The second month of the 2023/2024 Euroleague season has ended. The eleventh round has already passed and the end of the first round of competition is approaching. The distance is enough to draw solid conclusions about the current level of the teams, which is what we will do here. On this occasion I propose to briefly go through each club, evaluate their results over the last month and talk about their prospects.
“Sunrise”
November results: 0 wins, 6 losses Position in the table: 18
The German team seems out of place in the main European tournament. In the Euroleague there are other outsiders, but it is the Berlin team that seems to be the one whose level does not correspond to the level of the competition. Ettore Messina’s victory at the end of October in the match against Olimpia in crisis remains the only one for Israel González’s pupils. The club is also a little “stormy” in the national championship, where Alba occupies only sixth place, having already lost in three of nine games.
ASVEL
November results: 2 wins, 3 losses Position in the table: 17
Gianmarco Pozzecco definitely helped the team out of the crisis at the beginning of the season and helped them to two decent wins. However, the French club remains at the bottom of the table. Although it is unlikely that the team will be able to compete for the playoffs this season, the most important thing is progress. The position in the French ASVEL championship has improved significantly, the Lyon team is in third place.
“Crvena Zvezda”
Joel Bolomboy
Photo: Joan Valls/Getty Images
November results: 2 wins, 3 losses Position in the table: 16
Another team that changed coaches during the season continues to show unstable results. Things have definitely improved under Yiannis Sferopoulos, but the tournament position leaves a lot to be desired. On November 24, the Serbian club lost to its neighbor Olimpia and yesterday, December 1, won a crushing victory in the match against Anadolu Efes. If Sferopoulos’ team manages to show its performance consistently, they will be worthy contenders for the playoffs. Yes, of course, he stops having so much bad luck with injuries.
Olympia Milan
Messina’s problems at the Milan Club:
How is Ettore Messina doing? The famous former CSKA coach has problems in Italy
November results: 3 wins, 3 losses Position in the table: fifteen
For the second consecutive season, Ettore Messina’s club fails on the European stage. The team that was put together to reach the Final Four is at risk of not making the playoffs again. Messina and the team’s management see the problem in the lack of a quality point guard in the lineup. The same problem occurred last season, but then during the season Shabazz Napier was hired and he immediately became the leader of the team. The Italian club wanted to keep the player, but for financial reasons could not afford it. Kevin Pangos doesn’t suit Ettore at all and there aren’t many opportunities to sign someone in the winter.
“Anadolu Ephesus”
Will Clyburn
Photo: Tolga Adanali/Getty Images
November results: 3 wins, 2 losses Position in the table: 14
I think everyone understood that after the departure of Ergin Ataman, one of the main clubs in Europe in recent years would enter a stage of restructuring. However, at the beginning of the season the team’s results were so unconvincing that it seemed that this was not a restructuring, but shock therapy. We also had bad luck with injuries: Ante Zizic, Tibor Pleiss, Elijah Bryant, Derek Willis and others. Efes is trying to face the circumstances with dignity, but the defense requires a lot of work from Erdem Can. In terms of defensive rating, the Turkish club occupies the penultimate place in the entire Euroleague.
“Valencia”
November results: 1 win, 4 lossesPosition in the table: 13
After a very successful October, Valencia completely collapsed. If the defeats in the matches against Real (73:76) and Barcelona (70:74) were not at all embarrassing, then the rather weak matches against Panathinaikos (73:90) and Baskonia (84:98) worry fans. and experts. One might assume that the Club’s results would regress to the average; In any case, the Spanish looked like an excellent contender for the playoffs. Now Valencia is already out of the play-in zone. The club’s success was due to its surprising systematic work in defense, the Spaniards continue to occupy third place in terms of defensive rating. But the limited offensive potential (penultimate place in the defensive ranking) paralyzes the team too much.
“Bavaria”
Isaac Bonga
Photo: Nikola Krstic/Getty Images
November results: 3 wins, 3 lossesPosition in the table: 12
The Munich Club is one of those organizations that, undeservedly, is little talked about this season. The injured team (Andreas Obst, Elias Harris and Vladimir Lucic) had a good month and is fully participating in the fight for the playoffs. This was helped by Isaac Bong’s return from injury. However, the Bavarian team is considered to have problems winning in closed spaces, a dramatic victory in the match against ASVEL in extra time (101:100) could be a turning point in this regard. The other day there was also a confident victory against the strongest rival, Virtus Bologna (90:76).
“Zalgiris”
November results: 2 wins, 4 lossesPosition in the table: eleven
What cannot be denied to the Lithuanian team are mental qualities and the desire to fight. This season there were almost no matches in which Zalgiris simply gave in to the opponent, on the contrary, in most matches we saw great finals. But when it comes down to it, the Kaunas city club lacks class. Of course, these are the consequences of the dramatic departure of Ignas Brazdeikis, who was not even close to being replaced. The departure of Naz Mitrou-Long also affects the team: the Lithuanian defense shows a sharp drop in level. Despite this, the Baltic team remains at the play-in level and possible winter acquisitions could increase the team’s chances of reaching the playoffs.
“Partisan”
Review of the crazy match “Partizan” – “Panathinaikos”:
Heat in the stands and nerves on the field. “Partizan” finally saved itself and broke the PAO’s streak!
