Euroleague Group B preview and team-by-team analysis

GROUP B:

- Real Madrid

Last year's Euroleague runner-up will compete again for this year's trophy. In order to do that, they have reinforced the center position with a couple of key additions and have retained basically the entire amazing backcourt, confirming also an excellent role player as Tremmell Darden.

Darden, who couldn't play in Euroleague last year, had a pivotal role in ACB playoffs and replaces a disappointing Carlos Suarez, who is headed to Malaga, in the starting five; he's a perfect fit next to Real Madrid guards, as a tremendous athlete and lockdown defender that can guard multiple positions and help significantly in rebounding. Behind Darden we'll see more minutes at the 3 for Rudy Fernandez and maybe some playing time for Dani Diez, who returns to Madrid after last season's loan to San Sebastian.

Other than Fernandez, the backcourt will feature again Sergio Llull at the point, with a good amount of minutes also at the shooting guard spot when Sergio Rodriguez is on the court; in the last year Rodriguez has played the best basketball of his career, and will have again a pivotal role thanks to his ability to set his teammates up, control the tempo of the game and provide a change of pace off the bench. There are not many European teams that can start off the bench a player like him, and overall Real Madrid has surely one of the best point guard group, giving also the presence of Dontaye Draper that can provide quickness and good defense. Anotherfundamental player coming off the bench is still Jaycee Carroll, one of the best shooter in Europe that runs tirelessly off screens and can make quick points in a while.

In the frontcourt they have chosen to put next to Nikola Mirotic a true center like Ioannis Bourousis, a terrific post player and Euroleague veteran that will bring that much-needed offensive presence in the paint; however there are legit doubts about his adaptability to Real Madrid game, since he seems not perfectly suited to the team's preferred pace and in order to be effective he could request more possessions than Pablo Laso is able to give him. What's more, he's a bad pick and roll defender and offensive rebounder, something that could really hurt the team when he's on the court and could suggest Laso to limit his playing time more than Bourousis himself would bear; in fact, in Spanish Supercopa this team has been killed by Huertas' pick and roll plays, while Tomic has been stopped only by his own fouls troubles, and Real Madrid has seemed to be more comfortable in playing one between Marcus Slaughter and captain Felipe Reyes or even both of them, who can guarantee high level defense and rebounding presence. Obviously Bourousis is an upgrade at the center position and not a liability to the team, and his struggles are surely understandable at this point of the season, but his fit to the team is also something that will require a good work by the coaching staff.

Tunisian center Salah Mejri completes the frontcourt, and despite some foul trouble and his little experience that will likely limit his playing time he's anyway an intriguing addition: as an athletic seven footer with incredible quickness and agility, Mejri is a massive defensive presence and an effective threat in attacking the basket.


- Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Last season this team went five minutes short from a Final Four trip in a road Game 5 against eventual champions of Olympiacos: a strong rebounding team with good interior defense, they however lacked a high-level playmaking, struggled in creating good shots in the backcourt and were too streaky in shooting from beyond the arc.

The underperforming of Sasha Vujacic had a consistent role in team's gasping offense, while Jordan Farmar, despite being an explosive scorer that had no-problem in constantly beating his defender and get advantage on offense, was much more erratic with his decision making and in setting his teammates up for a good shot; there was also a need for a real three point specialist, since Josh Shipp struggled in having a significant offensive role and was a little too streaky as a shooter.

These lacks in the backcourt seems to be fixed really well: to replace Shipp has been added Kostas Vasileiadis, one of the best European perimeter shooter thanks to his quick and high release and proper shooting form, a swingman with a good physique that can also play defense. In preseason he has seemed to be still at a little loss in team's play, maybe also because of the smaller amount of shots he gets, but he's a good fit in this backcourt.

With Farmar back to Los Angeles, has been added Zoran Planinic, a huge playmaking upgrade and also a slasher that can consistently score out of the pick and roll and get to the rim. Vujacic's offensive role instead will be likely taken by Scotty Hopson, a big and athletic swingman that can score both in spot-up situations and off the dribble, a really intriguing addition giving also his improved perimeter shot and his ability to run the pick and roll.

The apparently lack of a backup point guard is fixed by Jamon Gordon, a tremendous all-around and maybe the most important player of this team, that in preseason has played at the point while Planinic was sitting on the bench: a role that he can play extremely well thanks to his high IQ, passing ability and defensive tools. The backcourt is completed by excellent defensive specialist Dogus Balbay and by Birkan Batuk, a smart and assertive swingman that will likely have a larger role this season as a 'three-and-D' guy.

Last year's powerful frontcourt has all been confirmed, with Dusko Savanovic and Semih Erden as a well-assembled starting duo that is complete enough on both ends of the floor, while veteran Kerem Gonlum and massive Stanko Barac are two key players off the bench. Deniz Kilicli, a rookie out of West Virginia that plays at the 5, will hardly play consistent minutes.

