Andrea Trinchieri was not surprised that Lukas Lekavicius played a major role in Zalgiris Kaunas beating ALBA Berlin 77-71 in his coaching debut for the team. 

Trinchieri: Lukas Lekavicius’s effort a picture of Zalgiris’s game

Andrea Trinchieri was not surprised that Lukas Lekavicius played a major role in Zalgiris Kaunas beating ALBA Berlin 77-71 in his coaching debut for the team. After all, the new coach already saw what his guard could do years ago.

Lekavicius scored 9 points to go with season highs of 6 rebounds, 5 assists, a performance index rating of 16 and 24 minutes in what was by far the 29-year-old’s most productive game of the season.

“I asked the team one thing. I know I cannot ask you for a perfect game. This is very far from our moment. But I can ask you for a perfect effort. And I believe Lukas had the perfect effort - 6 rebounds, 5 assists. Turnovers whatever. But that was the postcard of our game,” the new Zalgiris play-caller said after the win, which snapped a six-game losing streak.

Lukas Lekavicius's highlights for Zalgiris Kaunas against ALBA Berlin in Round 18 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Lekavicius's highlights vs. ALBA

Lekavicius had only combined for 2 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists and -2 in PIR in 28:32 minutes over his previous four games.

Trinchieri however said Lekavicius could be a player who helps the club rebound and still do good things this season.

“Lukas is a specific player. When you look at a player, when you scout a player, you can look at him in two ways: What is missing: size, He is not big. Or what he has. I focus on what he has. Lukas plays bigger than his size, he’s not afraid of anything. He plays like a 2-meter guard. He shoots floaters. He makes mistakes, plays through them. I believe Lukas is someone who can give us something in this moment,” Trinchieri said.

And Lekavicius rewarded his new coach’s faith in him as he scored a lefty running floater over ALBA big man Yanni Wetzell for a 74-71 lead with 31 seconds left.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Zalgiris app users selected tonight’s game MVP - Lukas Lekavicius! ⚡️ <a href="https://t.co/vIsJiZL6SY">pic.twitter.com/vIsJiZL6SY</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1742298049316110647?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The 16 PIR was Lekavicius’s highest since he posted a 19 index rating in Round 34 of the 2022-23 season against FC Bayern Munich. The coach for Bayern then was … Andrea Trinchieri, who watched Lekavicius guide the Lithuanian champs to an 80-83 away win to qualify for the playoffs on the final day of action.

And Zalgiris’s new coach was also the opposing coach when Lekavicius set his career highs of 29 points and 32 PIR - on February 24, 2017, against Brose Bamberg.

Trinchieri said afterward that he brought up that game to Lekavicius before the ALBA game.

“I told him in shoot-around: do you remember that game in Bamberg when you scored 30? At the end, I was so desperate because he was unstoppable that I put Daniel Theis on him. A center guarding a guard and he still scored,” Trinchieri recalled. “He is a burst for our offense. He has speed. He is not afraid of anything. He plays bigger than his size. I believe we need some intangibles - something to change this atmosphere.”

It shouldn’t be a surprise if Lukas Lekavicius becomes a real weapon for the new Zalgiris Kaunas under Andrea Trinchieri - someone who is happy to finally have the guard on his team for big games.

More Zalgiris News

The Lithuanian champs' new head coach seems to have found a player to build around in the veteran guard. 

Trinchieri: Lukas Lekavicius’s effort a picture of Zalgiris's game

Zalgiris Kaunas v ALBA Berlin (2024-01-02T18:00:00.000Z)

KK Partizan strolled to a 90-77 home win over LDLC ASVEL in Round 18 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

KK Partizan takes care of business against LDLC ASVEL, 90-77

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Kevin Punter of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade is defended by Edwin Jackson of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in Round 18 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The hosts recorded a comfortable win in the build-up to Thursday's Belgrade derby against Crvena Zvezda.

Partizan takes care of business against ASVEL, 90-77

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade v LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (2024-01-02T19:45:00.000Z)

Olympiacos B.C. improved its winning streak to three games by beating Olimpia Milano 79-74 in Round 18 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Olympiacos B.C. overpowers Olimpia Milano, 79-74

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Shaquielle McKissic of Olympiacos Piraeus in action against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Round 18 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Reds extended their winning streak to three games.

