By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
O. J. Mayo is probable to debut for UNICS Kazan on Thursday evening, according to the official team preview ahead of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 5 game versus Anadolu Efes at Istanbul, Turkey.
Mayo, 33, was added by the Russian club about one month ago. He was recently registered to the active EuroLeague squad and was day-to-day to get in the action. Barring a last-minute setback, his European debut will be tonight (19:00 CET).
He has displayed his talents in Puerto Rico and China since being dismissed from the NBA for a drug violation in 2016. His NBA track record features 573 games played between the Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies, and Dallas Mavericks.
His side, coached by Velimir Perasovic, is currently 1-3 in the EuroLeague with the lone victory coming against FC Bayern Munich. On the opposite path, Fenerbahce Beko in Round 4, AS Monaco in Round 2, and Zenit Saint Petersburg in Round 1 bested UNICS minus Mayo. A 3-0 record in the VTB United League paints a more favorable picture on the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
The Turkish powerhouse is likely to be missing Krunoslav Simon, James Anderson, and Dogus Balbay, while Vasilije Micic is listed as questionable. Newcomer Elijah Bryant has been registered but is also considered questionable.
Following the defending EuroLeague champions, entering the fixture opposite UNICS at 0-4, an away game against Avtodor Saratov in the VTB coming up on Sunday, and a couple of EuroLeague games at home against Baskonia next Wednesday and Real Madrid next Friday.