A busy first month in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague ended with a surprise contender, Virtus Bologna, whose veteran leader, Tornike Shengelia, is Euroleague Basketball's choice as MVP for October 2023, 

MVP of October: Tornike Shengelia, Virtus Segafredo Bologna

After collapsing late in its season opener at home, days before learning that a key new player required surgery for a tumor, Virtus Segafredo Bologna could have descended into negativism. Instead, Virtus came together around the iron will and positivity of veteran [Tornike Shengelia](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/tornike-shengelia/001133/), Euroleague Basketball's choice as MVP for October 2023, to become the biggest early-season surprise in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings.

Remarkably, Virtus held leads for all except one possession over the next three games and capped off the month with a thrilling road victory to finish October sharing [second place at 4-1](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/standings/). Shengelia was nothing short of excellent the whole time, posting the EuroLeague's highest accumulated performance index rating and second-best point total so far, making him a resounding choice to open the MVP of the Month award's 19th season.

The winner of MVP of the Month award is named by Euroleague Basketball based on his and his team's performance during the month in question. The award for October was based on the five games that most teams played during the month. This marks the second time that Shengelia has been honored as MVP of the Month. His first such award came in March of 2018 while playing for Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.

### From sadness to euphoria

Two weeks after Sergio Scariolo left the bench suddenly and was replaced by Luca Banchi in the late stages of preseason, Virtus blew a 15-point lead to lose [79-82](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/virtus-segafredo-bologna-zalgiris-kaunas/E2023/5/#boxscore) to visiting Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 1 despite Shengelia combining 17 points with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. [Much worse news](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/virtuss-polonara-to-undergo-surgery/) dropped five days later, however, when Shengelia's fellow power forward, [Achille Polonara](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/achille-polonara/002084/), was found to have a testicular tumor and was soon operated on in advance of chemotherapy treatments.

Tornike Shengelia | October MVP | 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

On the road at AS Monaco in Round 2, Virtus responded by handing the hosts their wort-ever EuroLeague home loss, [59-83](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/as-monaco-virtus-segafredo-bologna/E2023/15/#boxscore), after which Polonara's teammates brandished his jersey to show they had him at the center of their thoughts while playing so well. Shengelia had the team's highest PIR, 18, based on 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. It was Virtus's widest margin of victory in a EuroLeague road game since 2002.

Virtus kept it going with a double-round sweep the next week. In leading ALBA Berlin from tipoff to the final buzzer for an [87-76](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/virtus-segafredo-bologna-alba-berlin/E2023/27/#boxscore) victory, Shengelia scored 26 points on near-perfect shooting – 8-for-9 on two pointers, 1-for-2 from downtown and 7-for-8 at the free-throw line – and also had 4 rebounds and 3 assists for a 32 PIR that made him MVP of Round 3. Two nights later, Virtus again did not trail as it downed visiting Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade [85-79](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/virtus-segafredo-bologna-crvena-zvezda-meridianbet-belgrade/E2023/36/#boxscore), with Shengelia posting a team-high 19 points, as well as 6 rebounds and 5 assists en route to a PIR of 18.

In October's final game, Virtus visited LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and never trailed by more than 4 points on the way to an [84-87](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/ldlc-asvel-villeurbanne-virtus-segafredo-bologna/E2023/42/#boxscore) win, its fourth in a row. Shengelia's 4 points in a row broke a late 79-79 tie and he finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals for a PIR of 29.

### Leading by example

From a one-possession 5-4 deficit early in Round 3 at Monaco to the end of its Round 5 win against Zvezda, Virtus went a stunning 113 consecutive minutes without being behind on the scoreboard, a monument to the team's mental toughness in the face of adversity. Shengelia had his fingerprints all over that effort.

The 32-year-old from Georgia, in his 11th EuroLeague season with a total of 227 games played, finished the month with a 23.6 PIR average, [ranked second overall](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-players/?size=25&misc=&seasonCode=E2023&category=Valuation&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=perGame&phase=RS), and 18.4 points per night, [ranked third](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-players/?size=25&misc=&seasonCode=E2023&category=Score&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=perGame&phase=RS). His 4.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game were the second-best marks among Virtus’s players during the month. Most remarkably, he converted 75.0% of his [two-point shots](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-players/?size=25&misc=&seasonCode=E2023&category=FieldGoals2Percent&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=perGame&phase=RS), 52.9% of his [three-pointers](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-players/?size=25&misc=&seasonCode=E2023&category=FieldGoals3Percent&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=accumulated&phase=RS) and 85.0% of his [free throws](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/stats/key-stats-players/?size=50&misc=&seasonCode=E2023&category=FreeThrowsPercent&seasonMode=Single&sortDirection=descending&aggregate=accumulated&phase=RS) in October.

