By Evaggelos Papadimitriou, adapted by Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
As expected, the summer has been particularly hot for the teams of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Impressive transfers were announced daily, with more potentially coming up deeper in the offseason. Rebuilding teams, including Panathinaikos and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet, were all over the place. The rest of the pack was in the mix as well.
All 18 clubs of Europe’s premier club continental competition have completed signature signings over the summer. It looks interesting as the 2023-24 season inches closer.
With more and more players being attracted by the NBA lights, keeping talent in the Old Continent is a challenge met by EuroLeague teams.
The other way around, NBA teams cutting players at the end of the preseason can be intriguing for EuroLeague counterparts, even altering our latest Top 10.
Eurohoops traditionally picks out the best summer moves of EuroLeague teams. Forced to leave out moves such as Milos Teodosic and Shabazz Napier to Zvezda, Luca Vildoza to Panathinaikos, and Sertac Sanli, Giorgos Papagiannis, and Raul Neto to Fenerbahce Beko, here of the Top 10 summer signings in reverse order.
10. Nikola Milutinov
New team: Olympiacos
Previous team: CSKA
Country: Serbia
VTB League stats (2022-23): 14.6pts, 8.2reb, 1.5ast, 12.2PIR over 45 games
Among the early completed transfers, Nikola Milutinov returned to Olympiacos.
The Serbian center was released by CSKA after three years and was determined to make it happen.
Olympiacos did not extend a search elsewhere in the effort of finding a partner inside the paint for Moustapha Fall. Simply diving into the past did the trick.
Milutinov, 28, played for the Reds from 2015 to 2020, emerging as a top-tier center.
His kind words toward Olympiacos, even after his departure, made a return extremely likely. Indeed, he is back.
After being held outside the EuroLeague for just over one year, he is projected to resurface as a star of the league.
Between him and Fall, Olympiacos is looking at tremendous options for the center position.
9. Jabari Parker
New team: FC Barcelona
Previous team: Boston Celtics
Country: USA
NBA stats (2021-22): 4.4pts, 2.3reb over 12 games
For starters, Jabari Parker’s stats correspond to the 2021-22 season, because he did not play in 2022-23.
From the sidelines to the Catalonia powerhouse, the path is far from ideal but also consists of yet another impressive signing for a EuroLeague team.
Parker, 28, was selected with the second overall pick of the 2014 NBA draft. He has since logged 321 games played in the league.
Lasting eight years in the NBA, his participation is indeed limited, including only 31 games played between 2019 and 2022. Knee injuries prevented him from reaching his full potential.
Seeking a restart to his career, Barcelona is not getting a sure bet with a player fully ready for action. However, the upside is tremendous.
One thing is for sure. If Parker stays healthy and displays his talent in EuroLeague, he is destined to eventually return to the NBA.
8. Mathias Lessort
New team: Panathinaikos
Previous team: Partizan Mozzart Bet
Country: France
EuroLeague stats (2022-23): 12.0pts, 7.1reb, 1.4ast, 19.1PIR over 38 games
Transitioning from a reserve role, Mathias Lessort dominated from start to finish with Partizan Mozzart Bet.
The 2022-23 stint with the team based in Belgrade attached him as the leading player in rebounds with 7.1 rebounds per EuroLeague game. He also ranked second in performance index rating with 19.1 per game, trailing only MVP Sasha Vezenkov’s 21.5 per game.
Lessort, 27, was the driving force for Partizan inside the paint. Solid showings in both the offense and defense with energy bursting out across the season.
Rebuilding in style, Panathinaikos managed to pick up perhaps the best center of the 2022-23 season.
New head coach Ergin Ataman will likely rely on the French big, especially in pick-and-roll situations alongside fellow newcomer Kostas Sloukas.
Also, Lessort will love to produce back-to-back brilliant campaigns, therefore establishing himself among the best bigs of the league.
Playing in Athens with the support of the Greens fanbase is an excellent pairing, very similar to his experience in Belgrade.