Crvena Zvezda finished the first nine rounds of the EuroLeague season with six wins and three losses, but the stretch of the schedule that will seriously test Ibon Navarro’s team is only now beginning. Zvezda will play seven of its next eight games away from Belgrade, starting with a visit to reigning European champion Olympiacos. The EuroLeague Round 10 matchup is scheduled for Friday at 8:15 p.m. in Athens.
Olympiacos enters the matchup with a 7-2 record, and there is an unusual element to the game: the Greek club will not be playing at its traditional home, Peace and Friendship Stadium, which is undergoing renovations. Instead, the game will be held at Sunel Arena. The change of venue could work in Zvezda’s favor.
Speaking to reporters during an open practice before departing for Greece, Ibon Navarro addressed the demanding November schedule and what Zvezda will need to show in the coming weeks.
“It’s not a question of whether I’m ready for November, but whether we’re ready as a team. We’ve played a lot of games at home over the first month and a half, and now we have to deal with this schedule. So far, we’ve won two of our three road games, so we’ll see. We have some very good opponents ahead and some very difficult atmospheres to play in, but that’s a good challenge for us as well”.
The coaching staff has had little time to prepare for Olympiacos. Although four days separate Zvezda’s previous game against Široki and its trip to Athens, only two were available for meaningful work on the practice court.
“I wish we’d had four days, but we actually had two. The players had Monday off, we practiced well yesterday and today, and tomorrow we’re traveling and will have one final practice. We’re focused, we’ve put in the work, and we’ll see whether it pays off”.
Defensive Rebounding Is the Priority
Navarro has gradually adjusted Zvezda’s playing style to suit his players, with the team now sitting at 6-3. Still, the Spanish coach believes there is plenty of room for improvement, particularly in defensive rebounding, which could be one of the deciding factors against Olympiacos.
“I think we have a lot to improve, and we need to do that if we want to have a chance to win some of the games ahead of us. We need to work on securing defensive rebounds, which will be crucial against Olympiacos. We’ve been working on that, and we’ll see whether we’ve made progress.”
That concern stems from the opponent’s strengths. Olympiacos has an exceptionally strong frontcourt, makes effective use of its players’ physical advantages and punishes teams that fail to secure rebounds after missed shots. Zvezda will need to match that physicality and remain disciplined defensively to limit the Greek team’s scoring opportunities.
“First of all, we have to take the court with a lot of respect because we’re playing against the reigning champions. They’re not champions simply because they have good players. They also have outstanding chemistry, they’re extremely strong, and a team like Olympiacos finds ways to win regardless of the problems it’s dealing with. Second, they’re the best rebounding team in the EuroLeague, they score the most second-chance points, and they have the highest two-point field goal percentage. It’s going to be a big challenge because we’re facing a team that requires us to stay fully focused for 40 minutes. We have to close out properly every time and, of course, box out. Basically, we need to do a much better job of the things we haven’t been doing well enough so far”.
Zvezda will have almost its entire roster available after dealing with injuries in previous games.
“Everyone is available except Stefan Miljenović, who is out. Everyone else is ready”.
Nwora Is Finding His Place in Navarro’s System
One player who has adapted particularly well to the new system is Jordan Nwora. The Nigerian international has become one of Zvezda’s main scoring options this season, taking on a larger offensive role in a system that suits his game.
Nwora has considerable freedom to finish plays, and he has acknowledged that scoring comes more easily for him under Navarro. Still, he recognizes that the adjustment process is ongoing.
“So far, it’s been okay. There’s still room for improvement, and I’m still adjusting. But everything is fine. We’re 6-3, and I think we’re getting better with every game. The system suits me, and a lot of the other guys as well. We don’t want to move away from our philosophy. Defense comes first, then rebounding, and then getting out and running before the opponent can get back”.
Despite his prominent offensive role, Nwora emphasized the same priorities as his coach ahead of the Olympiacos game: defense and rebounding.
“We need to approach it the same way we have previous games. Obviously, they’re a great team, but we have to focus on ourselves first, improve our defense and make sure everything works as well as possible on offense. But the main thing is defense and rebounding”.
Miller-McIntyre Adds a Personal Layer to the Matchup
Olympiacos is expected to be without Evan Fournier and Jean Montero, although the Greek club has enough quality players to compensate for those absences.
“They have the league MVP on their team, so that says it all. But the whole team is great. Codi, Milutinov, Ward, the entire team, really. Olympiacos has a pretty complete roster, so missing a couple of players doesn’t change our approach. They won last week without those guys, so they’re still an incredible team”.
One of the more intriguing storylines surrounding the matchup involves Codi Miller-McIntyre, who spent the previous two seasons with Crvena Zvezda and now runs Olympiacos’ offense. The American point guard knows much of the Belgrade roster well and previously worked with Ibon Navarro at Andorra. For Jordan Nwora, the upcoming game also has a personal dimension. He has remained close with Miller-McIntyre, although their friendship will have to take a back seat during the 40 minutes on the court.
“I talk to Codi from time to time. We haven’t talked much leading up to this game, but I’m sure we’ll speak tonight or tomorrow. That’s my brother. For those 40 minutes, of course, it’ll be a little different. We’ll go out there to compete”.
Nwora doesn’t expect much trash talk between himself and his former teammate. With a smile, he suggested that someone else in Zvezda’s locker room would take care of that: Chima Moneke.
“Maybe not between us, but there are definitely some guys on our team who will talk. Codi knows me, so there won’t be any of that between us. But Chima, he’ll definitely be talking. You’ll see on Friday”.
