Will Olympiacos be strong in the next Euroleague?
The last two seasons Olympiacos was slowing down the engine. After being in 5 Euroleague Finals between 2010-2017, winning two titles in a row, the Greek powerhouse missed the playoff last year. It’s not a tragedy especially when you understand the qualifying in the playoff or reaching Final 4 it’s like a wheel of fortune sometimes. But what will the next season bring in for Olympiacos?
First of all, probably it will be the last season of Vassilis Spanoulis who will be next month 37 years old. This will be the end of an era for the Greek basketball and for Olympiacos since Vangelis Mantzaris, one of the most loyal guards of the Reda is leaving the team. The most important trophy that Spanoulis can add in his collection this season is to be crowned the Euroleague all-time scorer, passing Juan Carlos Navarro. Without injuries, it will be easy to reach it.
Second, I see Olympiacos becoming another Maccabi Tel Aviv. Just bring in some Americans and make the show. Maybe it’s David Blatt choice and can be an inspired one, only time will tell. This summer Olympiacos signed already Basketball Champions League star Kevin Punter, Augustine Rubit, Brandon Paul, Ethan Happ, Wade Baldwin IV and they are in advanced negotiations with former NBA Norris Cole.
The only Europeans to join Olympiacos are the Greek Antonis Koniaris and the Lithuanian Mindaugas Kuzminskas. It will be very interesting to see how all these players will find chemistry to win games in a Euroleague who becomes tougher and tougher each year. All in all, the summer acquisitions made by the Reds are not impressive if they want to reach the superior stages of the continental competition. The “run and gun” philosophy will definitely make the delight of the crowds, but I don’t think it will bring many trophies.
Gratian Cormos
