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COACHES CORNER
Focus on the Opponent
The coaches’ column shifts strategy, as the constant surprises prove we’ve been sailing in the wrong direction.
Published: 22/10/2025 13:50
What have we learned after five rounds?
We’ve confirmed once again how competitive the Euroleague is, as there are no undefeated teams left — only two stand at 4–1 (Panathinaikos and Hapoel), while just one, Baskonia, sits at 0–5 (with two overtime losses to Olympiacos and one buzzer-beater defeat to Panathinaikos).
Upsets keep coming, and we’re starting to resemble the NBA, where on any given night any team can beat any opponent. We saw, for instance, Dubai lose to Monaco by 22 and to Olympiacos by 19, then — without its most influential player, Musa — beat Fenerbahce away by 24 and Barcelona at home right after.
In Round 4, the last major upset shattered our long-term pick, as Saras Jasikevicius lost in Turkey to Dubai by 24 points (-20 points and -0.7 credits). His next win over Bayern just balanced out the fantasy points (+20) but not the credits (+0.3).
Meanwhile, our pricey short-term choice, Ataman, gave us only 10 points compared to Tabellini’s 20 points and +0.3 credits.
So, with three losses in our first three coaching picks, it’s clear that the long-term strategy isn’t working — especially since expensive coaches, who can generally produce steady results, are now punished more heavily when things go wrong.
Maybe it’s time to revisit last year’s big question: Who’s the new Alba?
The two candidates we identified from the start have indeed proven to be the weakest: ASVEL (1–4, with its only win at home vs Baskonia) and Baskonia (0–5). However, neither is as hopeless as last year’s Alba, and both will surely pick up some wins. Baskonia in particular, with the excellent H. Diallo and a rejuvenated Luwawu-Cabarrot, can cause damage — though losing the valuable Forrest hurts, leaving Nowell as their undersized point guard.
We move on to Round 6, which features a tough schedule without any clear favorites.
Short-term pick (one-round horizon):
Sasa Obradovic has already led Crvena Zvezda to two straight wins, and his team looks capable of beating Baskonia even on their difficult home court. The loss of Zvezda’s big men (Bolomboy, Rivero) was partially covered by Motiejunas’ arrival, and the Moneke vs his former team matchup is another intriguing subplot. At 6.9 credits, this looks like the best investment of the round — and the FDR agrees (21), even if the sample is still small.
Long-term pick (two-round horizon):
Besides Zvezda, who will host ASVEL next, only Barcelona seems capable of winning two in a row, playing first at home against the competitive Zalgiris (though the FDR disagrees with a 1 rating) and then against an injury-depleted Milano. That makes Penarroya, at 7.9 credits, the second recommended option.
As always, we use data as our guide — especially the FDR (Home/Away) from Teams FDR, selecting Home/Away from the filters to check the upcoming matchups.
Let’s give coaches the credit — and the attention — they deserve.
Devotion!
We’ve confirmed once again how competitive the Euroleague is, as there are no undefeated teams left — only two stand at 4–1 (Panathinaikos and Hapoel), while just one, Baskonia, sits at 0–5 (with two overtime losses to Olympiacos and one buzzer-beater defeat to Panathinaikos).
Upsets keep coming, and we’re starting to resemble the NBA, where on any given night any team can beat any opponent. We saw, for instance, Dubai lose to Monaco by 22 and to Olympiacos by 19, then — without its most influential player, Musa — beat Fenerbahce away by 24 and Barcelona at home right after.
In Round 4, the last major upset shattered our long-term pick, as Saras Jasikevicius lost in Turkey to Dubai by 24 points (-20 points and -0.7 credits). His next win over Bayern just balanced out the fantasy points (+20) but not the credits (+0.3).
Meanwhile, our pricey short-term choice, Ataman, gave us only 10 points compared to Tabellini’s 20 points and +0.3 credits.
So, with three losses in our first three coaching picks, it’s clear that the long-term strategy isn’t working — especially since expensive coaches, who can generally produce steady results, are now punished more heavily when things go wrong.
Maybe it’s time to revisit last year’s big question: Who’s the new Alba?
The two candidates we identified from the start have indeed proven to be the weakest: ASVEL (1–4, with its only win at home vs Baskonia) and Baskonia (0–5). However, neither is as hopeless as last year’s Alba, and both will surely pick up some wins. Baskonia in particular, with the excellent H. Diallo and a rejuvenated Luwawu-Cabarrot, can cause damage — though losing the valuable Forrest hurts, leaving Nowell as their undersized point guard.
We move on to Round 6, which features a tough schedule without any clear favorites.
Short-term pick (one-round horizon):
Sasa Obradovic has already led Crvena Zvezda to two straight wins, and his team looks capable of beating Baskonia even on their difficult home court. The loss of Zvezda’s big men (Bolomboy, Rivero) was partially covered by Motiejunas’ arrival, and the Moneke vs his former team matchup is another intriguing subplot. At 6.9 credits, this looks like the best investment of the round — and the FDR agrees (21), even if the sample is still small.
Long-term pick (two-round horizon):
Besides Zvezda, who will host ASVEL next, only Barcelona seems capable of winning two in a row, playing first at home against the competitive Zalgiris (though the FDR disagrees with a 1 rating) and then against an injury-depleted Milano. That makes Penarroya, at 7.9 credits, the second recommended option.
As always, we use data as our guide — especially the FDR (Home/Away) from Teams FDR, selecting Home/Away from the filters to check the upcoming matchups.
Let’s give coaches the credit — and the attention — they deserve.
Devotion!
