In the first of our deep dives into all four competitors at the Euroleague Final Four, Emmet Ryan takes a look at Panathinaikos. The Greeks are back in the big show for the first time since 2012 but will they make a big impression?
They have the most known owner in all of Euroleague basketball. Alongside him is a coach with experience of winning it all. The roster is radically different to a year ago. Can all of this mix together to deliver the championship to Panathinaikos?
DPG commands your attention
For most Euroleague fans, it’s a challenge to remember the name of the owner or GM of any team other than the one they support. Many will know the name of whoever fills that spot for their biggest rival. Beyond that? It’s not really important.
Everybody knows Dimitris Giannakoupolos. The man is a walking contradiction. DPG loves to work out an awful lot, yet he’s also rather fond of a cigarette. Giannaokoupolos is clearly a big fan of meditation and relaxation, yet the very reason you know his name is because of how often he explodes emotionally.
Having a character like that off the court is, at least in moderation, good for basketball. He may cause headaches for Euroleague’s top brass but he gets people talking. Giannakoupolos demands attention. Especially as he’s not just a bag of hot air. The Panathinaikos owner is a successful businessman who just happens to bleed green. His obsession with bringing Panathinaikos back to the top of the sport took on a new look this past offseason. The spending came, and then some, and it’s been quite the journey.
He is the one called Ataman
Terrible attempts at musical tributes aside, Ergin Ataman’s signing as head coach was a big marker laid down by Panathinaikos last summer. Having led Anadolu Efes to three Final Fours and two Euroleague titles, he was the type of signing that signalled the intent Giannakopoulos to accelerate things.
The Turkish head coach has serious talent at his disposal. The other new arrivals included Kostas Sloukas, Kendrick Nunn, and Matthew Lessort. There were, understandable, teething issues. A full roster overhaul is going to come with bumps along the way. Still, he found a way to make it come together.
The process is still unfolding. Watching Panathinaikos, it looks like they still haven’t got all of the pieces in place. That’s not just a matter of personal but one of chemistry. Surviving a gruelling five game series with Maccabi Tel Aviv certainly aided that process. There still feels like there’s more to come, not in stratagems or looks but in execution.
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There’s only one Matthew Lessort
Despite pointing out his free throw issues during the playoff series, I’m an enormous fan of Matthew Lessort’s game. Few bigs have his combination of strength and quickness. Certainly nobody in Euroleague is quite like him.
That positive for Panathinaikos brings with it an issue that comes back to chemistry. How they adjust when Lessort needs a rest is a concern. Real Madrid arguably have a similar issue with sitting Walter ‘Edy’ Tavares, only Los Blancos have been dealing with that problem for far longer. They can’t replicate Tavares but they can work on ensuring the aggregate isn’t diminished.
Right now, in terms of schemes, the Greens basically need to survive the minutes they have with Lessort sitting. If Ataman can improve the execution and blend things more while Lessort sits, then there are real opportunities for PAO.
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Built for this
Here’s a spoiler alert for the rest of the columns in this series: I genuinely believe every team in Berlin has the right type of guys and game for single elimination basketball. It’s rare that I come to a Euroleague Final Four thinking that of everyone.
For PAO, the positive is that they have what it takes to work through whatever unfinished parts of the project remain. Panathinaikos is a side that understands its flaws and doesn’t overcompensate. Ataman, for all his fiery outward persona, is a cold and calculating operator. That brain isn’t working on something new to deliver in Berlin, it’s on making sure that what is already installed works to optimal levels.
Dimitris Giannakopoulos will, undoubtedly, get worked up from the stands no matter what happens. Ataman will throw his arms and occasionally shout angrily yet with perfect diction. The Greens know who they are and how to make it work best for them. At this stage of the season, all you can ask for is that and a clean bill of health.
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