could be crucial in Obradovic's pick and roll with his ability both to roll strong at the basket and to pop out from mid-range; he's also an assertive and tough player on defense, but sometimes foul troubles force him on the bench: not that the team has a poor bench, since Gasper Vidmar, Oguz Savas and Ilkan Karaman can all replace Zoric, but what seems to lack is another player with his offensive tools. Izzet Turkyilmaz completes the frontcourt: a complete scorer with an excellent outside shot, he will likely have small playing time in a loaded frontcourt, giving also his light frame that doesn't allow him to play the fifth spot.
In preseason Obradovic has played a good amount of minutes with Emir Preldzic as a forward, but having never played with the entire roster as soon as today it's hard to tell if that will be arecurrent situation or if Preldzic will need to help more in the backcourt, the way he did for example against Galatasaray, running the pick and roll in a small lineup with McCalebb playing off the ball and Mahmutoglu at the 3.
What's in fact a little puzzling is that a team so ambitious and with such an enormous budget has added so little in the backcourt: Bo McCalebb, that seemed to be unwanted, remains in Istanbul next to Bogdanovic, and the bench features only combo-guard Baris Ermis, experienced but injured Omer Onan, shooter Melih Mahmutoglu and young phenom Kenan Sipahi; not bad at all, but still you would expect some more from a team that is looking for the Euroleague title. Mahmutoglu is a very intriguing player, an outstanding shooter from beyond the arc and a good defender, really smart and assertive, and also is Sipahi, that has earned a lot of minutes in preseason after being the MVP at the FIBA Under 18 European Championship and having almost made the roster of the Turkish senior team in Slovenia, but still they have no Euroleague experience and therefore seems a little risky for this Fenerbahçe team to rely so heavily on them.
This is surely a strong team on the wings, and with Obradovic on the bench there's a little doubt about their future defensive prowess, a key improvement for one of the last season’s worst defensive team; but still there are also legit doubts about their depth both in the backcourt and in the paint.
- Budivelnik Kyiv
Ukrainian champions of Budivelnyk have made a good use of a 10 million € budget and a Euroleague License, bringing in a total of nine new players.
In preseason we've seen coach Bagatskis playing again with a two-point guard lineup: Janis Strelnieks has the most of playmaking responsibilities, as an excellent pick and roll player that can attack the rim and has also shown improvement in shooting from deep; Blake Ahearn is an astonishing shooter that plays more off the ball, nevertheless he himself can run the pick and roll, even though he basically can't attack the rim giving his poor physical presence. The two-point guard backcourt features also young Andriy Lebendintsev, that in preseason has earned a lot of minutes thanks to his assertiveness, IQ and personality, but giving his huge lack of experience he will hardly have all that playing time in Euroleague: more likely we'll seen a 'bigger' backcourt, with Ricky Minard or Micah Downs playing next to Artur Drozdov.
Drozdov is the core of this team, a tremendous all-around player and essential glue guy, and he's also their best defender: that's important, since with Blake Ahearn being totally a non-factor on the defensive end, the opponents' best backcourt player will be guarded mainly by Drozdov, or sometimes by Downs.
DaJuan Summers and Michail Anisimov are the two most likely starters in the frontcourt: Darjus Lavrinovic is a huge get and as the most experienced player in this roster he will earn a lot of minutes, but seems that Bagatskis prefers to start with a stretch four more similar to former starter Leo Lyons. Anisimov has a pivotal role in this team: despite being seven feet tall he has an extremely good footwork and is the centerpiece in Budivelnyk's defense with his ability to defend the pick and roll, to help and recover quickly and to intimidate in the paint; he's also a really good pick and roll player on the offensive end, and can play in the low post. Summers despite being not a shooter as good as Lyons is more athletic and can play defense: the problem is that he's not always focused and is a bit soft, and is a little risky for an Euroleague team to sign a player that has already shown a lot of trouble in adapting to European lifestyle.
