The Euroleague.net experts provide their updated power rankings as of Round 22 of the 2024-25 regular season
Power Rankings through Round 22: Real Madrid, Barcelona on the rise
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Welcome to the January 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, Frankie Sachs, Igor Petrinovic and Javier Gancedo.
The power rankings represent where the experts rank if compared to all teams right now and not necessarily where they feel they will be at the end of the season.
Next to each team, there are several numbers. First is the team's record. It is followed by the highest rank on any individual ballot, and the next number represents the lowest.
1. Olympiacos Piraeus (16-6); 1, 1
Previous rankings: Preseason - 2. November - 1. December – 1.
Olympiacos is the hottest team in the competition and despite its many injuries, the Reds keep winning. Sasha Vezenkov has been just unstoppable in 2025, even netting 45 points, the third-best scoring mark in the modern EuroLeague era, against Bayern. Coach Georgios Bartzokas's team is deep in every position and players like Alec Peters, Shaquielle McKissic and Moustapha Fall are always ready to step up. Things could get even better with a healthier Nikola Milutinov. Right now, Olympiacos is the team to beat in the competition. -- Javier Gancedo
2. Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (13-9); 2, 4
Previous rankings: Preseason - 1. November - 2. December – 3.
Panathinaikos is coming off two tough defeats in the double-round week, and it is now without injured centers Mathias Lessort and Omer Yurtseven, but there are plenty of reasons why the Greens have risen one place to second in our power rankings. Kendrick Nunn is the best scorer in the EuroLeague, Panathinaikos remains stacked full of talent, and Ergin Ataman knows what it takes to create a winning machine. When Panathinaikos is clicking – as it was between Rounds 16 and 20 – there’s arguably no better team in the league. -- Geoff Gillingham
3. AS Monaco (13-9); 2, 4
Previous rankings: Preseason - 6. November - 8. December – 2.
Just two weeks ago Monaco was atop of the standings and tied for the most wins in the league, but the team from the Principality has three losses in the last three games. What’s a bit unusual is that the team with so many clutch players on the roster, and coached by arguably the most clutch performer in EuroLeague history, failed to win a pair of nail-biters last week, despite having the last possession to win at the end of regulation in both games. Losses aside, Monaco is playing well and is getting Alpha Diallo back to full speed, with Vassilis Spanoulis's men having the path to both the playoffs and home-court advantage in their own hands. -- Igor Petrinovic
4. Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (14-7); 2, 5
Previous rankings: Preseason - 3. November -3. December – 4.
Solidly in second place in the standings, Fenerbahce has survived a series of injuries to its backcourt to win four games in a row. Coach Sarunas Jasikevicius has instilled his toughness into his charges and at its best, Fenerbahce is a team to be feared. However, when the team takes its foot off the gas, it can be vulnerable. Ultimately, the likes of Nigel Hayes-Davis and Marko Guduric plus Wade Baldwin – when he returns, make up a dangerous core and the rest of the rotation is deep with talent and experience. Let's see how Fenerbahce responds to Friday’s trip to league-leading Olympiacos. -- Frankie Sachs
5. Real Madrid (12-10); 4, 6
Previous rankings: Preseason - 4. November - 9. December – 8.
Slowly but steadily, things are getting better for Real Madrid in 2025. Despite losing forward Gabriel Deck to injury, Los Blancos found their rhythm once Dzanan Musa returned to action. Facu Campazzo is proving night in, night out that he is one of the best point guards in the competition. Even when Walter Tavares has been in foul trouble, Usman Garuba and Serge Ibaka have appeared. Dennis Smith Jr. should give Madrid more athleticism and a solid option to attack the rim. Its recent loss against Olympiacos should be a wake-up call, as Real is ready to achieve big things. -- Javier Gancedo
6. FC Barcelona (13-9); 5, 9
Previous rankings: Preseason - 5. November - 5. December – 10.
