What went wrong in Partizan's loss against ALBA? / News - Basketnews.com

BasketNews expert Augustas Suliauskas analyses what went wrong in Partizan's EuroLeague opener and raises the question of the main catalysts for such a poor defensive performance and whether the fans should be worried.

Credit: IMAGO/Contrast-Scanpix Credit IMAGO/Contrast-Scanpix

After waiting 8 years for the return to the EuroLeague, it was definitely not the way Partizan Belgrade fans imagined their comeback to the highest stage of continental basketball.

Player of the Game EFF 27 Luke Sikma Points 15 Accuracy 4-7 Rebounds 6 Assists 7

Round 1 is always tricky with home teams and those with the most continuity in their roster possessing a huge advantage.

ALBA Berlin checks both boxes as they showed no mercy to Zeljko Obradovic's team in their opening game. The Germans scored 61 points in the 1st half as they later marched to a comfortable 100-84 victory over the guests.

So surely, any conclusions from the lone game cannot be taken seriously as the sample size is too small, but what went wrong in Partizan's EuroLeague opener? What were the main catalysts for such a poor defensive performance, and should the fans be worried?

Sloppy Beginning

As a visiting team in the opposing arena for the first game, you have one job in the 1st quarter - not allow too many easy baskets and fall into large deficits. An emotional boost to local players might become too big of a problem to overcome in the later stages of the game.

It's easier said than done, and that's exactly the opposite of what Partizan did.

ALBA's energy set the tone in the first possession - the set play was broken with Kevin Punter not receiving the pass on the wing, and Partizan had to flow into an improvised pick-and-roll, which resulted in a missed shot.

Hosts aggressively pushed Partizan out of their desired positions and did a good job in passing lanes, denying the supposed receivers. Chaotic possessions, hand-gesturing, and not knowing where to stand on the court. That was a theme throughout the whole game for Obradovic's team.

Energy levels did not match defensively as well. Black-and-whites started sloppy, especially going around screens, leading to many wide open attempts from three. Luke Sikma and Jaleen made one 3-pointer each. And both times, it was Dante Exum who somehow managed to get stuck twice in a row.

Exum's Hot Start Offensively & The Point-Guard Position

The same Exum kept Partizan afloat on the other side of the court.

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