The bench was a relevant lack that has been fixed well enough, particularly in the frontcourt where last year's only backup center was youngster Anikiienko: now Anisimov and Lavrinovic can play at the 5, while Lavrinovic himself and shooter Sergiy Gorbenko can replace Summers. In the backcourt Ricky Minard and Micah Downs bring in far more offensive production: Downs particularly is a tremendous athlete and highlight-reel dunker that is also improved in playing the pick and roll and shooting off the catch, he will guarantee an offensive spark from the bench and will likely have also important defensive tasks despite being surely not a lockdown defender.
This is a deeper and well-coached team but nonetheless the roster has a lot of question marks in order to compete in Euroleague: the starting backcourt is not bad at all but is still a step back from last year's one, Ahearn is a huge handicap on the defensive end, Summers and Ahearn himself have almost no European experience and the only players with Euroleague experience are Lavrinovic and Minard.
- Partizan mt:s Belgrade
Financial troubles hurt Partizan, but despite the painful loss of Vladimir Lucic and Nemanja Gordic they have been able to confirm the core of the team, while also adding experienced swingman Tarence Kinsey.
Kinsey is a huge addition: he will bring athleticism and a much needed ability to get to the rim, as the backcourt, other than him, lacks players that are able to constantly beat the defender; more important will be his contribution on the defensive end, where Kinsey is an excellent defender that can guard many type of players and could play three or four positions in the 1-3-1 zone defense.
In the backcourt there's not a player like Gordic: while his decision making was sometimes questionable, his quickness and ability to attack the basket were really important in last season’s ending. Behind Leo Westermann, at the point guard spot will probably play both Dragan Milosavljevic and Bogdan Bogdanovic, with maybe some playing time also for Boris Dallo, Partizan's latest French import. The shooting guard spot is really well covered with two tremendous all-around players such as Milosavljevic and Bogdanovic: they are excellent shooters and defenders, with high IQ and astonishing personality; behind them could play sometimes youngster Mihajlo Andric, a swingman that will act mostly as a shooting specialist.
Sometimes we could see some kind of 'small ball' with shooter Davis Bertans, who is recovering from a torn ACL, playing at the 4, but his skinny frame will probably request Kinsey to play defense against opponents' power forward.
Joffrey Lauvergne and Dejan Musli will start in the frontcourt, with the French forward that will probably be asked a bigger offensive role: he has shown to be a really tough player that can play defense and fight in the paint, but with his shooting touch and deep range he could surely become more of a threat in Partizan offense. At the opposite, Musli will provide a primary offensive option in the post with his soft touch, smooth moves and excellent fundamentals, but some defensive concern will limited a bit his minutes.
This leaves plenty of room for backup center Djordje Gagic, maybe the most underrated player in this team, as his rebounding contribution is fundamental, particularly on the offensive end; he's also a good defender that can play desome minutes alongside Musli, and can play both in the high and in the low post.
The younger roster in the Euroleague is nevertheless a real threat thanks to one of the best home court advantages and the coaching of Dusko Vujosevic: one of the best rebounding team in the competition, they are probably the frontrunner for the fourth spot in this Group A.
- JSF Nanterre
The French Cinderella has greatly improved the roster despite the relatively low budget, but has also lost her best player in David Lighty; to replace him, they had firstly chosen former NBA player Travis Leslie, a great athlete that however lacked the technical profile and the experience required to play at the shooting guard spot. So they released him and decided to sign Ukrainian swingman Sergiy Gladyr: mainly known for his outstanding shooting ability from three point range, he's a fairly underrated athlete and all-around player that understand the game and can play defense. He will replace Lighty in the starting five, and is surely a better fit than Leslie, but nevertheless the former Ohio State player is a difficult one to replace in Nanterre's game-plan:
Gladyr is not as smooth and creative with the ball and will struggle in playing the pick and roll the way Lighty used to, nor will be as effective as him in playing as a 'false four' in the kind of small-ball that sometimes coach Donnadieu utilizes with fairly good effects. Anyway, having guys like Gladyr or Deshaun Thomas on the perimeter will likely be a huge advantage for a team that rely so heavily on three point shooting and is able to create a good amount of open looks.
