The two summer recruits shined in Round 2 after an underwhelming Round 1
Vezenkov, Fournier showed glimpses of Olympiacos' 'on-paper potential'
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Olympiacos Piraeus has set new club standards when it comes to consistency in recent years. The three-time Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champ, a club that won back-to-back crowns a little more than a decade ago, has reached the last three Final Fours, something the Reds had never done in any three-year stretch in their history.
However, no one in Piraeus has liked coming up short in each one of the last three years, so this past summer – to mark the 100th anniversary of the club being founded – Olympiacos made a couple of big splashes.
The first big move the Reds made was to re-sign 2022-23 EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov following his one-year stint with the Sacramento Kings. Later, Olympiacos added a proven prolific scorer at all levels in Evan Fournier, who spent the last 12 seasons in the NBA. The front office also brought back all but one key contributor from last season, Isaiah Canaan.
On Friday night, Olympiacos' fans got their first look at the new-look roster at Peace and Friendship Stadium. Conveniently, it was Vezenkov and Fournier who enjoyed starring roles in a 74-68 triumph against Zalgiris Kaunas. Vezenkov finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Fournier had 15 points and 5 rebounds.
The duo combined for 32 of the team's 74 points, as well as 16 of the 45 rebounds grabbed by the home squad.
Not everything was peaches and cream on Friday night, however. Olympiacos had a dream defensive start, opening a 23-7 lead after 13 minutes, but then had to hold on to dear life as Zalgiris fought its way back. Both Vezenkov and Fournier acknowledged the Reds' struggles.
"It wasn't the best win, but a win is a win," Fournier stated:
"It was a bad game, and we just keep the result," Vezenkov added . "We have a potential. But just on paper, and just by saying it, it won’t help. We have to show it, we have to fight, and we have to play better."
Hearing "we have to get better" after a victory is music to everyone's ears in Piraeus, but what should give even more optimism to everyone in and around Olympiacos' organization is that both big stars are completely aware of everything they need to do. They are fully embracing their roles.
Vezenkov was ready to talk about his contributions after taking just 5 field-goal attempts in 25 minutes on the floor.
"I did not shoot a lot in this game because other defenses are preparing a lot, too, so I have to help the team in different ways," Vezenkov explained. "It will not be easy. I have to screen, I have to pass, I have to rebound; everything will be more difficult."
Fournier was very open about the adjustments he needs to do.
"It is not easy to come into a team that played together for years, I am still trying to figure out how I can help the most," he noted.
"I'm a very aggressive player by nature, but this team plays a certain style of play. I am just trying to do my best; play defense first of all, be intense, be a vocal leader. Then on offense, we will see what happens, but we have talent, so I am not concerned about that."
There is plenty of time for the puzzle to be put together, especially with the team's two big men – Nikola Milutinov and Moustapha Fall – not yet fully involved. Milutinov is still sidelined, whereas Fall only played 6:28 minutes in Round 2, his first appearance since last May.
But there is a clear vision about who needs to lead this team and take it to where it wants to finish. Both Vezenkov and Fournier are already showcasing they are embracing their roles and are poised to take the Reds to the promised land.