Olympiacos overpowers Milan, 79-74

Olympiacos Piraeus v EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (2024-01-02T19:15:00.000Z)

Bonzie Colson shined as Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. beat AS Monaco Basket 93-83 in Round 18 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. flexes its muscles against Monaco Basket, 93-83

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Wade Baldwin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv scores against AS Monaco in Round 18 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Bonzie Colson shined bright for the hosts as they exacted revenge for last season's playoff series defeat.

Maccabi flexes its muscles against Monaco, 93-83

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv v AS Monaco (2024-01-02T19:05:00.000Z)

Zalgiris Kaunas defeated ALBA Berlin 77-71 in the first game of the Andrea Trinchieri era in Round 18 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

Zalgiris Kaunas opens the Andrea Trinchieri era with 77-71 triumph over ALBA Berlin

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Tomas Dimsa of Zalgiris Kaunas gets away from Malte Delow of ALBA Berlin in Round 18 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Keenan Evans stepped up to ensure his new coach got off to the perfect start at Zalgirio Arena.

Zalgiris opens the Andrea Trinchieri era with 77-71 triumph over ALBA

KK Crvena zvezda had Joel Bolomboy to thank in Round 18 as it grabbed its first-ever EuroLeague win at Fenerbahçe Beko.

Joel Bolomboy led KK Crvena zvezda to historic win at Fenerbahçe Beko on career-best night

Before the game, the picture didn’t look good for Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade as it prepared to face Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Turkiye in Round 18 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season. Yet, a [Joel Bolomboy](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/joel-bolomboy/009035/)-inspired performance meant Zvezda was able to secure a lot of firsts on Tuesday night.

Not only was [Zvezda’s 76-85 win at Fenerbahce](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-fenerbahce-beko-vs-kk-crvena-zvezda/) its first win at Ulker Sports and Events Hall in nine visits, but it was also the first defeat suffered by the Turkish team at home this season and the first loss suffered anywhere since Saras Jasikevicius took charge of the team in mid-December. After all, Fenerbahce was 7-0 at home prior to Zvezda’s victory and 4-0 under Coach Jasikevicius, with two wins at home and two wins on the road.

### Joel Bolomboy had a night to remember

A large reason behind those firsts is down to the play of Bolomboy, who exploded for a career-high 24 points and also posted a career-best 31 PIR. Curiously, both of Zvezda’s road wins this season – the team is now 2-8 on its travels this season – have seen personal-best nights from the 29-year-old big man.

Joel Bolomboy had a career-best 24 points and a career-high 31 PIR as Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade beat Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 76-85 in Round 18 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Bolomboy's highlights vs. Fenerbahce

Just a couple of weeks ago, on December 21, 2023, Bolomboy netted what was then a career-high 20 points as Zvezda beat Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv 92-98 in Belgrade. In that same game, he recorded a 24 PIR, which was his second-highest mark but is now his third-best total.

“It definitely feels good \[to get career highs in points and PIR\]. I actually scored my career high a couple of games ago, so I got a new career high,” commented Bolomboy after Zvezda’s win at Fenerbahce.

“It feels good, but more importantly it feels good to win and find consistency as a team, especially to get this road win. It’s our second road win of the season. The first road win we had was against Maccabi in Belgrade, so we don’t really count that as a road win, but we’ll take it.”

Against Fenerbahce on Tuesday night, the Turkish side’s trio of centers – Johnathan Motley, Sertac Sanli and Georgios Papagiannis – struggled to contain Bolomboy all night long. As such, the Zvezda center got off to a strong start with 9 points, before adding a further 7 points in the second. By halftime, his stats read: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal and 0 turnovers. Not bad at all.

Bolomboy was limited to 4 points and 1 rebound in the third quarter, then the same figures in the fourth quarter. But, he came up clutch with some free throws, finishing 8-of-9 on the night, and ended with a +4 in the plus/minus column. Without his efforts, it’s hard to imagine Zvezda coming away with its Round 18 win.

<center>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/adidasPlayeroftheGame?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#adidasPlayeroftheGame</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/EuroLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EuroLeague</a> R18 <br><br>⭐️ JOEL BOLOMBOY <br><br>📊 24pts, 8/9 2FG, 8/10 FT, 6 reb; <br>PIR 31<br><br>Career high from our big man 👏<br><br> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kkcz?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kkcz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeAreTheTeam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeAreTheTeam</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EveryGameMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EveryGameMatters</a> <a href="https://t.co/FYrdfMnzYb">pic.twitter.com/FYrdfMnzYb</a></p>&mdash; KK Crvena zvezda Meridianbet (@kkcrvenazvezda) <a href="https://twitter.com/kkcrvenazvezda/status/1742273256755695703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Mike Tobey gave Bolomboy a bit of a chance for a breather, but head coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos didn’t hesitate to bring the six-year EuroLeague veteran back into the game at the earliest opportunity. Freddie Gillespie also came off the bench to his debut for Zvezda, but he only featured for 2:48 minutes.

