Look ahead to the new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague campaign with a number of my personal opinions, which could end up being bulletin-board material.

Ten predictions for the 2023-24 EuroLeague season

Before every Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, fan bases across the continent believe that their team has a shot at winning the title and that their star player is in line for an MVP-level campaign. Well, it doesn't always work like that. But hey, this is the best time to make some season predictions, right? These are my 10 predictions for the 2023-24 EuroLeague season. (Please feel free to remind me of how right/wrong I am come next May.)

### 10\. Bayern to lay strong foundations but come up short

The reset button was pressed at FC Bayern Munich over the summer, with Pablo Laso being brought in to lead the team into the future. The biggest problem facing Laso and co., however, is that almost all the other teams have improved. Therefore, it isn't quite Mission: Impossible for Bayern, but almost. I expect Coach Laso to get Bayern on the right track ahead of a strong season in 2024-25, but a playoff – or play-in – spot in 2023-24 might be a bit premature.

### 9\. Kemba Walker will shine... in moments

AS Monaco shocked the basketball world this summer by signing Kemba Walker to a one-year deal. The four-time NBA All-Star still has some juice left in the tank at 33 years of age, but it would be a surprise if we saw Walker take the EuroLeague completely by storm. Instead, I predict that we will see some incredible moments by Walker, rather than an incredible season. Nevertheless, it should be a lot of fun to see how he does.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="sl" dir="ltr">🔥 𝗞𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗔 𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗞𝗘𝗥 𝗂𝗇 𝖬𝗈𝗇𝖺𝖼𝗈 🇲🇨🫠 <a href="https://t.co/M4ZVe8ZQL6">pic.twitter.com/M4ZVe8ZQL6</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1691794336814444711?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### 8\. Markus Howard will lead the league in scoring

Last season, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz's Markus Howard announced himself to the EuroLeague by scoring 30 points or more in two of his first three games. Come the end of the campaign, the 24-year-old posted 14.2 points per night, the 12th-highest average in the competition. An even bigger role awaits Howard after the exit of Darius Thompson, so if he can add more consistency to his scoring, he'll have a great shot at securing the Alphonso Ford Top Scorer Trophy.

### 7\. Look out for Efes

Anadolu Efes Istanbul turned the page this summer by embarking upon a new era. Following the departures of Vasilije Micic and Ergin Ataman, the Turkish club retooled by bringing in All-EuroLeague Second Team point guard Darius Thompson and head coach Erdem Can. Efes failed to make the playoffs last season, finishing with a 17-17 record, but its new Big Three of Thompson, Shane Larkin and Will Clyburn is ready to do damage in the coming EuroLeague season.

The best plays of Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz guard Darius Thompson in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Darius Thompson's best plays, 2022-23

### 6\. Partizan will have a better record than Zvezda

There has been a lot of excitement about the many new additions at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, but I'll always hang my hat on the coaching of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade maestro Zeljko Obradovic. Just three wins separated the two last season, but it was Partizan that reached the playoffs. With so much competition to make the postseason, I think Partizan will end up in the brand-new play-in tournament and Zvezda will miss out once again.

### 5\. A tough season awaits for Barcelona

FC Barcelona has reached the Final Four in each of the last three seasons, having previously not got there since 2014, but that run will be put to the test next season. After all, Nikola Mirotic, the 2021-22 EuroLeague MVP, has left the club, as have Cory Higgins and head coach Saras Jasikevicius. With its competitors all having strengthened this summer, Barca – led by first-year head coach Roger Grimau – will be fighting to make the playoffs, let alone the Final Four.

### 4\. Shavon Shields will make the All-EuroLeague team

This isn't too bold of a prediction, but Shavon Shields is primed to remind EuroLeague fans of his talent next season. The EA7 Emporio Armani Milan small forward was named to the All-EuroLeague Second Team in both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns, but an injury limited him to just 10 games last year. Now healthy again, Shields is set for a big comeback season and I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes an All-EuroLeague player for the third time.