November results: 3 wins, 3 lossesPosition in the table: 10th
Partizan matches are almost always a must-see because they are always incredibly dramatic and the atmosphere of the fans is not even worth mentioning. The other day another crazy match took place, which ended with a victory for the Serbians in extra time, against Panathinaikos. Not in vain, Partizan’s matches have the highest number of spectators on average among all Euroleague clubs.
The team probably would have gone through the season with much more confidence if not for the injury to Kevin Panther, one of the best players at his position in Europe. He has been absent since the fifth round. A factor of instability was also the slow adaptation of Frank Kaminsky and PJ Dozier, who arrived from the NBA.
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Lorenzo Moreno
Photo: maccabi.co.il
November results: 3 wins, 3 lossesPosition in the table: nineth
You just have to applaud the way in which Maccabi bravely faces the circumstances. Due to the situation in Israel, the club was only able to play once this season in front of its fans. We must not forget that one of the team’s leaders, Wade Baldwin, missed most of the games. In such a difficult situation, the Israeli club can only continue to fight and hold on to each game, hoping one day during the season to have the opportunity to return home.
Fenerbahce
November results: 2 wins, 4 lossesPosition in the table: eighth
For the Turkish club, November turned out to be much more problematic than October. This was due to a rather complicated schedule. However, the month ended on a very positive note for Fenerbahçe. The team became the first to defeat Real Madrid this season. This success demonstrated once again the great potential of the squad, which can solve problems of any kind in Europe. Therefore, it would be a big mistake to rule out Fener.
“Basconia”
Domination of Spanish clubs in Europe:
Spanish teams dominate the Euroleague! The dominant nation in European basketball
November results: 5 wins, 1 lossPosition in the table: 7th
Baskonia became one of the most successful clubs in November. The main reason was the return of Dusko Ivanovic, who led the team from 2019 to 2021. The team has dealt with the departure of Darius Thompson and Rokas Giedraitis and is playing excellent basketball. The main star is Chima Moneke, who is playing at an MVP contender level. Last year, the Spanish club was on the verge of reaching the playoffs and this season it will finally be able to complete this task.
Olympiacos
November results: 3 wins, 3 lossesPosition in the table: 6th
It would be naive to believe that the departure of such important players as Aleksandar Vezenkov and Kostas Sloukas would not have affected the performance of the finalist of the last Euroleague. Thus, the club did not hide that they were preparing an important signing during the season. And it happened. From Sacramento, where Vezenkov now plays, they took Philip Petrushev, who failed to establish himself in the NBA at all. The player himself does not hide that he still dreams of the world’s main league, but to do so he needs to take several steps forward in the coming years. It is best to do this in a club where he will play consistently and perform at a high level.
“Panathinaikos”
Scandal around the Greek club:
The owner of Panathinaikos criticized the Euroleague
November results: 4 wins, 2 lossesPosition in the table: 5th
The radical restart of the entire club that occurred in the summer raised doubts among many. But now we can safely say that the Greeks made the right decision. First place in the national championship, where their arch-nemesis Olympiacos has dominated in recent years, as well as fifth place in the Euroleague. We can safely say that the club is performing above expectations. At the same time, it cannot be said that the entire updated squad played well, that all the players adapted. What will happen to the team when this happens? Ergin Ataman seems to be building a new dynasty.
Virtus Bologna
Tornike Shengelia
Photo: virtus.it
November results: 3 wins, 3 lossesPosition in the table: 4th
After a crazy October, the season’s top surprise team started to have some problems. If the defeats with Real (74:100) and Panathinaikos (76:90) only stopped talking about whether the Italian club should be considered a contender for the title, then the failure with Bayern (76:90) already makes us think if the team will even make the playoffs. That is to say, moving to the quarterfinals would already be a great success for the organization, which before the start of the Euroleague was considered one of the main outsiders.
“Monaco”
Kemba Walker
Photo: asmonaco.basketball
November results: 4 wins, 2 lossesPosition in the table: 3rd
Can the Monegasques be blamed for the team’s lack of progress compared to the previous season? On the one hand, yes, an ambitious club has built a squad that intends to win right now, issuing big contracts and inviting former NBA stars like Kemba Walker. As a result, Walker is failing and has yet to become the factor that would help Monaco improve further. On the other hand, the team is still performing at the highest level, Mike James is still excellent, this is enough to have a real chance of winning the title.
Barcelona
Roger Grimau
Photo: fcbarcelona.com
November results: 5 wins, 1 lossPosition in the table: 2nd
It looked like things would be very difficult for the team’s newly appointed coach, Roger Grimau. The first job as a coach in a place where you always have to win, working at a club that was in all the media during the summer due to the dramas with Nikola Mirotic and Sarunas Jasikevicius. As a result, the Spanish specialist managed to exceed any expectations. A great adaptation from Jabari Parker, a return to form from Jan Vesely and Nicolas Laprovittola showing the continent why he may not be the brightest point guard in the league, but he is certainly one of the smartest.
“Real Madrid
Mario Hezonja and Gabriel Dec
Photo: Borja B. Hojas/Getty Images
November results: 5 wins, 1 loss Position in the table: 1st
It finally happened. The current champion suffered a defeat, and what a defeat! Dramatic, emotional. Should we now think that Real Madrid’s dominance will come to an end? Absolutely not. Is it worth worrying too much about something? Perhaps the only thing is that Gershon Yabusele will be out for several months due to an injury. The Club can only hope that the basketball player has time to recover in time for the most important games of the season. According to the calendar, December will not be easy for the Spanish team, but even if one of the pursuers surpasses the whites in the table, it will mean absolutely nothing.
