Anadolu Efes slow start: Short rotation or real struggles? / News - Basketnews.com

BasketNews expert Augustas Suliauskas analyzes the slow Anadolu Efes start and raises the question of whether back-to-back EuroLeague champions can pull off something similar as they did for the last 2 years.

Credit: Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

If Netflix was making a documentary about Anadolu Efes Istanbul's season start, the title would be something like 'Championship Hangover 3.0'. With 6 games in, the reigning champions have won only twice, overcoming Crvena Zvezda and ALBA at home.

Fenerbahce, Valencia, Bayern, and Monaco all happened to be too big of a mountain to overcome for the Turkish side. Four losses came by a combined total of 16 points.

So it's not like a warning flag should be raised, right?

We have seen Efes struggle for the first months of the season and then go on to win a title. After a pandemic hit in March 2020 and Anadolu Efes stood at the top of the leaderboard, they started the 2020-21 season with 3 wins in the first 6 games.

Last year, they had only 1 victory in the first 6 outings. Both scenarios finished with Ergin Ataman clenching his fists above his head.

Are we witnessing a third time that history is repeating itself? Or are the problems this year too big to solve? Let's combine statistics and video footage to find the answer.

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