By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The February break is over and Turkish Airlines EuroLeague action finally resumes this Thursday. With just eight rounds remaining in the regular season, the #EveryGameMatters motto will be truer than ever.
Everyone agrees that this is the tightest regular-season race they can remember, as every outcome for almost all scenarios in the standings is wide open.
Here are five questions for which we’ll be seeking – and getting – answers for in this last lap of the 2024-25 regular season.
Can Paris continue its impressive run and secure a Top-6 finish?
The trajectory and potential of Paris Basketball have been quite the enigma ever since it gradually began to establish itself as a force to be reckoned in the EuroLeague early on. The French side became even more intriguing once it became the standings leader back in December following a majestic win at Olympiacos Piraeus.
This was the peak moment for Paris as what followed was five straight losses. The 2024 BKT EuroCup champion regained its footing afterward and is now 15-10 (with one game less against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul), just below the top six spots that guarantee a direct ticket to the playoffs.
Beyond the postponed match versus Fener that will be played on March 3, Paris doesn’t have the easiest of schedules. Tough trips await to powerhouses such as Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, Real Madrid and Fenerbahce, as well as a Zalgiris Kaunas team that is fighting to keep its postseason hopes alive.
How much of an impact can the deadline transfers provide?
What’s done is done regarding the signings that EuroLeague clubs can make to their rosters for the competition in the 2024-25 season. The transfer deadline expired Wednesday evening and a few teams added extra pieces at the eleventh hour.
Take Olympiacos for example. With Thomas Walkup sidelined for an unspecified amount of time and multiple question marks looming over Keenan Evans’s much anticipated comeback, the Greek heavyweight brought electric guard Saben Lee back to the EuroLeague. The American player had a notable, yet short, run with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in Autumn and now arrives at the Reds to provide them with explosiveness and an extra offensive punch.
In the meantime, Panathinaikos initiated a reunion between coach Ergin Ataman and veteran center Tibor Pleiss. The two of them had successfully joined forces before at Anadolu Efes Istanbul during the back-to-back championship runs of 2021 and 2022 and now aim to achieve the same this year.
Pleiss comes to a Panathinaikos team that has a diminished frontline lineup in light of Mathias Lessort’s and Omer Yurtseven’s injuries, plus Kostas Antetokounmpo’s exit. Apart from a big body inside the paint, the Greens got an extra threat from mid and long range. Remember, Pleiss shot 43.5% (27-62) from three-point land in the EuroLeague last season.
While these two transfers took place this last couple of days, AS Monaco took care of any roster enhancements earlier by signing big man Daniel Theis, who is making his EuroLeague comeback after eight years in the NBA.
Lonnie Walker went in the opposite direction. His NBA return with the Philadelphia 76ers prompted Zalgiris Kaunas to sign guard Isaiah Wong as the Lithuanian side tries to enhance its Play-In chances. Big man Robert Baker II, another G League alumnus, joined ALBA Berlin.
Can Real Madrid return to form?
At this point last season in the EuroLeague, Real Madrid was 22-4 and by far the most dominant team around. It was only a matter of time when the 2023 champion would mathematically secure the one seed.
Now, it has the equal number of wins and losses (13-13) and stands below the Play-In zone. Pretty far from what anyone would most likely expect when 2024-25 began, but this is the situation right now for Los Blancos, who have a potentially decisive Clásico against Barcelona on Thursday night.
It’s safe to say that few things have worked for Real Madrid transfer-wise this season, starting from last summer and moving toward their winter additions. The offseason signings haven’t delivered, at least thus far. Dennis Smith Jr., who was signed in January to bring a much-needed quality boost, didn’t meet expectations and parted ways with the club.
At the same time, injury issues have left the team with even fewer reliable options in several games.
Still, this is Real Madrid we’re talking about and it has shown time and again that it has the mettle and experience to turn even tough situations around.
Both Serbian teams in the playoffs?
Unlike last season when both Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade didn’t even make the Play-In tournament, this campaign they look more than legit contenders for a direct playoff spot.
At 16-10, Zvezda is already among the top six teams and can hope to retain its spot there since it hosts five of its next eight games. Two of its road trips, though, are dangerous missions at Olympiacos and Panathinaikos.
Partizan can certainly approach this last stretch of the regular season with considerable optimism since the more the season progresses, the better they are playing, yet there’s still room for further improvement. They are currently riding a 7-2 run that has put them at 14-12 and also have their next five games at home.
Who will emerge as the EuroLeague MVP?
This is a question involving solely the regular season now that the criteria for the award have changed. Thus, the final answer will be given during these last eight rounds.
Olympiacos’s Sasha Vezenkov, Panathinaikos’s Kendrick Nunn and Paris’s TJ Shorts seem to have the upper hand over other players; they have undeniable numbers, big moments, and a huge impact, all while their teams are getting wins.