The Monegasque team is currently fourth in the standings with a 16-10 record
Case for Final Four: AS Monaco
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It didn’t take long for AS Monaco to establish itself as a Final Four-level team. Well, when you have Mike James running the show, it certainly makes things easier.
Monaco reached the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Playoffs in its first year in the competition in 2021-22, before making it to the Final Four in 2022-23. It looked like a first championship game was on the horizon when it led 29-41 against Olympiacos Piraeus in the semifinals, only for a third-quarter collapse – the Reds outscored Monaco 27-2 in that period – to put the Greek side in the driving seat.
Nevertheless, Monaco responded to its 76-62 semifinal loss by defeating FC Barcelona in the third-place game to wrap up third spot. Keen to build on the foundations it had put in place, Monaco strengthened its roster last summer and has once again been led by the ever-impressive James, who seems on course to win his first EuroLeague MVP award.
How the picture looks
With a 16-10 mark, Monaco sits in fourth place but level record-wise with Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in third and Virtus Segafredo Bologna in fifth. Sasa Obradovic’s side has been on quite the roll of late, winning each of its last five games, which have all come against teams either in the playoffs or chasing a postseason berth (Real Madrid, Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and Virtus).
Not only has Monaco managed to strengthen its home record to 9-3 in the process, but it is now 7-7 on its travels, too. In a season in which road wins have come at a premium for all the teams in the EuroLeague – it is one of just three teams with at least a .500 record when playing away from home – Monaco’s ability to pick up victories at other clubs’ arenas should make it a strong candidate to make the Final Four.
The club’s last two playoff experiences will help as well, of course. After losing in a five-game series to Olympiacos in 2021-22, Monaco downed Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv – also in a five-game series – before falling in the semifinals. Crucially, last year saw the crucial Game 5 take place in the principality, which could also happen this year if Monaco holds on to a top-four spot.
Mike James leads a stacked roster
James rightfully gets a lot of plaudits for his play on the court, averaging a league-best 21.6 PIR and a league-high 19.4 points per night, and this year feels like it is his year. The 10-year EuroLeague veteran is on the cusp of becoming the league’s all-time leading scorer, needing 29 points to usurp Greek legend Vassilis Spanoulis in first place, yet his focus has always been on winning. Well, the next few months could be the crowning achievement of James’s career, as he could a) go first all-time in scoring, b) become the EuroLeague MVP, and c) win the EuroLeague trophy. There’s still a lot of basketball to be played, however, and it is not just a one-man show. Instead, James has an elite cast supporting his efforts.
One of the keys behind Monaco’s playoff push last year was the Batman and Robin combination that James had with Jordan Loyd, so the shooting guard’s return to form post-injury has come just at the right time. In Round 26, the final round of games before the two-week break, Loyd erupted for a season-high 24 points as Monaco beat Virtus. If Loyd can find some consistency in the final weeks of the season, it will make Monaco an even scarier proposition.
But basketball isn’t just about offense, right? Well, Monaco is lucky that it can call upon two of the best defensive-minded players in the competition in John Brown and Alpha Diallo. In the case of Brown, he has been a pest for opposition stars all season long, making their lives difficult and often resulting in below-par shooting nights. Meanwhile, for Diallo, his two-way play has made him the ace up Monaco’s sleeve as he impacts the game on both ends of the floor on a night in, night out basis.
Then, there’s a ton of players who are capable of stepping up when their number is called: Elie Okobo, Donatas Motiejunas, Donta Hall, Mam Jaiteh and Jaron Blossomgame. Monaco is certainly able to call upon a number of players, and that’s without even mentioning the likes of Kemba Walker, Matthew Strazel, Yakuba Ouattara and Petr Cornelie.
When it comes to making a Final Four push, having an array of talent at the coach’s disposal certainly helps. And with James conducting the show, don’t be surprised if we see Monaco playing in Berlin, Germany, in late May.