With four straight wins, Barcelona has started to come together. Even more impressive is that three of those wins came against teams from the top part of the standings and it did so without a fully healthy roster. Kevin Punter leads five Barca players with PIRs in double figures and the likes of Chimezie Metu and Dario Brizuela have been playing their best basketball lately. The leadership and experience of Jan Vesely and Jabari Parker shan’t be overlooked either. Of its remaining games, Barca will face six of the seven teams with the worst records in the league, so a strong finish could be in the cards. -- Frankie Sachs
7. Paris Basketball (13-8); 7, 10
Previous rankings: Preseason - 17. November - 4. December – 5.
Paris dropped a few spots down after a rough stretch that saw it lose four in a row. Back-to-back wins over struggling Efes and Maccabi did little to convince the panel that Paris remains a Final Four contender. TJ Shorts has been otherworldly, but while he is surrounded by a deep supporting cast, there is no second star. Even though an upcoming run of five home games in six contests could do wonders for the Parisians, only time will tell if the EuroLeague debutants have the mettle to stand up to the pressure of the closing stretch. -- Frankie Sachs
8. EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (12-10); 6, 10
Previous rankings: Preseason - 8. November - 13. December – 11.
Any team featuring Nikola Mirotic and Zach LeDay needs to be taken seriously. Milan had a dreadful start to the EuroLeague season but has recovered and now finds itself in the play-in spots, with Ettore Messina’s men doing the difficult part – winning five of its last six road games – but falling into old habits at Unipol Forum, winning one of its last four games there. Still, there’s a lot of upside with Milan, especially once their injury list starts to reduce (Mirotic is now out for at least two weeks), and the Italian side should be a threat in the final stretch of the season. -- Geoff Gillingham
9. Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (13-9); 6, 11
Previous rankings: Preseason - 12. November - 11. December – 13.
The performances might not always be impressive, but the results are certainly there for Crvena Zvezda, the winner in five of the last six rounds and seven of the last nine. Five of those wins came by a margin of 8 points or fewer, and in four of those games Zvezda overcame a deficit of at least 10 points. That just shows the toughness, character and experience of this team, which Zvezda has in abundance. So far, it propelled Zvezda into a tie for the fourth-best record in the standings, and going forward those exact traits might just be the key in the final stretch of the regular season. -- Igor Petrinovic
10. Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (11-11); 7, 10
Previous rankings: Preseason - 9. November - 17. December – 14.
Partizan has had its share of ups and downs, but it is currently on another surge. This Zeljko Obradovic’s group is on a current run of four wins in the last five games, which has brought the team to a .500 record for the first time since Round 4. Last week’s first-ever back-to-back road wins in a double round by a combined margin of 51 points were particularly impressive. The success has come despite the vast number of injuries that have affected the team, with Carlik Jones, Sterling Brown and Tyrique Jones all stepping up offensively, while Partizan's defense is third-best in the league, allowing 80.2 points per game. -- Igor Petrinovic
11. FC Bayern Munich (12-10); 10, 11
Previous rankings: Preseason - 15. November - 6. December – 7.
A tale of two teams in one. Bayern has been really solid at home but not so competitive on the road. Some of its players have been really solid all season – Nick Weiler-Babb and Devin Booker in particular. There is some good news, as veteran forward Vladimir Lucic should be back in action very soon. Lucic should allow Carsen Edwards to find even better scoring options, too. Experienced players like Niels Giffey, Johannes Voigtmann and Shabazz Napier know that this is go-time if Bayern wants to be in the playoffs by late April. -- Javier Gancedo
12. Zalgiris Kaunas (11-11); 12, 14
Previous rankings: Preseason - 13. November - 10. December – 9.
Things have taken a turn for Zalgiris of late, as Andrea Trinchieri’s men have lost five of their last six games to fall out of postseason contention. Zalgiris still has plenty of exciting talent, headlined by Lonnie Walker, Sylvain Francisco and Alen Smailagic, but when its league-best defense falters, its league-worst offense hasn’t responded in recent weeks. Hopes were so high for Zalgiris in the first part of the campaign, the club’s fans will just be hoping the team can return to that level and get back in postseason contention. -- Geoff Gillingham
13. Anadolu Efes Istanbul (10-12); 12, 15
Previous rankings: Preseason - 7. November - 7. December – 6.
