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Panathinaikos is readying itself for an All or Nothing-type season

Panathinaikos is readying itself for an All or Nothing-type season

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4 July 20235 Mins read

Geoff Gillingham

Mathias Lessort (left) attempts to block the shot of new Panathinaikos Athens teammate Luca Vildoza (right) during the Belgrade derby between Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.

Drama is never far away from Panathinaikos Athens. The six-time champion of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague has spent the last few years struggling towards the lower end of the regular-season standings, failing to make the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, but this upcoming campaign will be a major test of whether the Greens are truly back or not. For anyone familiar with Amazon Prime's All or Nothing series, this experiment will be exactly that.

The appointment of Ergin Ataman as Panathinaikos's new head coach was the first major domino to fall this summer, with the 57-year-old having taken Anadolu Efes Istanbul from the doldrums of the standings to back-to-back EuroLeague champions in 2021 and 2022. Two Greek signings were the first players to arrive – Kostas Antetokounmpo and Dimitris Moraitis – but the two most recent additions, Luca Vildoza and Mathias Lessort, have put Panathinaikos fans on the edge of their seats.

After all, Lessort was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team after boasting the second-highest average PIR in the competition at 19.1, while also averaging 12.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists for Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. Vildoza, meanwhile, was named the MVP of the Month in December 2022 after hitting the ground running upon his arrival at Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in mid-October. Come the end of the season, Vildoza posted 12.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.4 steals and a 12.2 PIR across his 29 appearances.

Understandably, the excitement levels are building in Athens – and there's no sign that Panathinaikos is going to slow down just yet. Rumors have linked the Greens with the likes of AS Monaco swingman Jordan Loyd and FC Barcelona guard Nico Laprovittola in recent weeks, while it appears as though Ioannis Papapetrou, who played for Panathinaikos between 2018 and 2022, will be the next player to walk through the door at OAKA.

With excitement, however, comes pressure. Coach Ataman has signed a two-year deal to take charge of Panathinaikos, which means that getting off to a quick start will be imperative, hence the need for big-name additions straight away. Vildoza clearly liked the idea of being the face of Greens' new project – on the court at least – and thus penned a three-year contract, while Lessort's two-year commitment aligns with that of Ataman. There's no doubt that there will be an expectation that Panathinaikos hits the ground running, given the level of investment and the expectation that comes with putting on the Greens' famous jersey.

Going back to the All or Nothing premise for a moment, there are almost always moments in the series where the team goes through struggles and then either comes out the other side stronger or falters at the final hurdle. For Panathinaikos, reaching the playoffs is a must – and getting to the Final Four is something that is already in Coach Ataman's head. In fact, the Turkish tactician also has Olympiacos Piraeus, Panathinaikos's archrival and last season's EuroLeague runner-up, in his sights.

“Our goal is to reach the Final Four, for sure. I can’t lower the target. I can’t say, ‘Our goal is to make the playoffs’ at a club like Panathinaikos,” Ataman said during an interview with Turkish outlet Fanatik.

“When I took over Efes, I targeted Fenerbahce [Beko Istanbul] with [Zeljko] Obradovic. Why? Because Fenerbahce was one of the best clubs in Europe at that time. The same applies to Olympiacos. I will base my squad on Olympiacos. If we surpass Olympiacos, we will play in the Final Four and win the domestic championship.”

These types of comments have become the norm from Coach Ataman in recent years, and if everything ends up falling into place, he will quickly become an icon among Panathinaikos supporters. What's more, if Vildoza and Lessort are able to replicate the level of performance they had with Zvezda and Partizan, respectively, last season, they will not only earn a big place in the hearts of the Greens' fan base but they will put Panathinaikos on the right track to achieve its goals.

It is almost a guarantee that there will be fireworks at Panathinaikos at some point during the 2023-24 season, but for EuroLeague fans and the global basketball community in general, it will be must-watch TV. There's still plenty of time before the season gets underway in October, but Panathinaikos is already showing that it means business as it looks to replicate its glory days in the EuroLeague from the late 1990s and the 2000s. Will it end up going to plan, like in the best-case scenarios in the All or Nothing series, or will it end up being more like a soap opera? Only time will tell.