For his efforts, Virtus fans not only see their team near the top of the standings, but they will be able to serenade the club's first-ever MVP of the Month honoree, Toko Shengelia, at an upcoming home game.

More Shengelia news

A busy first month in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague ended with a surprise contender, Virtus Bologna, whose veteran leader, Tornike Shengelia, is the MVP of October.

Saski Baskonia has completed the signing of former NBA guard Chris Chiozza until the end of the season.

Baskonia strengthens backcourt by adding Chris Chiozza

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz has completed the signing of Chris Chiozza on a deal until the end of the season. Chiozza (1.80 meters, 27 years old), who has 91 games of experience in the NBA, will make his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut when he first plays for Baskonia in the competition. So far this season, the American guard has averaged 9.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists in eight games for UCAM Murcia.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">✍️ OFICIAL | Chris Chiozza, nueva pieza para la dirección de juego azulgrana 🧠<br><br>📎 <a href="https://t.co/6WJ4BB8RyU">https://t.co/6WJ4BB8RyU</a><br><br>Ongi etorri, Chris! 🧀🔵🔴 <a href="https://t.co/OmxJ7YNZJL">pic.twitter.com/OmxJ7YNZJL</a></p>&mdash; Baskonia (@Baskonia) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baskonia/status/1719632936046092754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

### Another body for Baskonia

Chiozza joins a Baskonia side that has been down to the bare bones of late, with the team having just eight players available in [a Round 5 loss on the road at Panathinaikos Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-panathinaikos-bc-vs-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/). The addition of Chiozza should help lighten the load on star guard Markus Howard, who returned to form with 22 points last week, while he will also provide competition for fellow guards Nico Mannion and Codi Miller-McIntyre. He is the first signing of [Dusko Ivanovic's fourth spell as Baskonia head coach](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/euroleague-live-blog-panathinaikos-bc-vs-baskonia-vitoria-gasteiz/).

### Four seasons in the NBA

After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, Chiozza ended up spending the next few years between the NBA and the G League. He made his NBA debut in the 2018-19 season after first appearing for the Houston Rockets in March 2019. The 27-year-old ended up playing seven games in a Houston jersey.

Chiozza played a total of 32 games in the 2019-20 campaign, having played 10 times for the Washington Wizards before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets, where he made 18 regular-season appearances. The American featured in four playoff games for Brooklyn, too.

The Call Up | Chris Chiozza

He remained with Brooklyn for the 2020-21 season, playing 22 times in the regular season before making six appearances in the postseason. Chiozza’s last NBA campaign was in 2021-22, when he featured 34 times for the Golden State Warriors. He received an NBA championship ring during his time with Golden State.

Across his 91-game NBA career, of which he has made four starts, Chiozza averaged 3.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Now, after spending the 2022-23 season with the Long Island Nets in the G League and the last six months with Murcia, he brings his talents to the EuroLeague for a Baskonia side looking to recover from a 1-4 start to the season.

More Baskonia News

New Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz signing Chris Chiozza in action for the Golden State Warriors in the 2021-22 NBA season.

The American guard has been playing in Spain since April 2023 but will now make the leap to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Jasiel Rivero celebrated his 30th birthday in style by enjoying a commanding performance in Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C.'s 90-98 win at Olimpia Milano in the EuroLeague on Tuesday night.

Birthday boy Jasiel Rivero led Maccabi to victory at faltering Olimpia Milano

Jasiel Rivero served up a majestic performance as Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv romped to [a 90-98 win at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/news/live-blog-olimpia-milano-vs-maccabi-tel-aviv-bc/) in a rescheduled Round 2 game of the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The forward celebrated his 30th birthday with a rock-solid display at both ends of the court, having paced his team with 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field while he also collected 4 rebounds and 2 steals. He finished with a career-high 26 PIR, which – as well as the win – was probably the best present he could have asked for.

Jasiel Rivero had 21 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals as Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv beat EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 90-98 in a rescheduled Round 2 matchup in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Jasiel Rivero's highlights vs. Milan

Rivero turned out to be the X-factor for Maccabi as he spent only 19:25 minutes on the court, while Lorenzo Brown bounced back from a poor night in last week’s road drubbing by AS Monaco.

### Other players stepped up, too

Brown delivered 20 points and 12 assists as Maccabi overturned a 32-25 first-quarter deficit, when Milan was firing on all cylinders thanks to top scorer Nikola Mirotic. From there on, however, Rivero made a telling impact as Milan could not handle his speed and physicality, with the Cuban doing plenty of damage in the paint.

