Panathinaikos: A tougher showing in Australia
After a summer packed with national team duties and a demanding schedule, Panathinaikos opened their Euroleague campaign with signs of what lies ahead: significant work on both ends of the floor. The week that followed the season’s start culminated in a home defeat to Barcelona (96-103), a result that felt like a warning more than a catastrophe, given the context. The team’s defense looked under strain, particularly in communication and rotations, while the offense still sought a balance between structured sets and the individual brilliance that has often carried them in the past.
Coach Ergin Ataman inherits a roster that is talented and expensive, but also in the process of repair. The club’s recent move to Australia for preparation didn’t grant them the smooth, uninterrupted build that any team needs at this level; instead, it amplified the physical and mental load on players and staff. The on-court product reflected that: moments of sharp ball movement and aggressive pace were offset by lapses in commitment on the other end and a lack of consistent defensive coherence. In simple terms, Panathinaikos showed flashes, but the overall picture remained “work in progress.”
What stood out most is the gap between the offense’s potential and the defense’s reliability. The scoring power is there, especially when the ball finds its way to playmakers and finishers who can exploit the gaps created by smart attacks. Yet without a more collective defensive ethic, the team is vulnerable to experienced ball clubs that punish careless transitions and late rotations. The club’s leadership will likely emphasize two paths in the eight days until the next duel: tighten the defensive language and improve the physical buy-in from every rotation piece. Newcomers may get more minutes, but the emphasis remains on cohesion and a clear team identity that can withstand the inevitable rhythm of the Euroleague grind.
What went right and what needs work
Offensively, Panathinaikos can lean on high-end talent and a versatile frontcourt. The challenge is converting that talent into sustained pressure across four quarters, not just in bursts. Defensively, better communication and sharper help-and-recovery rotations are non-negotiable. The game against Barcelona exposed a team that, despite its talent, was slow to adjust to the opponent’s pace and the quick decision-making required in this competition. The next eight days offer a window for refinement, practice time, and a more disciplined approach to both ends of the floor.
Olympiakos: Far from Bartzokas’ blueprint
Olympiakos’s opening euroweekend painted a different but equally instructive picture. The team arrived in Madrid with a mix of new faces and a familiar core that began with energy and confidence, racing to a hot start that included a 7-for-7 three-point burst in the first nine minutes. Yet momentum is fragile at this level, and the hosts’ quality gradually asserted itself. A 77-89 loss in a game that felt closer than the final score suggests underlined the challenge: the Reds have yet to settle their offensive identity or establish the defensive balance that defines a truly formidable unit under coach George Bartzokas.
The contrast between the two sides is telling. Olympiakos shows enough offensive firepower to threaten, but the lack of a stable, repeatable system—especially in ball and player movement—limits the team’s ceiling. The absence of a firm guard rotation complicates matters further, leaving the offense dependent on individual bursts rather than coordinated schemes. In the long view, the defense has shown moments of sharpness, but sustaining that intensity through the late minutes of tight games remains a work in progress.
In Madrid, as in the season’s broader arc, the team benefited from a strong stretch in the middle of the fourth quarter that tightened the game defensively and briefly shifted momentum. Still, the late collapse highlighted systemic issues: inconsistent offensive execution, reliance on a few primary scorers, and the struggle to close gaps when defenses compress. The plan for the next phase includes adding rotation pieces to the practice group and integrating newcomers more deeply so that the team’s identity resembles what Bartzokas has built elsewhere: disciplined, aggressive, and relentlessly prepared on both sides of the ball.
Two teams, one common goal: fix and advance before the SEF clash
As both clubs regroup and recalibrate, the eight days before their next meeting on October 12 at SEF (the Athens-Piraeus double-week’s punctuation mark) will be pivotal. The question isn’t whether either team can reach its ceiling in a single weekend; it’s which squad can convert the early misunderstandings into a unified, competitive identity. Injuries, travel fatigue, and the constant balancing act of integrating new players will test both programs. In this early stretch, the result is less important than the trajectory—slowly climbing toward the level expected of two of Europe’s most storied franchises.
Ultimately, the team that couples greater unity with sharper execution in the next eight days will carry the momentum into October and beyond. The road is long, but the potential for both clubs to reach elite Euroleague form is unmistakable.