Looking ahead to the Belgrade derby against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade on Thursday night, Zvezda will need a similar performance from Bolomboy if it is to upset its cross-city neighbor. But, Coach Sfairopoulos’s squad certainly took a big step in the right direction on Tuesday night, which should be a warning to Partizan.

More Crvena Zvezda News

Joel Bolomboy of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in action against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Round 18 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The center, playing in his sixth EuroLeague season, had his best performance to date in Round 18.

Joel Bolomboy led Zvezda to historic win at Fenerbahce on career-best night

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (2024-01-02T17:45:00.000Z)

KK Crvena zvezda secured its first-ever road win at Fenerbahçe Beko with a 76-85 triumph in Istanbul in Round 18 of the 2023-24 EuroLeague Regular Season.

KK Crvena zvezda shocks Fenerbahçe Beko on the road, 76-85

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Nikola Topic of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in action against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Round 18 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Serbian side secured its first-ever win at Ulker Sports and Events Hall.

Zvezda shocks Fenerbahce on the road, 76-85

Check out some bold predictions from EuroLeague.net staff members for Rounds 18 and 19 of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Bold predictions for Rounds 18 and 19

### Trinchieri gets off to the perfect start with Zalgiris

#### *by Geoff Gillingham*

The 5-12 Zalgiris Kaunas became the latest EuroLeague club to change its head coach this week, with Andrea Trinchieri coming in to replace Kazys Maksvytis. During his introductory press conference, the new Zalgiris boss stated that “10th place (the final play-in spot) is not on Mars. It is on Saturn.” Well, with Zalgiris currently four games behind Valencia Basket, currently in 10th, I expect Trinchieri’s charges to make up some ground by securing a win at home to ALBA Berlin and then again on the road at LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne in this double-round week. It won’t be enough to rise up to 10th just yet, but it will mark the ideal start for Coach Trinchieri and give the Zalgiris players hope in this second half of the EuroLeague Regular Season. 

<center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Andrea Trinchieri is very motivated for a new challenge! 🧠 <a href="https://t.co/bkIZiIAxgX">pic.twitter.com/bkIZiIAxgX</a></p>&mdash; BC Zalgiris Kaunas (@bczalgiris) <a href="https://twitter.com/bczalgiris/status/1741921610431353145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

### Fenerbahce will suffer its first loss of the Saras era

#### *by Frankie Sachs*

It had to come sometime. And that time is this week. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul is 4-0 with Sarunas Jasikevicus at the helm, with victories over AS Monaco and Zalgiris Kaunas at home, in Berlin against ALBA and across town against Anadolu Efes in the Istanbul derby. It has averaged 86.5 points in those games. It will need to score in bunches as both of its opponents this week average over 80 points per game; Round 19 opponent Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv is second in the league with 86.5 points per game.

After what shapes up as a tricky Round 18 home game against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade on Tuesday, Fenerbahce must travel to Kalnapilio Arena in Panevezys, Lithuania, to meet Maccabi on Thursday. The last six games between these teams have been won by the home team, but Fenerbahce won't have too much of a home-court advantage in this game. Meanwhile, many of Maccabi's key players have been absent from domestic competition and should have relatively fresh legs for this second game in a double round. Even if Fenerbahce rolls by Zvezda, the winning streak should come to an end in Lithuania.

### Monaco is this week's road warrior

#### *by Javier Gancedo*

AS Monaco faces a pivotal week with two games on the road. I liked what I saw against FC Barcelona, not just because of the 20-point win against a EuroLeague contender, but the attitude the team had on the court: always wanting more, being focused and also enjoying the moment. Mike James was all smiles in the second half and you can tell he was enjoying himself. When a player of his caliber is happy, anything good can happen.