The roles of Bonzie Colson, Antonius Cleveland and Josh Nebo were just as vital, as all three also finished in double figures to underline Maccabi’s fast-flowing offense and dominance in the paint.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That&#39;s the Maccabi spirit! <a href="https://t.co/SeTqOqdNzX">pic.twitter.com/SeTqOqdNzX</a></p>&mdash; Maccabi Tel Aviv BC 🇮🇱​🇮🇱​🇮🇱​ (@MaccabiTLVBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaccabiTLVBC/status/1719471872390094967?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

### Kattash praised Maccabi’s character

“It’s a great win for us,” Maccabi’s head coach Oded Kattash said during the post-game press conference. “We came here after a big loss at Monaco; we’re having lots of ups and downs on and off the court. Competing in the EuroLeague is never easy, especially under the circumstances, but we showed a lot of character. I am very happy for the players, the staff and the fans, but most of all for the people in Israel.”

Kattash also heaped praise on Rivero: “He was great for us tonight. He is one of the reasons we outrebounded a team like Milan, which has great size. I am also very happy that he found a way to score, it was a big night for him.”

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan-Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv | Round 2 | Highlights

Maccabi improved to a 3-2 record while Milan slipped to 1-4, piling the pressure on head coach Ettore Messina, who was livid with his team’s lackluster defense.

“We lost a game in which we had 25 assists and shot 40% on three-pointers,” he stated. “Another game in which we conceded \[nearly\] 100 points. Our identity is to play strong defense and protect our half of the court, but that has disappeared recently. We were no opposition today, as Maccabi ran, rebounded on offense, scored on the pick and roll and scored on isolation. Our defense was embarrassing.”

More Maccabi News

Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv forward Jasiel Rivero smiles with teammates Bonzie Colson and Josh Nebo after the club's 90-98 road win at EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in a rescheduled Round 2 matchup in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Cuban forward produced the best EuroLeague performance of his career as the visitors came out on top.

Birthday boy Jasiel Rivero led Maccabi to victory at faltering Milan

EA7 Emporio Armani Milan v Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (2023-10-31T19:30:00.000Z)

Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. improved to a 3-2 record in the 2023-24 EuroLeague standings with an impressive 90-98 win at Olimpia Milano, which dropped to 1-4 after losing in this rescheduled Round 2 clash on Tuesday.

Maccabi Tel Aviv overpowers Olimpia Milano, 90-98, thanks to smooth team effort

<incrowd-live-blog id="6541247e5122390a216e1959" client-id="EUROLEAGUE" server="standard"></incrowd-live-blog><script src="https://live-blog.incrowdsports.com/index.js"></script>

James Webb of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv dunks the basketball during his team's rescheduled Round 2 win against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in the 2023-24 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

The Israeli side had five players reach double digits in points en route to an important road victory.

Maccabi overpowers Milan, 90-98, thanks to smooth team effort

When EA7 Emporio Armani Milan and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv cross paths on Tuesday in a game from Round 2, a perimeter matchup between Kevin Pangos and John DiBartolomeo could be key to the final outcome.

Pangos, DiBartolomeo have another backcourt meeting

One of the key matchups in [Tuesday's lone Turkish Airlines EuroLeague fixture](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/game-center/2023-24/ea7-emporio-armani-milan-maccabi-playtika-tel-aviv/E2023/12/) is the one between point guards [Kevin Pango](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/kevin-pangos/006433/)s of Milan and [John DiBartolomeo](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/players/john-dibartolomeo/007990/) of visiting Maccabi. The two are set to square off against one another for the eighth time since they were first on the opposite sides in the 2017-18 campaign.

That was the season of DiBartolomeo's EuroLeague debut, and has since made 165 appearances for Maccabi. At the time Pangos was in his second with Zalgiris Kaunas as one of team's main protagonists. He averaged 14.0 points and 8.5 assists as Zalgiris and Maccabi split home wins. DiBartolomeo played just 10 minutes combined in those two games while attempting, and missing, a single field goal try.

Pangos then went on to play with FC Barcelona and Zenit St Petersburg, and averaged 10.2 points and 5.0 assists in games against DiBartolomeo and Maccabi, helping his teams win three of those four clashes.

DiBartolomeo, on the other hand, averaged just below 14 minutes in those games with Pangos on the other side, but always found ways to be productive, having PIRs of 8 or more in three of the four.

Then last season, when Maccabi beat Milan 85-66 in Tel Aviv, DiBartolomeo proved to be one of the main protagonists, with 8 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds, accumulating a 12 PIR and a plus/minus of +13 while Pangos was held to 5 points.

