Yago back on court for Zvezda, Motiejunas’s debut on hold

One Zvezda addition made his debut, another one is still waiting and another player might be on his way to the team

A depleted Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade lost a domestic league home game against Zadar 79-85 on Monday night, but a familiar face was back in red-and-white uniform.

Zvezda playmaker Yago Dos Santos made his season debut, playing just under 12 minutes and had 2 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds and a steal. Although his debut might not have been an impressive one, and Zvezda lost the game, his return to the floor was much-needed silver lining for the Belgrade team heavily hit by injuries.

Yago is one of Zvezda fan favorites and has played the past two seasons with the club. Over the summer, he was the MVP of the FIBA AmeriCup 2025, where he led Brazil to a gold medal. However, Zvezda decided to revamp its roster this past summer, and although still under contract, Yago was in search for the new club.

But things have gone far from the plan for Zvezda.

Star signing Devonte Graham is recovering from a preseason ankle injury, new team captain Ognjen Dobric is still recovering from the injury sustained at EuroBasket 2025, while Isaiah Canaan is out long term with an ACL injury suffered in the final game of the preseason. And all these are just when it comes to Zvezda’s backcourt.

So the club had Yago join the team, and his playmaking and energy could be just what the team needs since he should not take long to get acclimated, and give Zvezda a boost as it navigates a rough start into the season.

“Yago did his best”, coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos commented on his Monday night performance. “He was still with jet-lag. He practiced only two times, and he played the game. We are happy he is here.”

Meanwhile, center Donatas Motiejunas, who arrived late last week on a three-month loan from AS Monaco, is still to put on a Zvezda jersey.

“Motiejunas’s letter of clearance did not come in time”, coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos explained the reasons why Motiejunas only watched this domestic league game courtside.

Veteran center’s arrival was to address the frontcourt issues, with injuries to big men Uros Plavsic, who will be out until at least end of this month, and Jasiel Rivero who will miss several months with a foot injury suffered in a season opener.

That’s in addition to Joel Bolomboy being out at least until January after recovering from last season’s injury.

So, it should not come as a surprise when Sfairopoulos said the team is on the market, looking to add another player.

Zvezda, which started the EuroLeague season 0-2, travels in Round 3 to face the reigning champs Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (1-1).