EuroLeague Week 10 Winners and Losers: Partizan, Olympiacos, and ranking the eight teams separated by 1 game

Week 10 of EuroLeague action solidified the blob of competitiveness, which is just a silly name for teams ranked 6-13. From Partizan to Bayern, all of these teams are separated by only one game in the standings. A three-game streak, winning or losing, could mean a world of good or harm for any of these teams. A key player missing a month could mean the end of their season. So as we approach the halfway mark, we attempted to rank these teams and shed some light on why we think some are better positioned than others. 

13. Anadolu Efes Istanbul

Actual Ranking: 10th

They have won three of their last four and notched two notable wins over Partizan and Panathinaikos in that stretch but this team still can’t guard anyone. Their defensive rating of 121.1 is second from the bottom, only ASVEL is worse. 

Pick any pocket of games this season and almost any lineup and the defensive rating is still bad. Let’s face it: Shane Larkin, Rodrigue Beaubois, Will Clyburn, and Darius Thompson aren’t quite defensive stoppers. They are quite the opposite, with some of those guys getting hunted by opponents regularly. 

Head coach Edem Can has tried to circumvent these issues by leaning into Efes’ athleticism, especially when Tyrique Jones is playing center over Ante Zizic, and will blitz more pick-and-rolls, help aggressively from the weak side, and have his players seek turnovers over old-fashioned stops. In their win over Partizan, this worked well for runs in the second and fourth quarters that powered them to victory behind a well-rounded offensive showing from their entire squad. 

But when this isn’t working, they don’t have a plan b. They aren’t firing on all cylinders regularly enough either. They have the offensive firepower to pose a challenge to anyone for one game, but can’t get enough stops to establish a threatening consistency. 

12. Valencia

Actual Ranking: 8th

Alex Mumbru’s squad came flying out the gate with a 4-1 start that included wins over Fenerbahce and Monaco as well as a dominant road win over Zalgiris. But they’re 2-6 since then with their wins coming over ASVEL and Crvena Zvezda at home. The most impressive part of their run since that hot start is playing very competitively against Real Madrid and Barcelona. 

There is plenty to like about this team. They are one of the most physical in EuroLeague, especially when they play Semi Ojelye, Damien Inglis, and Brandon Davies together. It’s imposing and covers a ton of ground defensively making them very difficult to score on. 

But they don’t have an elite perimeter offensive threat, and sometimes it feels like Brandon Davies is their best passer. That’s not an indictment of Davies, his passing is underrated and underappreciated overall, but it is an indictment of Valencia’s playmaking and creative ability. Davies would be a great secondary playmaker, but being the primary is concerning. 

They have been linked to Kevin Pangos who is heavily out of favor at Milano but it's hard to see Pangos returning to his form of a few seasons ago by changing clubs. It would probably give him a slight boost, but Valencia needs a pure offensive hub and Pangos is not that guy anymore, not consistently. 

11. Maccabi Tel Aviv

Actual Ranking: 9th

Maccabi is just as good as the two teams listed right above them but they don’t have a home court, which is not only draining throughout a season but particularly so for a team like Maccabi who has one of the best home courts on the continent. 

There’s not much else to say here beyond that. If this was a normal season, we’d feel differently. But this is far from a normal season, and that’s a shame because this team has serious Final Four talent and their ability to remain competitive without their imposing home court is a testament to that. 

10. Bayern Munich

Actual Ranking: 13th

Pablo Laso’s boys have won four of their last six, Carsen Edwards is shooting the ball slightly better, and they seem to have found a base for successful lineups: Nick Weiler-Babb, Isaac Bonga, Devin Booker, and Serge Ibaka plus one of Sylvain Francisco or Carsen Edwards. 

They’ve got the size to clog the paint and cut off the middle while also being able to recover to the perimeter and stay in front of even the opponent's best players. On offense, they’ve got five shooters and three players who can attack the rim to score. When Leandro Bolmaro returns it will be interesting to see how he fits into this group, being the best on the run decision maker among Edwards, Francisco, and Weiler-Babb. 

The problem is they need to rest some of these guys, and there is a noticeable drop-off in their depth. All due respect to Dino Radoncic, Danko Brankovic, and even Freddie Gillespie at times this season but they’re just not playing at the same level as their frontcourt teammates. 

This team could use a clean bill of health for an extended stretch — being able to swap Isaac Bonga for Vladimir Lucic and Bolmaro or Andreas Obst into the guard spots would be elite depth for positions 1-3 — but also one more quality reliable center. The market is scarce for those, but Khem Birch is out there, and he’s worth pursuing if their pockets are deep enough. For now, though, these two variables seem like they will continue to limit this team's ceiling. 

9. Panathinaikos

Actual Ranking: 11th

The Greens won four in a row in rounds 7-10 and some were anointing them to the Final Four. Then they went back on the road and lost to Partizan and Efes, then came back home and lost to Real Madrid. Not surprising, but one win in those three would’ve gone a long way toward making us feel better about them. 

This squad did look like a Final Four team during that four-game win streak. Against Valencia in Round 10 they were creating and hitting open shots early and overmatching them with their physicality on the defensive end. Ataman’s spread pick-and-roll looked as good as it ever has. Jerian Grant and Marius Grigonis were perfect connectors alongside Kostas Sloukas, Dino Mitoglou, and Matthias Lessort. Kendrick Nunn is a dynamic bench weapon, one of the best in the league, and they’ve still got Luca Vildoza and Juancho Hernanomez. 