Overall, in seven head-to-head games against Pangos, DiBartolomeo has made 10 triples on 20 attempts. It will be important for Maccabi that he continues the trend of shooting such good percentages against Pangos's teams, as well as playing his trademark solid defense.

John Dibartolomeo, Kevin Pangos Top Plays from 09/30/2023 to 10/31/2023

John DiBartolomeo Kevin Pangos best plays in 2023-24

That is especially true early this season, in the absence of injured Maccabi star guard Wade Baldwin, during which time DiBartolomeo has taken a big load for Maccabi. He is playing a career-high 22 minutes per night going into Tuesday's game and has been good for 1.8 triples made and 4.5 rebounds per game so far.

Pangos is averaging 8.0 points this season, but half of his production has come in one game, Milan's lone win of the season, and impressive 65-53 triumph over Olympiacos Piraeus in Round 3.

That, in a way, tells a story how important has Pangos been for Milan, just like DiBartolomeo has been for Maccabi. Which player who gets the upper hand in this head-to-head duel would certainly give his team a big edge in this make-up Round 2 game on Tuesday night.

Kendrick Nunn has signed for Turkish Airlines EuroLeague powerhouse Panathinaikos B.C., following spells with the Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Washington Wizards in the NBA.

Kendrick Nunn joins Panathinaikos after four seasons in the NBA

Panathinaikos Athens has confirmed the signing of Kendrick Nunn until the end of the season, the club announced on Tuesday. Nunn (1.91 meters, 28 years old) has spent the last four seasons playing in the NBA, most recently averaging 7.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 31 games for the Washington Wizards in the second half of the 2022-23 campaign. He will make his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut when he first suits up for Panathinaikos in an upcoming game.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It’s official! ✍️<a href="https://twitter.com/nunnbetter_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nunnbetter_</a> is Green! ☘️<br><br>Read More 👉 <a href="https://t.co/ZNQ7UdwEZi">https://t.co/ZNQ7UdwEZi</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeTheGreens?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeTheGreens</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/paobc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#paobc</a> <a href="https://t.co/82QvHFltOG">pic.twitter.com/82QvHFltOG</a></p>&mdash; Panathinaikos BC (@paobcgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/paobcgr/status/1719378123593028085?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 

### Making an immediate impact in the NBA

Nunn, who went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, spent the 2018-19 season with the Santa Cruz Warriors, the G League team of the Golden State Warriors. After signing a deal with the Miami Heat in April 2019, Nunn got a chance to shine in the NBA in the 2019-20 campaign.

Across 67 games with Miami in his rookie NBA season, Nunn averaged 15.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists as the team reached the NBA Finals, losing 2-4 to the Los Angeles Lakers. Due to his impressive performances, the new Panathinaikos guard earned a place on the NBA All-Rookie First Team, while he was also named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month on three occasions (November, December, January).

Kendrick Nunn's October/November Highlights | NBA Rookie of the Month

The following season was just as impressive as Nunn posted 14.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 56 games for Miami. From there, Nunn signed a two-year deal with the Lakers but ended up missing his first season in Los Angeles due to a knee injury. He averaged 6.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in a reserve role for the Lakers to start the 2022-23 season, but after 39 games he was traded to Washington in January.

More Panathinaikos News

New Panathinaikos Athens signing Kendrick Nunn in action for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2022-23 NBA season.

Kendrick Nunn has signed for Turkish Airlines EuroLeague powerhouse Panathinaikos, following spells with the Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Washington Wizards in the NBA.

Panathinaikos B.C. underwent big changes over the summer as it looks to become a force in the EuroLeague once again, with Ergin Ataman arriving as head coach and the likes of Kostas Sloukas, Mathias Lessort, Juancho Hernangomez and Luca Vildoza all arriving to strengthen the roster.

Panathinaikos’s rebuild is in full flow: ‘We built a very good team’

The reset button was pressed at [Panathinaikos Athens](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/panathinaikos-bc-athens/roster/pan/?season=2023-24) over the summer, with two-time Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion Ergin Ataman arriving as head coach to oversee a complete rebuild. Most of last season’s squad ended up departing OAKA and 11 new players joined in the hope of returning Panathinaikos to its former glories.

There could be even more new faces at the club, too, with the Greens remaining open to possibilities in the market. The last few years have been difficult for Panathinaikos fans as they have had to watch their team struggle, with the Greens having last reached the EuroLeague Playoffs in the 2018-19 season. 