Despite the improved backcourt seeming to be still not so well-rounded, this Efes team is maybe a little bit underrated entering in Euroleague season, as it could surely be in the race for the title if coach Mahmuti will be able to avoiding last season's frequent ups and downs.


- Zalgiris Kaunas

Because of the big financial troubles that the Lithuanian powerhouse is fighting, Zalgiris Kaunas has been forced to cut the payroll and sign a lot of young players, while losing the like of Kaukenas, Darjus Lavrinovic, Marko Popovic, Lafayette, Kuzminskas and coach Joan Plaza.

Youngster Tomas Dimsa and Vaidas Kariniauskas make the roster, while Mindaugas Kupsas, Tauras Jogela, Kaspars Vecvagars and Vytenis Cyzauskas are all back from loans; Martynas Pocius, Siim-Sander Vene and Arturas Milaknis are also back in Kaunas, the former from a two year stint at Real Madrid and the other two from the affiliate team of Prienai.

Looking at the backcourt, in the preseason has been clear that this team will struggle in create offense off the dribble: without Pocius (he was with Lithuanian national team), Justin Dentmon was indeed the only player able to beat his defender, as a complete scorer with outstanding shooting touch that can easily find the way to get a basket. He has however little use outside of providing excellent instant-offense, since he's a liability on the defensive end and he hasn't the playmaking ability required to play at the point. In fact in preseason coach Zouros has played him mostly off the ball, with Vecvagars and Cyzauskas gaining a lot of minutes at the point and Lipkevicius, Kariniauskas and Milaknis having a pivotal role in the team's good ball movement and helping Dentmon with decision making. Pocius however is back after Eurobasket, giving to Zalgiris a much-needed go-to-guy that will act as a primary offensive weapon with his shooting touch and tremendous athletic and slashing ability; Vene is also an intriguing option to create some offense from time to time, but giving his lack of experience he probably won't have such a responsibility in Euroleague and will act strictly off the ball in his minutes on the court.

They nonetheless will rely heavily on open looks and spot-up situations, hence the need to have smart players that can move the ball and set a teammate up for a good shot: this is a team with an high average IQ, that will even bolt higher with the late addition of Sarunas Jasikevicius, that fills what was a significant hole in terms of backcourt experience and playmaking ability. Another good addition seems to be the one of Milaknis, primarily a 'three-and-D' player that also knows the game and can pass the ball, a good fit next to both Jasikevicius and Dentmon.

The real strong point is however the frontcourt, that features experienced players like Ksistof Lavrinovic, Paulius Jankunas, Robertas Javtokas and Tadas Klimavicius, the last one back in action after a torn ACL that kept him out for the entire 2012/13 season: despite the painful loss of Darjus Lavrinovic, this frontcourt could be again one of the best in rebounding and get extra-possessions on the offensive glass, while also being a key scoring option in the post and being able to create open looks for the guards. With Lavrinovic missing the first month of competition, we could see more minutes for Kupsas, an enormous but slow center that will likely take Jeff Foote's place in the roster, and maybe also for youngster power forward Tauras Jogela.


- Brose Baskets Bamberg

It's not going to be easy to replace Bostjan Nachbar, the last year’s anchor of this team at the power forward position, particularly with Novica Velickovic, the designated replacement choice, not ready to play yet. To replace Velickovic has been signed Damir Markota, an excellent perimeter scorer but far less effective in the paint, maybe not the best fit next to Bamberg's young centers.

This team will rely heavily on guard Anton Gavel, a really underrated player that has been 2013 Finals MVP in Germany: moving him at the shooting guard spot and putting next to him a playmaker as Alex Renfroe instead of a scoring one-on-one guard as Sergerio Gibson has been a good move, since Gavel has been more of a threat starting the possession off the ball and not having too much playmaking responsibilities.

Has been decided to confirm this lineup with the choice of Zach Wright as the primary ball-handler and playmaker, good to feed the frequent runs off the screens and to start the offense from the point; as we seen from the preseason, Gavel at the start of the possession will probably play more as a shooting guard also when playing next to other members of the backcourt as John Goldsberry and Jamar Smith: this will allow the Slovakian to attack with major space and rhythm and to be able to act also as a tremendous secondary ball-handler and facilitator. Smith is really important to this team, since he should be the type of player that Bamberg is searching since the departure of Brian Roberts and that Gibson was not able to replace: a primary scoring option at the point that also should be able to run the pick and roll. This backcourt is in factcrowded with good pick and roll players as expected, and has excellent shooters in Gavel, Smith, Goldsberry and Casey Jacobsen.

An intriguing addition is the one of Rakim Sanders, a physical, athletic and extremely tough player: despite being severely undersized he can play both as a small or a power forward, and as a slashing player and a good defender both in the post and on the perimeter is a good fit behind Jacobsen’s defensive woes. Other than Sanders, there's also Karsten Tadda who will have crucial defensive tasks in the backcourt.