First things first, Efes needs to bounce back from its recent losses and get its first win with coach Luca Banchi. With players like Darius Thompson, Shane Larkin and Elijah Bryant, Coach Banchi's extra-pass offense should work really well once the pressure of winning that first game is off their shoulders. PJ Dozier has arrived to offer size, defense and athleticism. Efes has struggled to get Vincent Poirier involved, but his numbers have improved lately. Efes has all the tools to bounce back: talent, experience, size and depth. Expect them to get better. -- Javier Gancedo
14. LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne (10-12); 12, 16
Previous rankings: Preseason - 16. November - 15. December – 14.
Theo Maledon has taken the EuroLeague by storm this season, earning December MVP honors for his efforts, and that has helped ASVEL achieve more wins (10) after 22 rounds than it did in all of last season (nine). A special mention for coach Pierric Poupet, too, who has done an excellent job in molding a team that has been more than willing to play the role of party pooper. Since Round 10, ASVEL has gone 8-5 and is currently 13th, but eight of its next nine games are against teams in the Top 10. Rocky seas could be ahead. -- Geoff Gillingham
15. Virtus Segafredo Bologna (7-15); 14, 16
Previous rankings: Preseason - 16. November - 16. December – 15 (tie).
One man: Dusko Ivanovic. The EuroLeague’s version of a firefighter, the Montenegrin coach has led Virtus to a 5-3 record in his eight games in charge – two of the team’s three road wins this season have come under Coach Ivanovic – and that has helped his squad solidify themselves in 16th. Still five games off the play-in spots, Virtus is unlikely to realistically be playing postseason basketball in mid-April, but with the likes of Toko Shengelia and Isaia Cordinier, as well as Matt Morgan now finding his feet, there is a glimmer of hope. -- Geoff Gillingham
16. Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz (9-13); 14, 16
Previous rankings: Preseason - 11. November - 14. December – 15 (tie).
Baskonia played a great 80 minutes of basketball last week, but it was enough for only one win – against the reigning champs, Panathinaikos. The problem for Baskonia, however, has been its play away from home, where it has a 2-8 record. The bad news is that seven of Baskonia’s last 12 games the rest of the way will be on the road. The positive news is that Baskonia has won two of its last five games away from home. Chima Moneke sent a message saying “we are going to keep fighting, we are not gonna give up” last week, but the room for mistakes, and letdowns, is getting smaller by each round. -- Igor Petrinovic
17. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (5-17); 17, 17
Previous rankings: Preseason - 14. November - 12. December – 17.
At times it seems like the bottom has fallen out for Maccabi, which is spiraling towards its worst season under the current format. Players have been coming and going all season and injuries haven’t helped the club find consistency. At its best, Maccabi can be quite dangerous; over its last five games, the Israeli champion pounded Zalgiris and took Real Madrid to overtime in the Spanish capital. In the other three of the last five, it’s lost by an average margin of 23 points. Teams will need to beware of Maccabi down the stretch, as a few results could wreak havoc on the playoff race for others. -- Frankie Sachs
18. ALBA Berlin (3-19); 18, 18
Previous rankings: Preseason - 18. November - 18. December – 18.
Let's face it, ALBA is all but mathematically eliminated from the playoff race and it is hard to stay fully focused under these circumstances. An unprecedented series of injuries did not allow ALBA to find its rhythm: its eight (!) best scorers were out at some point during the opening two months of the competition. With only Justin Bean out and less pressure due to its current situation, players like David McCormack, Matt Thomas, Martin Hermannsson and Gabriele Procida should all do better. ALBA is set to upset some big teams out there. -- Javier Gancedo