Along with Gladyr, lately there has been another key addition: with youngster Mouhammadou Jaiteh struggling a bit in preseason, the team has been able to persuade center Ali Traore to join them. Behind Traoré, in the depth chart there are Jaiteh himself and Johan Passave-Ducteil, an undersized but extremely tough player that was last year's starting center and will probably play a good amount of minutes because of Jaiteh inexperience; there's no more Juan Palacios' defense, but the 5 spot seems to be covered well enough.
Will Daniels returns to Nanterre to start at the 4, and he will likely have a pivotal role with his athleticism, defense and ability to attack the basket; even though Stephen Brun's experience and shooting ability will be missed, the aforementioned Thomas is an heck of a scorer that can bring an important shooting contribution to fill Daniels' lack. Donnadieu could play both Daniels and Thomas together, but is more likely that he will continue to play mostly with his tremendous ‘small’ backcourt, even with a '4-guards' lineup with Gladyr playing the four along with three between Meacham, Nzeulie, Lisch and Judith.
After the breakout performances in French Finals, Jeremy Nzeulie replaces captain Xavier Corosine (that however is recovering from a minor injury) in the starting five alongside smart playmaker Trent Meacham. Off the bench will have a key role in the backcourt Meacham's brother-in-law, lefty combo-guard Kevin Lisch: an excellent shooter from deep both off the catch and off the dribble and a hard-nosed defender, he's not that athletic but is extremely crafty and fearless in attacking the rim, while his IQ and ball-handling skills allows him to play also at the point guard spot; a more reliable playmaker than Chris Warren, despite not having his quickness, with his ability both as a finisher or as a facilitator he could be the 'x-factor' in Nanterre's backcourt.
Anyway this is his first season in Europe, having played mostly in Australian NBL: he could very well struggle in adapting to Euroleague competition, and what's worse he's actually sidelined until mid-November. To replace Lisch, the French team has signed Je'Kel Foster.
Nanterre will hardly get the Top 16, given their huge lack of experience and their too light frontcourt, but they nevertheless have been able to assemble a good roster despite the low budget and have a really good coach in Pascal Donnadieu: don't assume that they will finish at the last spot, even in this loaded Group A.
The roster is completed by young Marko Todorovic and Mario Hezonja, which seem to be too closed in this roster and will hardly earn consistent playing time in Euroleague.
Barcelona is battling some injuries, with Navarro just coming back on the court, Lorbek still facing a bothering knee issue and Oleson sidelined for two month because of a stress fracture in his right fibula, but they are a very deep and talented team with a powerful frontcourt that could easily repeat last year's Final Four run and aiming for the Euroleague title.
- CSKA Moscow
As coach Messina wrote in his last book: "But I also know that I cannot be in a hurry, because,as the great Aza Nikolic said, with a new coach and new players it takes at least one season to become a real team". That season is over, and CSKA has retained almost the entire playing roster while making three key additions with Kyle Hines, Jeremy Pargo and Vitaly Fridzon.
Hines is one of the best defensive big men in Europe (well, not so big), and as the last year's top offensive rebounder he fills a crucial lack in one of the worst teams in this area: a lack that has sometimes forced Messina to try playing Nenad Krstic along with Sasha Kaun, with mixed success, and with Hines this won't hopefully be necessary anymore. This is also a huge addition on the defensive end, since he has quick feet and is an excellent pick and roll defender that can switch on guards and also be effective in the paint against players three or four inches bigger than him, so he could have a pivotal role in avoiding mismatches in ISO situations.