The best plays of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan forward Shavon Shields in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Shavon Shields's best plays in 2022-23

### 3\. Olympiacos will survive the losses of Vezenkov, Sloukas

In one summer, Olympiacos has seen both the reigning EuroLeague MVP and the best sixth man in the league walk out the door in Sasha Vezenkov and Kostas Sloukas, respectively. But, it's important to have faith in Georgios Bartzokas's system. With five new signings, including two returnees in Nikola Milutinov and Nigel Williams-Goss, the picture isn't all that bad, too. Another Final Four appearance is far from guaranteed, but the Reds should be firmly in the playoff picture.

### 2\. Fenerbahce will reach the Final Four

In year one under Dimitris Itoudis, Fenerbahce was one game away from making it to the Final Four after forcing Olympiacos to a five-game series. Fenerbahce snuck into the playoffs as the eighth seed last season, but with its core group returning and with a sprinkling of new additions, a first Final Four appearance since 2018 should be on the cards. Perhaps Fenerbahce fans should already be keeping an eye on flights to Berlin next May…

### 1\. Expect OAKA to be back to its best

One of the saddest parts of the 2022-23 EuroLeague season was seeing a half-full OAKA on a fairly regular basis, with Panathinaikos Athens fans disillusioned at what they were seeing on the court. This summer, the picture has completely changed. Ergin Ataman's appointment – and the confidence he exudes – has revived the fan base, which has been treated to big signing after big signing. Panathinaikos's supporters are ready to make OAKA a fortress once again.

The brand new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season is upon us, and with recent seasons' unprecedented parity among teams, Europe's elite competition is destined to bring derbies of all sorts each week. One such is a mouthwatering matchup on the opening night that pits FC Barcelona and Anadolu Efes Istanbul at Palau Blaugrana, two of the most successful teams in recent years, but also two that start a new journey on Thursday night.
This past summer brought big changes for each team. Several of the main protagonists of recent seasons have left on either side, including former EuroLeague MVPs, Efes's Vasilije Micic and Barcelona's Nikola Mirotic, but also both head coaches, Ergin Ataman and Sarunas Jasikevicius. don't make a mistake and think these teams start from scratch. On contrary. Barcelona and Efes simply retooled their squads and still aim for the very top. And many of the remaining protagonists know exactly what this rivalry brings.

None better than Shane Larkin who has won five MVP of the Round honors playing for Efes against Barcelona, including two after game at Palau Blaugrana. 

New chapter in modern-day rivalry between Barcelona and Efes 

The brand new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season is upon us, and with the unprecedented parity among teams in recent years, Europe's elite competition is destined to bring thrillers of all sorts each week. One such is a mouthwatering matchup on opening night pits [FC Barcelona against Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/fc-barcelona-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2023/2/#info) at Palau Blaugrana. These are two of the most successful teams in recent years, but also two that start a new journey on Thursday night.

The EuroLeague has long had famous clashes among rivals. Some are geographic, others may be rooted in a single game or incident, and then there are those that develop over years of historic encounters. Some, however, sprout up over a short period of time. It would be hard to find clubs whose rivalry has grown more in the past few years than the one between Barcelona and Efes, who have clashed in so many meaningful games in recent years.

### Symbolic outcomes

Barcelona and Efes might have first played each other in 1980, but their true rivalry has developed over the last five years, and arguably started with their best-of-five EuroLeague Playoffs series in 2019, which Efes won 3-2 and went on to reach its first-ever EuroLeague championship game.

The next major chapter was the 2021 championship game in Cologne, Germany, when [Efes beat Barcelona 86-81](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2020-21/fc-barcelona-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2020/328/#boxscore) to capture its first EuroLeague crown. The outcomes of these games also carry a symbolic meaning of how things have gone for each club in recent years.

Catch up on FC Barcelona v Anadolu Efes Istanbul highlights from Final of the 2020/21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, May 30, 2021

FC Barcelona v Anadolu Efes Istanbul Highlights - Final - May 30, 2021

For Efes, these wins are some of the highlights of the most fruitful era in club history, a five-year period that saw the team win two EuroLeague crowns and reach three championship games.

