Euroleague website experts Geoff Gillingham, Javier Gancedo, Frankie Sachs, and Igor Petrinović ranked all 20 tournament teams.
The strength of Kaunas “Žalgiris” was also evaluated – despite solid reinforcements in the summer, the Lithuanian champions ranked lower than they finished last season, when they were fifth in the Euroleague.
We present the Euroleague strength ranking with brief comments from the people who compiled it.
1. Athens “Panathinaikos”
“The Željko Obradović effect is already working. More stars have arrived, including Sylvain Francisco, and if anyone can turn stars into winners, it is coach Obradović.”
2. Piraeus “Olympiakos”
“Putting them here was quite easy. The ‘Reds’ are the defending champions. Most teams kept their key players, and guard Jean Montero was added. Olympiakos are serious title contenders.”
3. Istanbul “Fenerbahçe”
“Šarūnas Jasikevičius led his teams to Final Fours six seasons in a row. So it’s no surprise that experts see Fener among the best teams. This is not hindered even by nine new players, as many of them are experienced stars.”
4. “Real Madrid”
“They will probably still attract a few important players. But the results of incoming coach Pedro Martínez and the ‘whites’ past allow confidence that this team will at least make the playoffs.”