Pargo is back to Europe after a two-year NBA experience: the former Euroleague All-Second Team member is an extremely athletic player that can score in one-on-one situations and run the pick and roll, and has also the physical tools to play defense against taller guards. He brings help in a role in which Aaron Jackson seemed to have too much pressure: last season Messina preferred to start with Khryapa playing as a small forward and Weems at the 2, but largelyutilized also a smaller backcourt with Weems, Jackson and Teodosic; Pargo will lessen Jackson's responsibilities and will guarantee a better on-man defense, maybe allowing the former Bilbao player to act mainly as an offensive spark off the bench, using his speed and creativity.
Finally Fridzon is a 'three-and-D' type of player, an outstanding shooter that, as a true specialist, takes a role that probably this team needed, since, despite having a good amount of three point shooters, sometimes seemed to lack a constant threat in shooting off the catch.
Sonny Weems and Victor Khryapa could really well be this team's most important players: Khryapa with his defensive versatility both in man and zone defense and his excellent passing ability, particularly crucial from the wing; Weems on the offensive end, with his ability to take advantage of the mismatches that CSKA frequently searches, as a complete player that can score easily in isolations, out of the pick and roll or in posting-up smaller guards. The heaviest pressure is however on Milos Teodosic: he stays in Moscow with a renewed trust, and in order to get the trophy he would finally have to step up at the right moment.
- Fenerbahçe Ulker
After a really troubled season, a stellar budget has allowed the Turkish powerhouse to assemble a tremendous roster and to bring in Zeljko Obradovic, putting them in the first row in order to gain the Euroleague title.
The starting five has an impressing offensive firepower, with a McCalebb-Bogdanovic backcourt, Linas Kleiza and Nemanja Bjelica on the wings and Luka Zoric inside the paint. To get Zoric, Fenerbahçe has paid to Malaga an almost 1 million € buyout, securing an assertive and smart player that could be crucial in Obradovic's pick and roll with his ability both to roll strong at the basket and to pop out from mid-range; he's also an assertive and tough player on defense, but sometimes foul troubles force him on the bench: not that the team has a poor bench, since Gasper Vidmar, Oguz Savas and Ilkan Karaman can all replace Zoric, but what seems to lack is another player with his offensive tools. Izzet Turkyilmaz completes the frontcourt: a complete scorer with an excellent outside shot, he will likely have small playing time in a loaded frontcourt, giving also his light frame that doesn't allow him to play the fifth spot.
In preseason Obradovic has played a good amount of minutes with Emir Preldzic as a forward, but having never played with the entire roster as soon as today it's hard to tell if that will be arecurrent situation or if Preldzic will need to help more in the backcourt, the way he did for example against Galatasaray, running the pick and roll in a small lineup with McCalebb playing off the ball and Mahmutoglu at the 3.
What's in fact a little puzzling is that a team so ambitious and with such an enormous budget has added so little in the backcourt: Bo McCalebb, that seemed to be unwanted, remains in Istanbul next to Bogdanovic, and the bench features only combo-guard Baris Ermis, experienced but injured Omer Onan, shooter Melih Mahmutoglu and young phenom Kenan Sipahi; not bad at all, but still you would expect some more from a team that is looking for the Euroleague title. Mahmutoglu is a very intriguing player, an outstanding shooter from beyond the arc and a good defender, really smart and assertive, and also is Sipahi, that has earned a lot of minutes in preseason after being the MVP at the FIBA Under 18 European Championship and having almost made the roster of the Turkish senior team in Slovenia, but still they have no Euroleague experience and therefore seems a little risky for this Fenerbahçe team to rely so heavily on them.
This is surely a strong team on the wings, and with Obradovic on the bench there's a little doubt about their future defensive prowess, a key improvement for one of the last season’s worst defensive team; but still there are also legit doubts about their depth both in the backcourt and in the paint.
- Budivelnik Kyiv
Ukrainian champions of Budivelnyk have made a good use of a 10 million € budget and a Euroleague License, bringing in a total of nine new players.