For Barcelona, which has [won 111 regular-season games](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-teams/?size=1000&misc=GamesWon&fromSeasonCode=E2018&toSeasonCode=E2023&category=GamesPlayed&seasonMode=Range&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=accumulated&phase=RS) over the last five seasons, more than any other EuroLeague team, the losses against Efes symbolize how good the team has been and even more how each time it ended up just short of where it really wanted to be.

### Emotional charges

The head-to-head games between Barcelona and Efes have been so close. The margin of victory has been 10 or fewer points in 13 of their last 14 games, all played since the start of their 2019 playoff series.

But there has been a lot more to these games than just basketball excitement and drama. Barcelona and Efes played numerous emotionally charged regular-season meetings that had everything, ranging from memorable player performances to coaches' ejections and subsequent interactions with the crowd that went viral on social media.

Ergin Ataman's memorable ejection at Palau Blaugrana during Anadolu Efes Istanbul's Round 21 game against FC Barcelona.

Ergin Ataman's ejection at Palau Blaugrana

This past summer brought big changes for each team. Several of the main protagonists of recent seasons have left on either side, including former EuroLeague MVPs, Efes's Vasilije Micic and Barcelona's Nikola Mirotic, as well as both head coaches, Ergin Ataman and Sarunas Jasikevicius.

So, with new head coaches [Roger Grimau](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/saras-jasikevicius-leaves-barcelona-roger-grimau-is-new-head-coach/) and [Erdem Can](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/efes-appoints-erdem-can-as-its-new-head-coach/) now in charge, what makes this season-opener unique is that both of these title contenders also simultaneously embark on a new era in their respective club histories.

### A retool, not a rebuild

However, don't make the mistake of thinking that these teams start from scratch. On the contrary. Barcelona and Efes simply retooled their squads and still aim for the very top. And many of the remaining protagonists know exactly what this rivalry brings.

None better than Shane Larkin who has won five MVP of the Round honors playing for Efes against Barcelona, including two after games at Palau Blaugrana. Larkin also nailed a season-high 5 three-pointers when [Efes held off Barcelona 75-80](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/fc-barcelona-anadolu-efes-istanbul/E2022/168/#boxscore) the last time they played.

Will Clyburn, who joined Efes last season and [dropped 24 points](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2022-23/anadolu-efes-istanbul-fc-barcelona/E2022/64/) in a 96-86 home win over Barcelona last November, quickly learned the importance of this rivalry. And so did Barcelona's Nicolas Laprovittola, who had career-high 28 points in that same game, but not enough for a win.

All of them, alongside Tibor Pleiss, Rodrigue Beaubois and Elijah Bryant on one side, and Alex Abrines, Jan Vesely and Rokas Jokubaitis on the other, are perfectly aware of what a win in this game brings.

And this game will certainly serve as the very first indicator for Grimau and Can in addition to all the EuroLeague fans which team got off to a better start in its retooling, making this clash even more important.

FC Barcelona v Anadolu Efes Istanbul (2023-10-05T18:30:00.000Z)

 EuroLeague season preview: Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz 

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.

EuroLeague season preview: Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz

 EuroLeague season preview: Olympiacos Piraeus 

Fresh off a run to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game, Olympiacos Piraeus is ready to once again be among the contenders to lift European basketball's crown. The Reds wowed fans across the globe with their play during the last campaign, and it's fair to say that Olympiacos will be one of the EuroLeague's teams to watch once again in the 2023-24 season.

 

Olympiacos finished last year's regular season top of the standings for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign, when it finished top of Group B. There have been some notable departures over the summer, but the club's fan base remains optimistic after bringing in a handful of top-level players.

 

### Moving on from Vezenkov, Sloukas

 

Two of Olympiacos's star performers last season, 2022-23 EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov and the best sixth man in the league in Kostas Sloukas, both left the club this summer. Vezenkov made his long-awaited move to the NBA, while Sloukas shocked the basketball world by joining Olympiacos's archrival, Panathinaikos Athens.