But for all their talent, this team has rarely had a stretch of the season where they look like they have the depth to hang with Europe’s elite. Vildoza, Hernangomez, Balcerowski, and Mantzoukas have not looked entirely comfortable all season. Kyle Guy doesn’t even play anymore. 

In their Round 11 loss away to Partizan, they completely ran out of gas in overtime. Mitoglou caught the ball against mismatches in the post and couldn’t make a play. He was exhausted, and Ataman didn’t have anyone he trusted to put in the game for him. 

This team's first-six is Final Four quality, but if they don’t figure out spots seven and eight in the rotation they won’t be able to perform at that level week after week, and even worse, they’ll be running on fumes come play-in time. 

8. Fenerbahce

Actual Ranking: 12th

So, Dimitris Itoudis was still Fenerbahce’s coach when we made these rankings and it seems harsh to move them at all based on his firing without seeing how they look under Sarunas Jasikevicius. We’re going to keep them here for now.

This Fenerbahce squad has a lot of depth and versatility. They are missing a true star, that much is clear, but they have a lot of excellent EuroLeague players on their roster who can all serve in a variety of roles. This depth is part of why they were able to hand Real Madrid their one loss this season. 

But their lack of star power is why they’ve lost three games by one possession. Their depth lets them hang with anyone, but they struggle in crunch time. They also remain awful on the road. They’re not exclusive in that category, but they are undefeated at home and 1-7 on the road. They need to figure out how to win some games on the road eventually. Maybe Jasikevicius can change that. 

7. Olympiacos

Actual Ranking: 7th

The Reds are deep, insanely deep. Moustapha Fall, Nikola Milutinov, and Filip Petrusev might be the best center rotation in the competition. They’ve got Alec Peters who is having a career year and then Luke Sikma at the four. Kostas Papanikolaou, Ignas Brazdeikis, and Shaquielle McKissic on the wings with Thomas Walkup, Isaiah Canaan, Nigel Williams-Goss, and Giannoulis Larentzakis making up the guard rotation. 

Like some of the teams before them, they don’t currently have a certified EuroLeague star but Peters may be on the path to reaching that level. Canaan is having a solid season as well. There’s also camaraderie here. Walkup is in his third season with Olympiacos, Papanikolaou is a club legend, Canaan is in year two, McKissic is in year three, and Milutinov and Williams-Goss are returning Olympiacos players. 

Depth and chemistry are a recipe for success in EuroLeague. If Canaan and Peters can deliver star-level play in timely moments, the Reds could sneak back into the Final Four. They’ve got the fight and experience to make it happen, but currently need some more luck than usual to fulfill their highest of aspirations. 

6. Partizan Belgrade

Actual Ranking: 6th

Since signing Bruno Caboclo, Partizan has looked like a true Final Four team. They’re 4-2 with him in those six games, fourth in net rating at 4.2, and second in offensive rating at 122.1. Since Kevin Punter returned, they are also 3-0. 

When healthy, this team has everything. Punter is a certified EuroLeague star. Nunnally and LeDay are high-quality secondary stars, and Dozier is slowly proving he belongs in that conversation as well. Caboclo, Frank Kaminsky, and Alen Smailagic are all three skilled bigs who can impose themselves on the game offensively in their own way. Smailagic is a good shooter and likes attacking closeouts. Kaminsky is comfortable in pick-and-pop and in the low post, and Caboclo is a vertical lob threat who can also knock down open threes. 

On defense, Caboclo gives Partizan switch everything versatility. He’s quick for a big and Dozier is tall and strong for a guard. Both can guard almost any matchup for a handful of possessions and hold their own. They’ve proven capable of playing Caboclo alongside Kaminsky or Smailagic or just one of those three at a time. Ponitka and LeDay are both comfortable guarding up when they want to go small and they’ve got plenty of skill in the backcourt. 

The one lineup that continues to struggle isn’t surprising, but what’s surprising is that Zeljko Obradovic continues to use it. Ognjen Jaramaz and Danilo Andjusic have shared the court a lot this season and it just doesn’t make sense. Neither is a true point guard, they’re slow-footed, and Jaramaz is not a good catch-and-shoot option. They get targeted on defense as well. This duo drags Partizan down significantly on both ends of the floor, and Obradovic needs to bid it farewell once the squad is fully healthy.

Speaking of health, Partizan is still dealing with an injury bug. Aleksa Avramovic is set to miss two months with a broken leg and LeDay, Nunnally, Kaminsky, Ognjen Jaramaz, and Uros Trifunovic are all doubtful for their upcoming match against Zalgiris. Injury problems can derail any season, but if this issue subdues Partizan should be among EuroLeague’s elite this season. 

EuroLeague Week 10 Winners and Losers: Lines of the Week

Toko Shengelia’s 27 points and 8 rebound performance in Bologna’s win over Maccabi. The Georgian deserves more love this season. 

EuroLeague Week 10 Winners and Losers: Quote of the Week

We’re just going to wait for the aftermath of Itoudis’ firing at Fenerbahce and Jasikevicius coming in. There should be plenty of drama here soon.

EuroLeague Week 10 Winners and Losers: Clip of the Week

Matthias Lessory put Vincent Poirier on a poster.