This is way I predict that Monaco should get two road wins this week, against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and Olympiacos Piraeus. I know Maccabi is on a roll lately and Olympiacos has finally taken off once getting some players back from injury. But like I said, Monaco seems to be in a very sweet moment right now. When James is full of confidence, he is arguably the best playmaker in the league. All players who were with Monaco the last two seasons have plenty of pending issues against Olympiacos, after losing to the Reds in the 2022 playoffs and the 2023 semifinals. Kemba Walker is playing better and Petr Cornelie has given Monaco plenty of versatility at the 'five' position. Expect Monaco to keep rolling and be this week's road warrior, beating Maccabi in Belgrade and Olympiacos at Peace and Friendship Stadium.

<center>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🏹 <a href="https://t.co/1LoWrlIn0Y">pic.twitter.com/1LoWrlIn0Y</a></p>&mdash; AS Monaco Basket 🇲🇨 (@ASMonaco_Basket) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMonaco_Basket/status/1742132666718109802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

### Bayern will come home with a win from Italy

#### *by Igor Petrinovic*

FC Bayern Munich starts 2024 with a road trip to Italy where it will first visit Virtus Segafredo Bologna on Wednesday then travel to play EA7 Emporio Armani Milan on Friday. In the first part of the regular season, Bayern downed both of these opponents on its home floor in back-to-back rounds. Head coach Pablo Laso's men first beat Virtus 90-76 in Round 11 behind Serge Ibaka's MVP-of-the-Round performance, then improbably edged out Milan 91-84 in Round 12 after Ibaka beat the buzzer with a triple at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime. Both Virtus and Milan have a good momentum, but so does Bayern, and I believe it will not come home from Italy empty-handed. Bayern will beat at least one, if not both, of its Italian opponents this week.

Serge Ibaka was a force for Bayern against Virtus

### Panathinaikos will win in Spain

#### *by Frank Lawlor* 

Among the teams feeling very confident these days is Panathinaikos, which has not won in Spain for more than six years against any team but has road dates at Baskonia and Valencia this week. The Greens will take home at least one victory from Spain for the first time since beating Baskonia there on March 23, 2017. A lot has come together for Panathinaikos during its current four-game winning streak, during which time both Baskonia and Valencia have struggled. And as visiting head coach Ergin Ataman has made clear, he's not part of that negative streak, having won often in Spain when he was with Anadolu Efes Istanbul. With a healthy Mathias Lessort at center, defensive ace Jerian Grant shutting down opposing scorers, Marius Grigonis filling in blanks, Kendrick Nunn scoring in bunches and Kostas Sloukas stirring the mix with more and more confidence, the Greens have won three in a row on the road, too. Expect that to continue with at least one more road win this week.

Virtus Segafredo Bologna v FC Bayern Munich (2024-01-03T19:30:00.000Z)

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-01-03T19:30:00.000Z)

Valencia Basket v Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (2024-01-05T19:30:00.000Z)

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v FC Bayern Munich (2024-01-05T19:30:00.000Z)

Olympiacos Piraeus v AS Monaco (2024-01-04T19:15:00.000Z)

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2024-01-04T17:45:00.000Z)

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne v Zalgiris Kaunas (2024-01-04T19:00:00.000Z)

It's hard to recall a busier spell of roster moves so early in any Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season than over past couple of months.

Before the start of the second half of the regular season on Tuesday, there have been no fewer than 18 new players registered by 10 different teams since November 1.

Rosters roller coaster promises new year novelties

Before the start of the second half of the regular season on Tuesday, there have been no fewer than 18 new players registered by 10 different teams since November 1.

Of course, the standings offer one reason why, as just five wins separate third and 15th place. With 17 rounds left to play there is no telling how fortunes will change. So, with still five weeks to go until rosters close for good, teams are doing what they can to up the competitive balance.

### Players eligible for new teams this week

With by-laws stipulating that no player could change EuroLeague teams after January 1, a sizeable number did so in advance of that deadline

Guards were at a premium as first [Naz Mitrou-Long left Zalgiris Kaunas for Olympiacos Piraeus](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/olympiacos-signs-guard-mitrou-long/). Next, [Shabazz Napier moved from Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade to his old club, EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/olimpia-milano-brings-back-playmaker-shabazz-napier/), displacing former All-EuroLeague point man [Kevin Pangos, who landed at Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/kevin-pangos-seals-move-from-olimpia-milano-to-valencia-basket/). In between, [Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade picked up Jaleen Smith](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/partizan-signs-guard-jaleen-smith-from-virtus/), who had moved to Virtus Segafredo Bologna just last summer.

