Fenerbahce – Olympiacos

International - Euroleague, Round 6

02/10/2023 - 18:45 CET

Fenerbahce has secured four wins in the first five rounds of the EuroLeague, which is a more than satisfactory performance. Although things didn't look perfect in the initial games, they displayed their quality against Bayern and Panathinaikos. Even when their three-point shooting isn't on point, they can use their strong defense to limit the opponents to under 70 points. Scottie Wilbekin, who struggled with injuries last season, appears to be in excellent form now. To ensure he's 100% ready for EuroLeague games, head coach Dimitris Itoudis rests him in domestic league games. Tyler Dorsey has also started the season offensively strong, and players like Dyshawn Pierre, Nigel Hayes-Davis, Johnathan Motley and Nick Calathes can provide top-notch defense. 

Olympiacos is facing offensive challenges at the start of the season, with their offensive rating standing at only 110.1 in the EuroLeague. Their lack of confidence was evident in a domestic league game against Panathinaikos when they shot a dismal 4/16 (25%) from the free-throw line, an almost unthinkable statistic at this level of basketball. Isaiah Canaan is the only one consistently hitting crucial long-range shots. Players like Alec Peters, Nigel Williams-Goss and Kostas Papanikolau can also make multiple three-pointers on good nights, but they often depend on the opposing defense. 

Both teams are capable of playing excellent defense. Olympiacos has a significant offensive advantage in Nikola Milutinov, who is currently one of the most dominant centers in the EuroLeague. However, Fenerbahce can defend him well with Georgios Papagiannis and Johnathan Motley. Pierre and Hayes-Davis can lock down any player they guard, and against Olympiacos' limited offense, Fenerbahce's defense should find success. On the other hand, Olympiacos lacks offensive players like Wilbekin and Dorsey, who, on a good night, can make 3+ three-pointers and score 20+ points. Fenerbahce has more offensive options, the home-court advantage, and likely carries some revenge motivation since Olympiacos eliminated them in the EuroLeague quarterfinals last season.