Now, Coach Ataman, who won back-to-back EuroLeague titles with Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns, is tasked with bringing playoff basketball back to OAKA. Rather than be overawed by the challenge, the Turkish tactician is embracing the task at hand.

“I like the challenge,” says Coach Ataman. “Now is the time to rebuild to give new emotions for the Panathinaikos fans. I enjoy this, I like this challenge. When we talked about a rebuild, \[we discussed building\] a team with big names, with big character players, so I decided to sign with Panathinaikos.”

Signing big-name players

Securing the signature of Ataman was one of the keys for what was to follow, with Kostas Sloukas signing for Panathinaikos from archrival Olympiacos Piraeus, 2022-23 All-EuroLeague center Mathias Lessort arriving from Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Juancho Hernangomez swapping the NBA for OAKA.  

“I want to give everything for Panathinaikos,” states Sloukas. “From 17th position \[last season\] to be as better as possible. And why not? After the playoffs, if we have luck and we’re in good shape, to be in the Final Four. This is my target.” 

For Ioannis Papapetrou, who returned to the Greens after one year with Partizan, he is delighted to have Sloukas as his teammate once again. After all, they have played together with the Greek national team and also at Olympiacos between 2013 and 2015.

“I’m very happy that he’s here,” confirms Papapetrou when asked about Sloukas. “He’s a very great player, creating with the ball and his talent on the court and his imagination. He’s a true point guard, he can get other people involved and I think his quality is really what we needed.” 

Lessort, who just earned Round 5 MVP honors and is averaging 16.0 points and 7.6 rebounds, believes that the roster assembled by Panathinaikos ensures that no player can rest on their laurels.

“It’s healthy competition in the team for everybody to fight for minutes, to fight for their role,” he notes. “It’s going to be interesting to see how everybody fits in, how everybody adjusts to this level, adjusts to the coach and the culture of this team. It speaks volumes about what the team’s ambitions are and I think this is what makes it comfortable for other players to come here as well.” 

Target of reaching the Final Four

This may be the first year under Coach Ataman, but expectation levels are high as Panathinaikos looks to reach its first Final Four since the 2011-12 edition in Istanbul, Turkiye. Since then, Olympiacos has made it to the Final Four on four occasions, so that naturally adds more pressure on the Greens.

“We built a very good team,” adds Ataman. “We chose all players to be together for the chemistry of the team, so in all positions we have different players.” Sloukas shares that same aim: “Our target is to be in the top eight and after, the Final Four.” 

Only time will tell if that ends up being the case, but there’s no denying that this is a different Panathinaikos side from the last few years. With a coach like Ataman on the sidelines, the impossible seems possible, too.

The Greens are looking to return to the top after a few barren years in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Panathinaikos’s rebuild is in full flow: 'We built a very good team'

The “Taronjas” are here to stay and a project that has been years in the making is finally showing results, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Valencia Basket’s ‘Effort Culture’ is paying off

[Valencia Basket](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/euroleague/teams/valencia-basket/roster/pam/?season=2023-24) is making a statement. After weeks of uncertainty at the end of last season, when nobody knew if Valencia would play in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague or the BKT Eurocup, the Spanish team swiftly accepted a wild card to the continent’s most elite competition. Now, Valencia is making the most of the opportunity.

After a somewhat disappointing 2022-23 season, which also started with a special invitation but ended with a 15-19 record, the team decided to take a different direction, letting go of long-time pillars like Bojan Dubljevic, Sam Van Rossom, and Klemen Prepelic, who had a collective 24 seasons with the club.

[MORE...](https://www.eurohoops.net/en/euroleague/1574244/valencia-baskets-effort-culture-is-paying-off/)

Fantasy Challenge Podcast: Get your Round 6 game on!

As the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague moves toward its second month and the thick of the season, so does the Fantasy Challenge Podcast with co-hosts Javier Gancedo and Frankie Sachs, who cover a lot of ground this week, from the top players of the moment to an anecdote about the great Riccardo Pittis dating from the game's origins.

A suspended game in Round 6 between Real Madrid and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv means that Fantasy Challenge managers have some different choices to make. Players from those two teams will score their season-to-date average until now in fantasy, which will be applied after Thursday night's games. Choosing Real and Maccabi players means knowing some of your eventual fantasy score before the round starts.

Outside of those two teams, of course, there are endless player choices, whom Javi and Frankie break down for you in terms of top performers, great bargains and everything in between. Of course, both review their teams and tip off other managers to the trades they will make for Round 6, so listen in and get ready to boost your [EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge](https://euroleaguefantasy.euroleaguebasketball.net/en/home) teams now!