The Euroleague.net experts have provided their first power rankings of the 2024-25 season
Power Rankings: The state of play entering Round 1
Article
8 Mins read
Welcome to the preseason edition of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Power Rankings. The following list is the brainchild of EuroLeague.net's team of experts, which is made up of Geoff Gillingham, Javier Gancedo, Frankie Sachs and Igor Petrinovic.
Next to each team are two numbers, the first representing the highest rank on any individual ballot and the second representing the lowest.
1. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (1-1)
Year 1 of the Ergin Ataman era at OAKA couldn’t have gone better, but year 2 could be just as fruitful. Panathinaikos looks even stronger than it did last season after bringing in All-EuroLeague guard Lorenzo Brown, as well as Cedi Osman and Omer Yurtseven from the NBA, while last year’s key contributors have all returned. Coach Ataman’s prophecy of going back-to-back (again) could become a reality in 2024-25.
2. Olympiacos Piraeus (2-2)
Take a Final Four team. Bring back 10 of its top 11 performers. Add the 2022-23 MVP (Sasha Vezenkov), a reigning champion (Luca Vildoza), a pair of top-tier scoring threats (Tyler Dorsey and Evan Fournier) and an All-EuroLeague candidate who will join the team later in the season (Keenan Evans). The result? A championship contender.
3. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (3-4)
When Saras Jasikevicius took charge of Fenerbahce midway through last season, he had to make do with a roster that was built for his predecessor, Dimitris Itoudis. The Lithuanian play-caller has made sure to put his fingerprints on Fenerbahce’s squad this past summer, bringing in elite-level players in Wade Baldwin, Bonzie Colson and Nicolo Melli to join an already talented group. Fenerbahce should be a lot of fun this year.
4. Real Madrid (3-5)
Simply put, Real Madrid can never be counted out. Three straight appearances in the championship game say everything you need to know about the competitiveness of this club. With Facu Campazzo dishing the rock, Dzanan Musa and Mario Hezonja wreaking havoc on the offensive end, and Walter Tavares patrolling the paint alongside new addition Serge Ibaka, Los Blancos remain a strong contender to make the Final Four.
5. FC Barcelona (5-7)
As Forrest Gump put it, “life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.” That same sentiment could easily apply to the 2024-25 version of Barcelona, which is entering a new era after a summer of change. Now led by head coach Joan Penarroya and with five new signings, including Kevin Punter, Chimezie Metu and Juan Nunez, the Azulgrana should be must-watch TV. But will it result in a dominant record?
6. AS Monaco (4-8)
Any team with Mike James needs to be treated seriously. The 2023-24 EuroLeague MVP enters the new season as the best player in the league, but Monaco’s roster construction certainly raises a few questions. There is an overload of backcourt players, including new arrivals Furkan Korkmaz and Juhann Begarin, and a center rotation that causes some doubts. Yet, Monaco still has plenty of talent in its squad, making it a threat.
7. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (5-8)
For years, Shane Larkin has led one of the best backcourts in the league. Now Efes has a new-look frontcourt led by 2023 champion Vincent Poirier and EuroLeague newcomers Stanley Johnson and Jordan Nwora. Head coach Tomislav Mijatovic seems to have the right mix of depth, experience and talent to make a run at the Final Four.
8. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (5-9)
Many of us have been burned by Milan over the last few years. Each summer it looks as if Ettore Messina’s men are primed to fight for a Final Four spot, having last made it in 2021, but it hasn’t even made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. Still, any roster that can boast Nikola Mirotic, Shavon Shields, Zach LeDay and Josh Nebo needs to be taken seriously. Very seriously.
9. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (8-13)
The winningest coach in EuroLeague history, Zeljko Obradovic, leads a team that is almost entirely rebuilt with young and talented players. Having a handful of EuroLeague newcomers (Carlik Jones, Duane Washington, Isiaha Mike, Arijan Lakic) and a few others with only limited EuroLeague experience (Frank Ntilikina, Aleksej Pokusevski) presents a challenge, but the upside is there.
