Back to EuroLeague elite: a dive into Olympiacos' first part of the season / News - Basketnews.com

After missing the playoffs last season and finishing the EuroLeague regular season in the 12th place, Olympiacos Piraeus look like a very different team this season. Georgios Bartzokas' guys are in the playoffs hunt, currently sitting in fifth place with a record of 7 wins and 4 losses.

2-pointers this season

56%19,8Points made:19,8Accuracy:56,0%Place in standings:8Record max:24Record min:15Most made 2FGs:Moustapha FallTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Basketnews' Augustas Suliauskas analyzed how the Greek powerhouse came back into the elite of EuroLeague.

Despite having average numbers when it comes to both offensive and defensive ratings, Olympiacos has a very physical defense, which forces opponents to a lot of turnovers and forced shots.

The Greek side force 13.5 turnovers per game, the fourth-best team in the EuroLeague. Olympiacos also forced the opponents to take only the shots they wanted them to take.

As of right now, coach Bartzokas' team allows 23.5 three-pointers per game, the seventh-best in EuroLeague, and 13.7 free-throws per game, the fifth-best in the competition.

Even on the offensive end, the intensity and physicality of Olympiacos are very present. The Greek team crash the offensive board like no one else in the EuroLeague, grabbing 12.1 of them per game.

With the presence under the board of guys like Moustapha Fall, Georgios Printezis, Quincy Acy, and Sasha Vezenkov, the other teams playing against Olympiacos are always a tough matchup.

Big and strong guards like Thomas Walkup, Kostas Sloukas, and Shaquielle McKissic are often fouled, as Olympiacos are currently the second-best team in the competition, receiving 20.5 fouls per game.

Tyler Dorsey, one of the main additions made over the summer, is currently the best scorer of the team, averaging 12.8 points per game while shooting 44% from three-point.

The offense might not be Olympiacos' best quality, but it involves a lot of movement from all the players. That often puts the opponents in a difficult situation while they try to understand who will be the main option in that particular set.

After a difficult season, Olympiacos looks back to where they belong: among the best EuroLeague teams.

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