Optimism abounds as Euroleague tips off

• Published date: 29 September 2021
• Author: JOSHUA HALICKMAN

In order to get ready for the new campaign, let's take a look at the clubs who will attempt to take home the top prize from the contenders to the pretenders and the teams who are riddled with question marks.

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Maccabi Tel Aviv

The yellow-and-blue overhauled its roster during the offseason as management brought back a number of players who had helped the club a couple of years ago when it looked as if it was about to punch its ticket to the playoffs for the first time in roughly half a decade, before COVID-19 halted the season. For the first time in years, Maccabi also has a very favorable schedule to start the season and it's expected that the team will be able to get off and running in a positive way.

As for the roster, naturalized Israeli and national team stalwart Jake Cohen returns to Israel after a year in Spain while Jalen Reynolds also comes back to Ioannis Sfairopoulos's squad after a season with Bayern Munich. Maccabi also added Derrick Williams, James Nunnally, Kameron Taylor and Keenan Evans along with Sabras Iftach Ziv and Roman Sorkin to the mix, while star guard Scottie Wilbekin will once again be the center of attention as he begins his fourth season with the club. Angelo Caloiaro, Oz Blayzer and captain John Dibartolomeo will all be back while Ante Zizic will be out for close to two months due to an injury, but has been replaced by Mathias Lessort on a short-term contract. It's crystal clear that Maccabi will attempt a serious run at European success with a solid mix of veterans who have played at the highest of levels from the NBA to the Euroleague and beyond.

Anadolu EFES

The defending Euroleague champs will look repeat – or if it was up to head coach Ergin Ataman, three-peat – as the Istanbul-based club has been the best in the continent over the past few years. Should the coronavirus not have forced the cancellation of the balance of the 2019/20 season, EFES could indeed be looking at its third championship in a row thanks to all-star guard Shane Larkin. The son of baseball Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin had bounced back and forth between the NBA and the Euroleague, but after arriving in Turkey a number of years ago he put his mark on the game like no other guard has over the past decade. Larkin can do it all on the court, from scoring at will and finding his open teammates to making...