Virtus was part of the frontcourt action, however, as it surprised some by getting [Ante Zizic from Anadolu Efes Istanbul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/virtus-inks-ante-zizic-from-efes/) over the weekend. That move came a couple of weeks after [Zvezda had set up the arrival of Freddie Gillespie from FC Bayern Munich](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/kk-crvena-zvezda-brings-in-freddie-gillespie/).

The best plays of Kevin Pangos for EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.

Kevin Pangos's top plays for Milan

None of those moves would have been possible after January 1, but now all those players are eligible for the Round 18 games on Tuesday and Wednesday that mark the start of the second leg of the regular season.

All can be expected to have considerable impact, with Napier likely to be called upon to fill a scoring role immediately for injury-riddled Milan while his predecessor Pangos will likely be key to Valencia's attempts to improve its low ranking in both [assists](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-teams/?size=1000&misc=&seasonCode=E2023&category=Assistances&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=perGame) and, especially, [three-pointers made](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-teams/?size=1000&misc=&seasonCode=E2023&category=FieldGoalsMade3&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=perGame).

Those are not the only newly-eligible players in Round 18, however. Also in the last few days, [Virtus added shooting threat Rihards Lomasz](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/virtus-signs-guard-lomazs/), who has reunited with his Latvian national team head coach Luca Banchi, while [Zvezda called back from loan tall point guard Nikola Topic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/zvezda-brings-young-star-nikola-topic-back-from-loan/), one of the most promising talents in the world.

### Plenty of new faces in last two months already

All those moves within the EuroLeague that will impact teams going forward come on the heels of 10 more new players registered since November 1. The biggest mover in signing players from outside the EuroLeague has been Efes, in part because of injuries, with center [Daniel Oturu](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/dan-oturu/012788/), forward [Mike Daum](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/mike-daum/012786/) and guard [Ridvan Oncel](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/ridvan-oncel/010400/) all arriving in the last eight weeks. Already, Oturu and Daum scored in double digits eight times between them in seven rounds, showing how quickly new faces can adapt.

The same could be said for Partizan big man [Bruno Caboclo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/bruno-caboclo/012096/) and Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens guard [Kendrick Nunn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kendrick-nunn/012774/), who in a short time are already among their teams' top performers. [Edmond Sumner](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/edmond-sumner/012787/) and [Austin Hollins](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/austin-hollins/009917/) at Zalgiris have the potential to do the same, while new Olympiacos big man [Filip Petrusev](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/filip-petrusev/011194/) has already proven what he can do in the EuroLeague. [Chris Chiozza](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/chris-chiozza/012765/) at Baskonia, [Justin Anderson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/justin-anderson/012795/) at Valencia and Oncel at Efes and are lesser-known quantities poised to make the best of their first EuroLeague opportunities.

The best plays of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan guard Shabazz Napier in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season.

Shabazz Napier's best plays for Milan, 2022-23

### Injured stars due back soon

To that dizzying amount of moves, fans can also expect to welcome back stars who have been out for extended periods. Last week, one former All-EuroLeague selection, [Vladimir Lucic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/vladimir-lucic/001288/), returned for Bayern. Two former MVPs, [Nikola Mirotic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nikola-mirotic/000796/) of Milan and [Nando De Colo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/nando-de-colo/002100/) of LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, are waiting in the wings, as is former Final Four MVP [Will Clyburn](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/will-clyburn/004888/) of Efes. That's not to mention veterans like [Victor Claver](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/victor-claver/000556/) of Valencia, [Ioannis Papapetrou](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/ioannis-papapetrou/005161/) of Panthinaikos, [Jordan Mickey](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/jordan-mickey/008847/) of Virtus, [Maodo Lo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/maodo-lo/007032/) of Milan and [Marcus Eriksson](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/marcus-eriksson/003151/) of ALBA Berlin, among other injured players who could yet impact the playoffs race.

With six coaching changes, as well, since late October, you might be wondering what teams haven't changed at all since the start of the season. There are four, to be precise, and perhaps not surprisingly they occupy spots in the top seven of the standings: runaway leader and defending champion Real Madrid, third-place FC Barcelona, fifth-place AS Monaco and seventh-place Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.

With the deadline for signing non-EuroLeague players still five weeks away, on February 7, they still have time to make changes, too. But time will tell if standing pat or tinkering with rosters will be the winning choice this season.

It's hard to recall a busier spell of roster moves so early in any Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season than over past couple of months.