In preseason we've seen coach Bagatskis playing again with a two-point guard lineup: Janis Strelnieks has the most of playmaking responsibilities, as an excellent pick and roll player that can attack the rim and has also shown improvement in shooting from deep; Blake Ahearn is an astonishing shooter that plays more off the ball, nevertheless he himself can run the pick and roll, even though he basically can't attack the rim giving his poor physical presence. The two-point guard backcourt features also young Andriy Lebendintsev, that in preseason has earned a lot of minutes thanks to his assertiveness, IQ and personality, but giving his huge lack of experience he will hardly have all that playing time in Euroleague: more likely we'll seen a 'bigger' backcourt, with Ricky Minard or Micah Downs playing next to Artur Drozdov.
Drozdov is the core of this team, a tremendous all-around player and essential glue guy, and he's also their best defender: that's important, since with Blake Ahearn being totally a non-factor on the defensive end, the opponents' best backcourt player will be guarded mainly by Drozdov, or sometimes by Downs.
DaJuan Summers and Michail Anisimov are the two most likely starters in the frontcourt: Darjus Lavrinovic is a huge get and as the most experienced player in this roster he will earn a lot of minutes, but seems that Bagatskis prefers to start with a stretch four more similar to former starter Leo Lyons. Anisimov has a pivotal role in this team: despite being seven feet tall he has an extremely good footwork and is the centerpiece in Budivelnyk's defense with his ability to defend the pick and roll, to help and recover quickly and to intimidate in the paint; he's also a really good pick and roll player on the offensive end, and can play in the low post. Summers despite being not a shooter as good as Lyons is more athletic and can play defense: the problem is that he's not always focused and is a bit soft, and is a little risky for an Euroleague team to sign a player that has already shown a lot of trouble in adapting to European lifestyle.
The bench was a relevant lack that has been fixed well enough, particularly in the frontcourt where last year's only backup center was youngster Anikiienko: now Anisimov and Lavrinovic can play at the 5, while Lavrinovic himself and shooter Sergiy Gorbenko can replace Summers. In the backcourt Ricky Minard and Micah Downs bring in far more offensive production: Downs particularly is a tremendous athlete and highlight-reel dunker that is also improved in playing the pick and roll and shooting off the catch, he will guarantee an offensive spark from the bench and will likely have also important defensive tasks despite being surely not a lockdown defender.
This is a deeper and well-coached team but nonetheless the roster has a lot of question marks in order to compete in Euroleague: the starting backcourt is not bad at all but is still a step back from last year's one, Ahearn is a huge handicap on the defensive end, Summers and Ahearn himself have almost no European experience and the only players with Euroleague experience are Lavrinovic and Minard.
- Partizan mt:s Belgrade
Financial troubles hurt Partizan, but despite the painful loss of Vladimir Lucic and Nemanja Gordic they have been able to confirm the core of the team, while also adding experienced swingman Tarence Kinsey.
Kinsey is a huge addition: he will bring athleticism and a much needed ability to get to the rim, as the backcourt, other than him, lacks players that are able to constantly beat the defender; more important will be his contribution on the defensive end, where Kinsey is an excellent defender that can guard many type of players and could play three or four positions in the 1-3-1 zone defense.
In the backcourt there's not a player like Gordic: while his decision making was sometimes questionable, his quickness and ability to attack the basket were really important in last season’s ending. Behind Leo Westermann, at the point guard spot will probably play both Dragan Milosavljevic and Bogdan Bogdanovic, with maybe some playing time also for Boris Dallo, Partizan's latest French import. The shooting guard spot is really well covered with two tremendous all-around players such as Milosavljevic and Bogdanovic: they are excellent shooters and defenders, with high IQ and astonishing personality; behind them could play sometimes youngster Mihajlo Andric, a swingman that will act mostly as a shooting specialist.
Sometimes we could see some kind of 'small ball' with shooter Davis Bertans, who is recovering from a torn ACL, playing at the 4, but his skinny frame will probably request Kinsey to play defense against opponents' power forward.
Joffrey Lauvergne and Dejan Musli will start in the frontcourt, with the French forward that will probably be asked a bigger offensive role: he has shown to be a really tough player that can play defense and fight in the paint, but with his shooting touch and deep range he could surely become more of a threat in Partizan offense. At the opposite, Musli will provide a primary offensive option in the post with his soft touch, smooth moves and excellent fundamentals, but some defensive concern will limited a bit his minutes.
