The Euroleague season is fast approaching, and in the meantime the experts of the best league in Europe have freed themselves to review the teams that will open the 2022/23 season next week. In Dontas Orbonas’ podcast on ‘BasketNews’, they gave Maccabi Tel Aviv the 11th place in the power rating, and analyzed the reasons that led them to the disappointing position.
“Maccabi Tel Aviv has the potential to reach the playoffs, but it has a greater chance of failing,” he stated Orbonas“I think they lack players who will ‘catch up’ the squad. I would replace one of Alex Poithers and Josh Niebo, they play the same way. As a coach you want more tools for as many situations as possible in the game.”
Then, the panelist and commentator Augustas Soleuskas He analyzed for his part: “From the moment Maccabi signed Wade Baldwin it became what at least looked like an inevitable car accident. When they signed Lorenzo Brown it looked like he would be the main ball carrier, like he did in Spain, and that could have been fine because they have some interesting players – Dawn Hilliard, Josh Niebo and Bonzie Coulson. The problem is Baldwin, I don’t see how they’re going to match Baldwin with his ego to Brown. It’s not a good decision to bring him in next to what they’ve built there. I wouldn’t waste money on Baldwin and I’d put money in a forward with Shooting, that’s the change I would make there.”
Soleuskas went on to point out another problem, which is related to Oded Ketch, the coach of the Yellows. “He is not a strong coach in my eyes,” he said, “ranking Maccabi Tel Aviv in 11th place is generous, there will be teams with better chemistry that will play better basketball. In any case, with all the talent there, anything is possible, maybe they will make it to the playoffs.” .
“Kets is a player’s coach,” Urbonas responded, “Americans like him because he doesn’t complicate the game, he likes his players to play with their talent but when we talk about Baldwin, he’s a player who needs a challenge from his coach. It’s hard to explain his character, he Tough but at the same time he’s smart. There’s a reason he teamed up with Andrea Trinchieri at Bayern Munich, he needs someone to control him and challenge him.”
Also the third commentator on the panel, Reitis Visinauskas, referred to Maccabi Tel Aviv and said: “They will either be very good or very bad. With a squad like this you should expect to fight for seventh or eighth places, although I don’t see it happening. They continue to rebuild every summer, but if they stick together they might become what Kazan were last season. I don’t think that will happen, though.”
