2024 EuroLeague offseason grades: Olympiacos and Panathinaikos
To close our EuroLeague offseason grades series we will take a look at archrivals Olympiacos and Panathinaikos. The Reds are looking to end their lengthy spell of Final Four appearances that fall short of a championship, and the Greens are looking to go back-to-back. Together, they could fuel the greatest EuroLeague season in recent memory.
Olympiacos Offseason Grade
Position last season: 5th
Our prediction for them last season: 5th
Players and personnel in: Sasha Vezenkov, Evan Fournier, Keenan Evans, Luca Vildoza, Tyler Dorsey
Players and personnel out: Isaiah Canaan, Ignas Brazdeikis, Luke Sikma, Giorgos Tanoulis, Michalis Lountzis
Offseason grade: A+
Try to add: Nothing
Prediction: Olympiacos making the 2024 EuroLeague Final Four was remarkable. The team lost star power and simply was unable to bring in any direct replacement. They upgraded from within, leaned on depth, embraced the ugliness they would need to win games, and made it back to the Final Four. But there, the lack of star talent, especially on the perimeter, was exposed.
Real Madrid outclassed them, across the board, in the first half of their semifinal matchup. In the Greek League championship, they succumbed to a 2-0 comeback by rivals Panathinaikos. Watching the Greens lift the EuroLeague and Greek championship led by former Olympiacos star guard Kostas Sloukas and Kendrick Nunn made it obvious what Olympiacos needed to compete next season.
Olympiacos has made the additions they need to assert themselves in the tier of true EuroLeague title contenders. Former MVP Sasha Vezenkov is back, joined by NBA veteran Evan Fournier the two are a part of the nearly 20 NBA players from last season who left for EuroLeague. We would throw caution at the Fournier signing, he can still shoot, but his burst is all but gone and he struggles to create any separation for himself. There was zero genuine interest in the French guard from NBA teams in any role beyond locker room veteran presence this summer and for good reason. Fournier can help you win at this level, but Luca Vildoza, Tyler Dorsey, and eventually Keenan Evans will likely be better sources of the offensive verve the Reds lacked last season.
This is one of the deepest and most talented EuroLeague rosters in recent memory. Unfortunately for Olympiacos, their rivals might still have a better one.
Panathinaikos Offseason Grade
Position last season: 2nd
Our prediction for them last season: 7th
Players and personnel in: Cedi Osman, Lorenzo Brown, Omer Yurtseven
Players and personnel out: Luca Vildoza, Olek Balcerowski, Neoklis Avdalas, Nikos Chougkaz, Lefteris Mantzoukas
Offseason grade: A+
Try to add: Nothing
Prediction: Following their first EuroLeague championship in over a decade and seventh in the clubs history, Ergin Ataman and Panathinaikos refused to rest on their laurels. They dominated at the end of the season and were a clear class above the rest of EuroLeague. They set a new bar, and fellow contenders such as Real Madrid, Fenerbahce, Monaco, Efes, and others have spared no expense in trying to reach it. Neither have rivals Olympiacos.
The Greens took note and made sure they stayed at the top with the moves they made this summer. No player who was regularly a part of last season’s rotation left and they added depth at guard, forward, and center. Turkish forward Cedi Osman is easily the most talented addition. Osman was a genuine rotation-level player in the NBA last season, he expected to sign an NBA deal this summer, and so did other NBA teams, and then the market dried up and Panathinaikos became the best option. For as good as Dinos Mitoglou and Marius Grigonis were last season, there is no denying Osman is an upgrade on both.
Lorenzo Brown rounds out what is now a star-studded guard rotation: Kostas Sloukas, Kendrick Nunn, Jerian Grant, and Brown. Nunn, Sloukas, and Brown were All-EuroLeague last season. Grant is only two years removed from his EuroCup MVP and it was obvious watching him last season that if he wanted to be a star somewhere, he easily could.
Omer Yurtseven has spent the last couple of seasons chasing NBA minutes and now the Turkish center fills the greatest area of concern Panathinaikos had last season: center depth. Mathias Lessort might be the best center in Europe at the moment, but concerns about Kostas Antetokounmpo being his primary backup were obvious as lineups with Mitoglou at center were used more regularly throughout the playoffs and Final Four. Yurtseven now provides a permanent solution, and this roster officially has zero weaknesses. There are other great teams this season, but Panathinaikos should be the favorites to go back-to-back.