ALBA Berlin promoted Israel Gonzalez to head coach this summer in place of Aito Garcia Reneses who took a sabbatical. Gonzalez inherits a young and talented team that he knows well and has a few new weapons to help ALBA make a run at the playoffs.
BACKCOURT
There is no shortage of point guard options for ALBA. Native Berliner Maodo Lo comes off his best season yet. He is a team leader and his five years of EuroLeague experience help him in all situations. Tamir Blatt is new to the EuroLeague, but is the son of a former EuroLeague champion head coach, David Blatt, and his smooth passing skills and off-the-charts basketball IQ help make those around him better. After missing most of the 2019-20 season to injury, Stefan Peno returned to form last season on loan at fellow German side Rasta Vechta and is now back with ALBA. His size and athleticism have made Peno dangerous as both ends of the floor and his playmaking skills continue to improve. Shooting guard Jaleen Smith is a complete player and was the German League MVP last season with Ludwigsburg. He can score or serve as a secondary ball-handler, while also impacting games through his defense. In Marcus Eriksson, ALBA has one of the premier three-point aces in the game. No defense can rest when he has the ball. Jonas Mattisseck is following in Eriksson's footsteps as an elite shooter and figures to be a key reserve if not more; he started nine games last season. Malte Delow cracked the ALBA rotation last season as a teenager and will try to increase his role this season. The long arms and defensive intensity of Yovel Zoosman made him a fixture at Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv the last four seasons and now he will look to take on a bigger role with ALBA. Only 23 years old, his brand of basketball should fit perfectly in Coach Gonzalez's plans.