 

It was always going to be difficult to replace the impact of Vezenkov and Sloukas, but Olympiacos has done a good job of doing so by bringing in the likes of Nigel Williams-Goss, Ignas Brazdeikis, Luke Sikma and Nikola Milutinov. In the cases of Williams-Goss and Milutinov, they have both returned to the Reds after previously playing for the club, so they already know exactly what is expected of them in the coming season.

 

### Key players still on the roster

 

The new signings are all likely to make a positive impact for Olympiacos during the campaign, but head coach Georgios Bartzokas will also be able to lean on several of the players that have made the Reds a force once again, such as Thomas Walkup, Shaquielle McKissic, Kostas Papanikolaou and Moustapha Fall.

 

There is also the chance that some players entering their second years with the team could come up big, like Isaiah Canaan, who shined during last season's Final Four, and Alec Peters. For Peters, he had to play most of his minutes behind Vezenkov, so he should get a better chance to show what he can do entering the 2023-24 campaign.

EuroLeague season preview: Olympiacos Piraeus

 EuroLeague season preview: Zalgiris Kaunas 

Coach Kazys Maksvytis and his Zalgiris Kaunas are about to test the theory that one of the best ways to building a long-term dynasty is by holding on to the team's core. After reaching the playoffs last season, Zalgiris model 2023-24 brings back all but four key players from last season.

### Continuity is king

The team leaders in PIR, Keenan Evans, Edgaras Ulanovas and Rolands Smits, figure to be the team leaders. Having Evans on the floor is a double boost as he missed the second half of last season due to an Achilles injury, but looks to be back to his old self in the preseason.

Steals leader Arnas Butkevicus and blocks leader Kevarrus Hayes are also back this season for the Lithuanian champs. Dovydas Giedraitis, 23, and center Laurynas Biruits, 26, are both hopeful of taking on even bigger roles this season.

### Who are the reinforcements?

Zalgiris tabbed three players at different positions to bolster the team this season. Combo-guard Naz Mitrou-Long came to Kaunas after making his EuroLeague debut with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. Sweet shooting big man Brady Manek shined in Australia last season and now steps onto Europe's premier stage. And 24-year-old Danielius Lavrinovicius seeks to take his career to the next step with the pride of Lithuanian hoops.

A 3-0 start in domestic action and a series of international exhibition games have helped Zalgiris prepare for the EuroLeague regular season. And soon all of Europe will be able to see how Zalgiris's strategy works when the team travels to Italy to face Virtus Segafredo Bologna.

EuroLeague season preview: Zalgiris Kaunas

ALBA Berlin is set to be without versatile forward Yanni Wetzell for around six weeks due to an ankle injury, the club announced. Wetzell was injured early this week and could not help his team in a German League game on Monday night. ALBA center Christ Koumadje also missed that game due to a knee injury.

ALBA's Yanni Wetzell out six weeks

ALBA Berlin is set to be without versatile forward Yanni Wetzell for around six weeks due to an ankle injury, the club announced. Wetzell was injured early this week and could not help his team in a German League game on Monday night. ALBA center Christ Koumadje also missed that game due to a knee injury.

<br>
Wetzell averaged 6.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and a PIR of 6.2 in 31 EuroLeague games last season, coming off the bench in all of them but one. This in his second season with ALBA. He is one of four New Zealanders to ever play in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, along with Kirk Penney, Mark Dickel and Tai Webster.

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">🚨 Unser Kader:<br>Samar / Mattiseck <br>Thomas / Procida / Brown / Delow / Rapique / Olinde / Schneider / Bean<br>Thiemann / Nikić<br><br>Yanni Wetzell wird uns mit einer Knöchelverletzung ungefähr sechs Wochen fehlen. Khalifa Koumadje ist mit Knieproblemen raus und Matteo Spagnolo pausiert.</p>&mdash; ALBA BERLIN (@albaberlin) <a href="https://twitter.com/albaberlin/status/1708877590964949271?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

Happy Holidays to Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fans! The 2023-24 season tips off this week and the hosts of the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Podcast are ready to celebrate. In this week’s episode, Javier Gancedo and Frankie Sachs unveil the rosters for their teams. How do you think they did?

EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge Podcast, Episode 3

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv will be without All-EuroLeague guard Wade Baldwin when it opens the season on Thursday night due to a back injury. Baldwin sat out the Israeli SuperCup final over the weekend due to a strained muscle in his back, for which the team’s medical staff gave him a shot. Also in that game, center Josh Nebo saw limited playing time due to a foot injury. 


Maccabi's Baldwin out for opening night

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv will be without All-EuroLeague guard Wade Baldwin when it opens the season on Thursday night due to a back injury. Baldwin sat out the Israeli SuperCup final over the weekend due to a strained muscle in his back, for which the team’s medical staff gave him a shot. Also in that game, center Josh Nebo saw limited playing time due to a foot injury. 

Maccabi announced on Tuesday morning the player underwent an MRI, which confirmed the strained muscle, and that he would miss the game against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade as well as the team's next game in the Israeli League before being reevaluated. Last season, Baldwin made it to the All-Euroleague second team, averaging 17.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 34 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games, and was chosen as MVP for March.

The Israeli champs are slated to visit EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Round 2. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="iw" dir="rtl">עדכון לגבי ווייד בולדווין &gt;&gt; <a href="https://t.co/8fkblG5gDP">https://t.co/8fkblG5gDP</a> <a href="https://t.co/dxMYAuL8Zh">pic.twitter.com/dxMYAuL8Zh</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC (@MaccabitlvBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabitlvBC/status/1709078706507972679?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></center>

Olimpia Milano will be without new signing Maodo Lo at the start of the EuroLeague season after he picked up a thigh injury.

Maodo Lo out for three weeks with a thigh injury

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan has confirmed in a statement that guard [Maodo Lo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/maodo-lo/007032/) will be out of action for the next three weeks after sustaining a thigh injury, meaning he will miss the start of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Through a press release, Milan state that the 30-year-old, who became a world champion with Germany over the summer, has suffered a muscle injury to the adductor muscle in his left thigh. The injury occurred during Milan's Italian League victory against Treviso last Sunday.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">Comunicato dell&#39;Olimpia: si ferma Maodo Lo, lesione muscolare<br><br>Olimpia Press Release: Maodo Lo reported a muscle injury<br><br>🇮🇹<a href="https://t.co/hs7FhTv41B">https://t.co/hs7FhTv41B</a><br>🇬🇧<a href="https://t.co/Fb9Srv9c9s">https://t.co/Fb9Srv9c9s</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StayStrong?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StayStrong</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForzaOlimpia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForzaOlimpia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/insieme?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#insieme</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MaodoLo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MaodoLo</a> <a href="https://t.co/kf9n41xInZ">pic.twitter.com/kf9n41xInZ</a></p>&mdash; Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) <a href="https://twitter.com/OlimpiaMI1936/status/1708855754134806926?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Maodo Lo in the EuroLeague

[Lo joined Milan this summer](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/maodo-lo-moves-from-alba-berlin-to-olimpia-milano/) after spending the last three years with ALBA Berlin, where last season he averaged 11.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and a 10.6 PIR. The guard began his professional career with Brose Bamberg, which is where he made his EuroLeague debut. He then spent two years with FC Bayern Munich, once again playing in the EuroLeague, before heading to ALBA.

To date, Lo has played a total of 199 games in the EuroLeague, starting 100 times. Across those appearances, he has scored 1,788 points, grabbed 321 rebounds and dished 515 assists, giving him career averages of 9.0 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists.

More Milan News

Maodo Lo smiles during his introductory press conference as a new EA7 Emporio Armani Milan player.

He will miss the start of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan's Turkish Airlines EuroLeague campaign.