10. Virtus Segafredo Bologna (10-12)
Last season Virtus started the season on fire but faded late, eventually reaching the Play-In Showdown before its season came to an end. Coach Luca Banchi returns many of last season's stars, including Toko Shengalia, Isaia Cordinier, Marco Belinelli, Daniel Hackett and Ante Zizic. The additions of Rayjon Tucker and Matt Morgan to the backcourt and Will Clyburn at forward should have Virtus knocking on the playoff door again.
11. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (9-15)
Coach Pablo Laso returns to his boyhood club, eager to get Baskonia back into the playoffs for the second straight year. The trio of Markus Howard, Chima Moneke and Tadas Sedekerskis form the core of returning stars, while Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Donta Hall, Trent Forrest and Kamar Baldwin should all fit nicely into Laso's plans. If it all comes together, Baskonia should be fun to watch as it fights to finish the regular season among the top 10.
12. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (9-16)
Zvezda has one of its deepest squads ever and head coach Ioannis Sfairopoulos can use that to his advantage with his physical defensive preferences. The key offseason additions include Codi Miller-McIntyre, Mike Daum and Isaiah Canaan, while Nikola Kalinic and Ognjen Dobric return home. Will Milos Teodosic, Nemanja Nedovic and Rokas Giedraitis pack enough scoring touch to push Zvezda into the playoffs? That is the question.
13. Zalgiris Kaunas (10-16)
Coach Andrea Trinchieri has a history of maximizing the talent on his teams and there is a lot to like on the Zalgiris roster. There is plenty of scoring punch (Ty Wallace, Deividas Sirvydis, Ignas Brazdeikis, Sylvain Francisco) and tough defenders (Bryant Dunston, Arnas Butkevicius, Edgaras Ulanovas), which is a template Zalgiris can use to challenge for a top-10 finish.
14. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (11-15)
After losing its top four performers to other EuroLeague teams over the summer, head coach Oded Kattash has his work cut out for him to get things running well with newcomers Jordan Loyd, Rokas Jokubaitis, Jaylen Hoard and Levi Randolph, while big man Wenyen Gabriel misses the start of the season to injury. Even with reliable returnees Jasiel Rivero, Tamir Blatt and Roman Sorkin, Maccabi will be tested early this season.
15. FC Bayern Munich (13-15)
Just a year ago, head coach Gordie Herbert led Germany to the gold medal at the World Cup. He will now look to sprinkle some magic on a Bayern roster that features a veteran mix of players with something to prove. A lineup of a healthy Shabazz Napier, Carsen Edwards, Vladimir Lucic, Oscar da Silva and Johannes Voigtmann could inflict a lot of damage on opponents.
16. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (13-17)
Nando De Colo, Paris Lee, Joffrey Lauvergne and Mbaye Ndiaye have some new faces around them this season as they look to carry ASVEL to the top half of the standings. While Melvin Ajinca, Neal Sako, Admiral Schofield and Shaq Harrison lack EuroLeague experience, they and Theo Maledon will be counted on to be difference-makers. Can head coach Pierric Poupet make history with this squad?
17. Paris Basketball (16-18)
Paris will have an uphill battle as it looks to leave a mark on the EuroLeague. The roster features little EuroLeague experience, and head coach Tiago Splitter is leading a team in Europe’s premier competition for the first time, too. Nonetheless, EuroCup MVP T.J. Shorts and rising star Nadir Hifi lead a promising backcourt that will thrill fans in the French capital.
18. ALBA Berlin (17-18)
Guard Will McDowell-White and big man Trevion Williams were the only additions who joined ALBA over the summer, with management giving head coach Israel Gonzalez the chance to take a further mold a young roster. Italian duo Gabriele Procida and Matteo Spagnolo are expected to take a step forward, and veteran guard Martin Hermannsson is healthy. The continuity should make ALBA stronger from the start. That should be enough to improve on last season's five-win season, but how much better can ALBA be?