This leaves plenty of room for backup center Djordje Gagic, maybe the most underrated player in this team, as his rebounding contribution is fundamental, particularly on the offensive end; he's also a good defender that can play desome minutes alongside Musli, and can play both in the high and in the low post.
The younger roster in the Euroleague is nevertheless a real threat thanks to one of the best home court advantages and the coaching of Dusko Vujosevic: one of the best rebounding team in the competition, they are probably the frontrunner for the fourth spot in this Group A.
- JSF Nanterre
The French Cinderella has greatly improved the roster despite the relatively low budget, but has also lost her best player in David Lighty; to replace him, they had firstly chosen former NBA player Travis Leslie, a great athlete that however lacked the technical profile and the experience required to play at the shooting guard spot. So they released him and decided to sign Ukrainian swingman Sergiy Gladyr: mainly known for his outstanding shooting ability from three point range, he's a fairly underrated athlete and all-around player that understand the game and can play defense. He will replace Lighty in the starting five, and is surely a better fit than Leslie, but nevertheless the former Ohio State player is a difficult one to replace in Nanterre's game-plan:
Gladyr is not as smooth and creative with the ball and will struggle in playing the pick and roll the way Lighty used to, nor will be as effective as him in playing as a 'false four' in the kind of small-ball that sometimes coach Donnadieu utilizes with fairly good effects. Anyway, having guys like Gladyr or Deshaun Thomas on the perimeter will likely be a huge advantage for a team that rely so heavily on three point shooting and is able to create a good amount of open looks.
Along with Gladyr, lately there has been another key addition: with youngster Mouhammadou Jaiteh struggling a bit in preseason, the team has been able to persuade center Ali Traore to join them. Behind Traoré, in the depth chart there are Jaiteh himself and Johan Passave-Ducteil, an undersized but extremely tough player that was last year's starting center and will probably play a good amount of minutes because of Jaiteh inexperience; there's no more Juan Palacios' defense, but the 5 spot seems to be covered well enough.
Will Daniels returns to Nanterre to start at the 4, and he will likely have a pivotal role with his athleticism, defense and ability to attack the basket; even though Stephen Brun's experience and shooting ability will be missed, the aforementioned Thomas is an heck of a scorer that can bring an important shooting contribution to fill Daniels' lack. Donnadieu could play both Daniels and Thomas together, but is more likely that he will continue to play mostly with his tremendous ‘small’ backcourt, even with a '4-guards' lineup with Gladyr playing the four along with three between Meacham, Nzeulie, Lisch and Judith.
After the breakout performances in French Finals, Jeremy Nzeulie replaces captain Xavier Corosine (that however is recovering from a minor injury) in the starting five alongside smart playmaker Trent Meacham. Off the bench will have a key role in the backcourt Meacham's brother-in-law, lefty combo-guard Kevin Lisch: an excellent shooter from deep both off the catch and off the dribble and a hard-nosed defender, he's not that athletic but is extremely crafty and fearless in attacking the rim, while his IQ and ball-handling skills allows him to play also at the point guard spot; a more reliable playmaker than Chris Warren, despite not having his quickness, with his ability both as a finisher or as a facilitator he could be the 'x-factor' in Nanterre's backcourt.
Anyway this is his first season in Europe, having played mostly in Australian NBL: he could very well struggle in adapting to Euroleague competition, and what's worse he's actually sidelined until mid-November. To replace Lisch, the French team has signed Je'Kel Foster.
Nanterre will hardly get the Top 16, given their huge lack of experience and their too light frontcourt, but they nevertheless have been able to assemble a good roster despite the low budget and have a really good coach in Pascal Donnadieu: don't assume that they will finish at the last spot, even in this loaded Group A.
E. Carchia
@Sportando
You must be registered to post a comment