2023-24 Roster Rundown: Wolves Vilnius

Wolves Vilnius head into their rookie BKT EuroCup season with lots of anticipation, as the owners' highly ambitious project will now be tested in Europe's second-best basketball competition. While Wolves have only been a club for a little more than a year, having been founded in early June 2022, they have been smart with the people that they have brought into the building, which makes them one of the more intriguing sides entering the 2023-24 EuroCup campaign. Led by head coach Kestutis Kemzura, Wolves are going to be a team that's worth keeping an eye on next season.

BACKCOURT

One player who is surely set to catch the attention of many EuroCup fans is new signing Rasheed Sulaimon, who joined Wolves this summer after averaging 18.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists for Konyaspor in the Turkish League last season. Sulaimon's scoring exploits from the shooting guard position will be key for Wolves, and he has EuroCup experience, too, having posted 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 18 games for Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse in the 2021-22 season. Veteran combo guard Adas Juskevicius still has something left in the tank, having averaged 10.7 points for Wolves in the Lithuanian League last season, and he will be a key presence for the team during its EuroCup adventure. Kristupas Zemaitis, who has been a Lithuania international, and compatriot Arnas Berucka round out the team's backcourt options.

FRONTCOURT

Wolves made quite the splash when they announced the signing of Jeffery Taylor midway through last season, but he will now return to the Euroleague Basketball umbrella by playing in next season's EuroCup, a competition he has never featured in before. The 2018 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion with Real Madrid averaged 11.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals for Wolves in 14 Lithuanian League games in 2022-23, and his elite-level experience will prove vital for Wolves in the EuroCup. Another forward who is set to make his EuroCup debut next season is Lithuanian international Eigirdas Zukauskas, who posted 11.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists for Wolves in domestic league action last season. Both he and Taylor will be expected to regularly perform for Wolves. A potential sleeper that Wolves signed this summer is Tre'Shawn Thurman, who has arrived from Belgian side Oostende. He posted 15.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 steals in nine Basketball Champions League games for Oostende in 2022-23. Should he score at a similar level in the EuroCup, it should spell good news for Wolves. Vitalijus Kozys and new addition Christian Mekowulu are Wolves' other options at the forward positions.

Then, at center, experienced big man Djordje Gagic returns to the EuroCup after previously playing in the competition with Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys. The 32-year-old has regularly impressed in the EuroCup and he will be tasked with protecting Wolves' paint, as well as offering a threat on the other end of the floor. Regimantas Miniotas, who averaged 7.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in 30 Lithuanian League games for Wolves last season, is able to play at both the 4 and the 5 positions.

PLAYER TO WATCH

There are a few options here, but Jeffery Taylor will have the biggest spotlight on him and will be expected to impress for Wolves on a night-by-night basis. The 34-year-old Swede played a total of 202 EuroLeague games for Real Madrid during his seven years in the Spanish capital, during which time the team reached the Final Four on four occasions and lifted Europe's crown once. Taylor typically had to accept more of a bench role for Real, but he is now a guaranteed starter and a key player for Wolves. Entering the new EuroCup campaign, Taylor will not only have to impress on the court but he'll have to act as the team's leader in tough moments, which should make himself even more popular than he already is in Lithuania's capital city.

OUTLOOK

Entering a new competition and shining right away is always going to be a tricky task, but both Paris Basketball and the London Lions showed last year that reaching the playoffs can be done. Perhaps unfortunately for Wolves, however, the change to the EuroCup format has made qualifying for the postseason more difficult, with only six teams advancing to the playoffs. Wolves, playing in a tough-looking Group A, are not expected to make it to the playoffs, but with an experienced tactician in Coach Kemzura and several players who have been around the block, anything is possible. One thing's for sure, Wolves should be a lot of fun to watch in the 2023-24 EuroCup season.