One of the most enjoyable teams to watch in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague last season was Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, which scored a league-best average of 86.7 points per game. Led by dynamic scorer Markus Howard, Baskonia is in a good position to once again excite its fans at Buesa Arena.
The 2022-23 EuroLeague campaign saw Baskonia narrowly miss out on the playoffs, as the team finished ninth in the regular-season standings with an 18-16 record. It was a case of Jekyll and Hyde for the Spanish club during last season, with Baskonia going 14-3 at Buesa Arena but 4-13 on its travels. Therefore, head coach Joan Penarroya will be hoping for a better road record this time around, which should help the team's chances of finishing in the playoffs.
Howard is Baskonia's go-to guy
One major difference between last season's roster and the group entering the 2023-24 campaign is the absence of Darius Thompson. The American guard, who was named to the 2022-23 All-EuroLeague Second Team after a stellar rookie EuroLeague season at Baskonia, left to join Anadolu Efes Istanbul. As such, there will be more of an emphasis placed on Howard as he enters his sophomore EuroLeague campaign.
Baskonia's signings this summer
Howard is now a guaranteed starter for Baskonia, having last season come off the bench in 15 of his 33 appearances, and he is joined by a familiar face in the team's backcourt: Vanja Marinkovic, who enjoyed his best EuroLeague campaign to date in 2022-23. New signing Nico Mannion will be hoping to realize his potential at a club famous for developing young guards, while Codi Miller-McIntyre – another new recruit – is a steady pair of hands at 29 years of age.
There is also plenty of optimism around what fellow new signings Chima Moneke and Nikos Rogkavopoulos could do at the forward positions. Maik Kotsar, entering year two as a Baskonia player, seems primed to take another leap, too. At center, Khalifa Diop – a BKT EuroCup champion with Gran Canaria last season and the 2021-22 EuroCup Rising Star – could make a strong impact from the bench as well.