EuroLeague Power Rankings: Fenerbahce's dominance and a clear Big Six / News - Basketnews.com

BasketNews presents the latest EuroLeague Power Rankings, with the Top 6 teams having a huge advantage against the rest of the teams.

Credit: Vangelis Stolis, BNS, Nikola Krstic, Tolga Adanali - Getty Images | BasketNews iliustracija/M.Didė Credit Vangelis Stolis, BNS, Nikola Krstic, Tolga Adanali - Getty Images | BasketNews iliustracija/M.Didė

With the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season getting underway, BasketNews presents the updated Power Rankings edition.

Fifteen BasketNews staff members and experts had a say, positioning the teams based on their current form and the potential they got in the foreseeable future.

The clubs received 18 points for the 1st place vote, 17 – for 2nd, 16 – for 3rd, 15 – for 4th, and so on.

For starters, we have ten teams going up, six falling down, and two remaining at their previous spot.

Zalgiris made the biggest jump, climbing up by eight places. Meanwhile, Olimpia Milan fell from 4th place in the pre-season Power Rankings to the 16th spot.

18. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne – 21 points ⬇

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 17th

An uninspiring season start pushes ASVEL to the bottom of BasketNews EuroLeague Power Rankings. The French club has a 4-game losing streak, and on average, they lose games by one of the biggest margins in the tournament (-5.6).

The only positive so far is a crushing 87-61 win against a Top 8 team, Baskonia.

17. ALBA Berlin – 40 points ⬆

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 18th

A 3-0 start, free-flow basketball, and a high-scoring offense made ALBA one of the biggest surprises at the beginning of the season.

However, the German team instantly felt the reality check that continues until now after the loss to Olympiacos was 7th in a row. It is the worst streak any team has ever suffered after starting the season with a 3-0 record.

16. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan – 60 points ⬇

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 4th

Before the season, Milan was seen as almost a lock for the Final Four in 2023 after Kevin Pangos, and Brandon Davies bolstered an already strong roster. However, today Milan is at the bottom of the EuroLeague, and Final Four looks like a mirage.

Olimpia Milan is the only EuroLeague team that doesn't average at least 70 points per game (68.3), and even reaching the playoffs seems like a high mountain to climb.

15. FC Bayern Munich – 68 points ⬇

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 8th

Bayern started their season with 5 losses in a row, but it seems that the German powerhouse is slowly crawling back. Andrea Trinchieri's team achieved 3 wins in the last 5 games, including the victory against back-to-back champions Anadolu Efes.

Bayern are currently in 16th place, but as the previous seasons showed, it's too early to write them off.

14. Panathinaikos Athens – 79 points ⬆

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 12th

Similarly to Bayern, Panathinaikos' start of the season looked pretty grim, with only 1 win in 6 games. Nevertheless, the Greek powerhouse beat Baskonia, Virtus, and ASVEL, reaching 13th place in the standings.

After 10 games played, Panathinaikos are only 1 win away from a 7-seeded Anadolu Efes. It's probably too early to call Panathinaikos a playoff contender, but the recent form should give some optimism to the fans.

13. Valencia Basket – 89 points ↔

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 13th

Valencia remains in the same Power Rankings place it was before the season. As usual, whenever the Spanish team is in EuroLeague, it gives a proper fight to every team.

This season is no exception, as Taronges already beat Anadolu Efes, Olympiacos, and Monaco.

However, so far, the biggest Valencia obstacle is games against their direct rivals for the playoffs spot. The Spanish team lost to Baskonia, Virtus, Zalgiris, and the bottom team, ASVEL. Improving this area will certainly push Taronges closer to the playoffs.

12. Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade – 94 points ⬆

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 15th

After Dusko Ivanovic's arrival, Crvena Zvezda look like a brand-new team. So far, the Montenegrin coach has won all five games in all competitions, including the Belgrade derby against Partizan in ABA League.

Crvena Zvezda held Maccabi to its season-low 68 points, and that's one of the biggest improvements that Duskovic managed to implement. Before his arrival, the Serbian powerhouse allowed 80.1 points on average (73.0 in three games with Dusko in charge).

11. Virtus Segafredo Bologna – 121 points ⬇

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 9th

So far, consistency is probably the main component Virtus are lacking. On one day, the Italian team can beat Real Madrid but then lose against a team at the bottom.

Sergio Scariolo's team also had many close games. 7 of 10 games ended with a 5-point or even smaller margin. Virtus won three of them. Add two more victories, and we are talking about a team in the Top 6.

Could it be better? Yes, but Virtus are definitely among the playoff contenders at the moment, and securing that Top 8 seed will be crucial for clinching a spot for the next EuroLeague season.

10. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade – 128 points ↔

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 10th

Partizan take the highest-ranked team status among the EuroLeague newcomers. After a 0-3 start, Zeljko Obradovic's team bounced back with 3 consecutive wins and remains in contention for the playoffs berth.

Partizan still have some ceiling, as the Serbian powerhouse is being riddled with injuries. Alen Smailagic, Bolsa Koprivica, and Aleksa Avramovic are currently sidelined due to injuries, while Matthias Lessort is dealing with pain in the elbow area.

9. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv – 148 points ⬆

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 11th

After a strong start with 4 wins in 5 games, Maccabi slowed down, suffering three consecutive defeats.