Some inexperience in the frontcourt: Maik Zirbes will be again the starting center, an excellent pick and roll player that is also a big presence in the paint and a good low post scorer; Philipp Neumann will be his backup, a more dynamic player with a high IQ and a good assertiveness. So Sharrod Ford will have a crucial task, giving also Markota's poor defensive effort: the American player seems to be in good shape and will play both at the 4 and the 5, being able even to take Zirbes’ spot in the starting five.


- EA7 Emporio Armani

After a disappointing show under the tenure of Sergio Scariolo, the Italian powerhouse has chosen to replace him with Luca Banchi, who comes from Italian champions of Siena. Along with coach Banchi the Siena-to-Milan trip has been made also by David Moss, one of the best defensive players in Europe, and Kristjan Kangur, who also had a key defensive role in Siena, and all of them will be fundamental in improving last year's questionable team defense.

The only players retained from last season are David Chiotti and Niccolò Melli in the frontcourt and Alessandro Gentile and Keith Langford in the backcourt: the last two of them have the major part of offensive responsibilities, as elite one-on-one options with a complete offensive package. The backcourt features also Curtis Jerrells at the point and Marquez Haynes coming off the bench, and therefore is surely one of the most explosive in Euroleague and one of the best when it comes to score off the dribble and in ISO situations; this is something that will likely boostMilano's offense giving these players' ability in driving to the basket and twitching the opposing defense, being able both to score or to feed shooters on the perimeter. However the backup point guard seems to be a significant lack: Haynes is primarily a two-guard that has been largely ineffective in Quakenbrück when had to play at the point, while the only other point guard in the roster is young and highly inexperienced Mohamed Toure.

One of the worst rebounding team during last season, EA7 seems to have made very little improvement in this area: the frontcourt features excellent perimeter shooters in CJ Wallace, Kangur and Melli, and we'll likely see some atypical lineup featuring two of them on the court at the same time, but Angelo Gigli and Samardo Samuels at the center position are probably a too light duo to go with, particularly in this year competition.

Samuels has the likes of a risky choice as a starting center, replacing Bourousis: he's an excellent scorer in the paint but he's also an erratic player that lacks effort and focus on the defensive end, while his mediocre rebounding ability isn't well suited to this team's needs; coming from a brief stint in Jerusalem as his only European experience, he could also struggle in adapting to Euroleague game. David Chiotti and swingman Bruno Cerella completes the roster, with the latter that could have some important defensive task.

Overall this team could really aim for the third spot in this Group B, and while the frontcourt seems to have too little weight on the paint, they have also a highly physical and athletic backcourt with plenty of firepower and defensive potential.


- Strasbourg

With one of the largest budget in their country, French runner-up of Strasbourg has been able to get a B License. Vincent Collet's team retains the major part of the roster, including the trio formed by Louis Campbell, Alexis Ajinça and Ricardo Greer.

Greer will be again the primary offensive weapon of this team, being difficult to guard by opposing power forwards thanks to his excellent touch and his quickness and smoothness in attacking the rim. His troubles on the defensive end will be covered again by Ajinça, an incredibly long center with freakish athleticism that is a defensive factor with his quick feet and ability to contest shots.

Ajinça however needs to improve further on the offensive end: he's deadly when can receive on the move, and is also a fairly good offensive rebounder, but has often shown to be still largely ineffective when has to create his shot from the post. His backup will be again Romain Duport, aseven footer with an extremely soft touch that however could struggle in Euroleague because of his lack of athleticism and toughness; it seems that another big man will be needed, giving also Ajinça's occasional foul troubles.

In the backcourt Campbell will be the most important player with his ability to score easily out of the pick and roll and to defend on opponents' guards, also thanks to a high physical profile that can hardly be matched by other teams' point guards. He's Strasbourg's primary playmaker, but while he can surely set his teammates up and run the offense he also sometimes goes out of control and becomes a little turnover prone; hence the importance of Antoine Diot, a point guard member of this year's France team, a creative passer and unselfish player that can play also next to Campbell and will have a pivotal role in running the team once he'll return from a sprained ankle.

With the backcourt needing more offensive power, is really intriguing the addition of Kevin Murphy: he's a physically gifted shooting guard, really smooth and with an excellent jump-shot, that can constantly create off the dribble and can score out of the pick and roll; Murphy has an high ceiling and could surely become a first-class player in Europe, but as for now he has very little experience and could struggle in adapting to European basketball and particularly to the Euroleague. The backcourt is completed by Paul Lacombe, a strong combo-guard with tremendous upside that however hasn’t seen much playing time in Villeurbane, and Axel Toupane, a hard-nosed defender that could start even this season despite being only 21 years old. Intriguing all-around Jeremy Leloup will take Jeff Greer's spot in the starting five, while Tim Abromaitis will likely replace John Shurna's shooting tasks and defensive woes, playing also some minutes at the 3.

What this team seems to lack the most are a deeper bench, especially in the frontcourt, and maybe some more reliable scoring weapon other than Greer, that could have too much pressure on him.