Nevertheless, the Israeli team boasts a 5-5 record and shares 7-9th places with Efes and Baskonia. Another good news is that Lorenzo Brown and Wade Baldwin produce exactly what is expected from them.

However, there's plenty of room to improve regarding the defense, as Maccabi allow 83.3 points on average, which is 3rd worst in the competition.

8. Zalgiris Kaunas – 156 points ⬆

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 16th

Zalgiris made the biggest jump since pre-season Power Rankings. After starting the season with 2 losses, Zalgiris bounced back and defeated teams like Barcelona, Virtus, and Milan.

The Lithuanian powerhouse, alongside Fenerbahce, remain the only teams that are yet to suffer a loss at home. Zalgiris will receive plenty of support in the future as the games against Panathinaikos, Efes, and Real Madrid are already sold out.

7. Baskonia Cazoo Vitoria-Gasteiz – 167 points ⬆

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 14th

Baskonia's scoring machine received recognition among our experts. Averaging 87.9 points per game, Baskonia lead in offensive categories bulldozing its opponents left and right.

Markus Howard leads the way with 16.5 points per game, despite averaging only 21 minutes per contest. Seven Baskonia players average double-digit numbers in PIR.

The question remains whether the Spanish team can keep it up, but so far, Baskonia are an undeniable contender for playoffs.

6. Anadolu Efes Istanbul – 216 points ⬇

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 2nd

European basketball fans, you know the drill. Anadolu Efes begin the season slowly, everyone starts to talk about whether they still have it, then they find another gear and go on to win the title.

Not that long ago, Efes had a 2-5 record and were nowhere close to the Top 8 seed. However, after beating Barcelona, Olimpia Milan, and Virtus, Efes have a 3-win streak and stand in 7th place.

Whether they'll complete a 3-peat is way too early to tell, but it seems that Efes start to gel. Moreover, Shane Larkin is yet to make his season debut. As you would expect, head coach Ergin Ataman remains confident.

"It's still the beginning of the season. Larkin will join us after a while. The important thing is not the beginning of the season, it's the end of it," Ataman said after the win vs. Barca. "Entire Europe knows who made it until the end in the league. So we are relaxed, there's no problem."

5. AS Monaco – 221 points ⬆

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 6th

Monaco justifies the given status before the season – a solid team with Final Four aspirations. So far, the Monegasque club is exactly that.

Mike James, Elie Okobo, and James Loyd lead the show, with Alpha Diallo and Donta Hall providing solid contributions as well. Moreover, it seems that Monaco players are not thinking about a solid campaign start and look for ways to improve even more.

"We suck right now, but I think we'll get a lot better," Diallo told BasketNews after the win against Olympiacos. "We got a lot of things to work on, taking it day by game. The first thing we need to work on is our free-throw shooting."

"For us, it's another game. We have an entire season ahead of us, and I hope we'll play way better," added Donatas Motiejunas.

4. Real Madrid – 225 points ⬇

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 1st

The beginning of the season was rather complicated by Real Madrid standards, as the Spanish giant lost 3 games in the first 5 contests. There were even some talks about a possible replacement for Chus Mateo, but now the situation seems steady.

Now, Real have the longest win streak in EuroLeague (5 wins in a row) and climbed to third place, as Olympiacos, Real, Barcelona, and Monaco share 2-5th spots.

Most importantly, Real still have some room for growth. Mario Hezonja still looks for the best version of himself, Nigel Williams-Goss only recently made his season debut, while Sergio Rodriguez is also away from his usual numbers.

Facundo Campazzo recently became a free agent. Could he become another addition and answer to the point guard position?

3. Olympiacos Piraeus – 228 points ⬆

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 5th

Another contender that does things everyone expects. After gaining momentum from last season, Olympiacos maintain its Top team reputation.

It's hard to believe that Isaiah Canaan won't improve (4.9 points; 1.2 PIR averages) and should provide even more options for the Greek powerhouse.

Meanwhile, Sasha Vezenkov successfully builds his regular-season MVP campaign, averaging rare numbers for European basketball – 20.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 27.7 (!) PIR.

2. FC Barcelona – 236 points ⬆

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 3rd

So far, Barcelona is the only team that beat Fenerbahce. While some of the victories did not look too convincing, most of the time, Catalans did their job.

Most notably, Nikola Mirotic is yet to make his season debut, while Kyle Kuric played only 5 minutes in the EuroLeague.

Barcelona still have more guns, and as usual during the Sarunas Jasikevicius spell, they keep grinding wins.

1. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul – 268 points ⬆

Place in the previous Power Rankings: 7th

No surprises here. Just like they dominate on the court, Fenerbahce dominated in BasketNews EuroLeague Power Rankings.

The Turkish powerhouse received 14 out of 15 first-place votes and missed only 2 points from getting all 270.

They bounced back with four wins in a row after the loss against Barcelona, and there's no team stopping them. Nick Calathes is playing one of the best seasons of his career, while Johnathan Motley's transition to EuroLeague goes silky smooth.

Dimitris Itoudis' squad boasts the 2nd-best offense (86.9 points per game) and 2nd-best defense (75.4 points per game allowed) and wins games by an average of 11.5 points margin (1st place).

And finally, don't forget. Nemanja Bjelica is yet to make his season debut.

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