Τhe absolute shock was experienced by Panathinaikos AKTOR when it was announced that, in addition to Kendrick Nunn, they would also be without the services of Nigel Hayes-Davis for at least 6 weeks. The American star, who was acquired last February, suffered a fracture in the 4th metacarpal of his left hand and was even fitted with a special splint.
Two stars who were key weapons for Panathinaikos last season as well, offering numerous solutions primarily in scoring, but naturally in defense at times too. It is undeniable that Zoc is unlucky, as he loses two crucial players from both the team’s preseason preparation and the first games of the season. Nunn and Hayes-Davis will definitely be absent until mid-October—based on initial timelines and estimates—missing the few but important friendlies, the Super Cup in Rhodes, and the first 5 rounds of the EuroLeague—at least.
GET WELL SOON, KENDRICK 💚
— Panathinaikos BC (@Paobcgr) August 19, 2026
Kendrick Nunn suffered a medial meniscus tear in his right knee during his individual workouts in the USA and immediately underwent a successful arthroscopic partial meniscectomy on Wednesday (19/8).
We wish our athlete a speedy… pic.twitter.com/kV67aM2tfK
The good news is that the first seven of Panathinaikos‘s eight games in Europe are at the T-Center, so at least the Greens will have a slight advantage. However, home-court advantage alone is not enough. Obradovic and the Panathinaikos organization in general made sure to build an incredibly strong roster, with quality and depth at every position. Because with 80+ games a season, having just one starting five is not enough; you borderline need… three. That is why those who doubted Panathinaikos’s successive blockbuster signings, even in positions where they were considered full, are now starting to change their minds.
Amidst all this, it is an opportunity for the new players to get even more playing time. After all, in every situation, you must always try to take the positives, the maximum good. It is only logical that Sylvain Francisco, with Nunn‘s absence, will get a lot of minutes and many touches while the American is out. This can only be beneficial for the French star, helping him integrate into the roster as quickly as possible, and more importantly, into Zoc’s philosophy. Something similar is expected to happen with Brancou Badio, who can easily step into both the “1” and “2” positions, while Francisco, although considered a playmaker, is also a highly talented scoring guard.
Of course, there are also Jerian Grant, Kostas Sloukas, and Dimitris Moraitis, who round out the backcourt and can comfortably fill the void left by Panathinaikos’s top scorer. Especially on the defensive end, Grant and Badio will provide incredible strength, as would have happened anyway, while Francisco in scoring and Sloukas – Moraitis in orchestrating will be… a perfect fit. Not that the gap of a player who consistently averages 20 points is easily filled, but often an absence is an opportunity for the available players to step up and grab the opportunity with both hands.
Something similar will happen with the absence of Hayes-Davis. Zoc had the foresight to “stack” the forward line with top-tier players. Isaac Bonga, Nikos Rogkavopoulos, Juancho Hernangomez, Dinos Mitoglou, as well as Guerschon Yabusele, can play either the “3” or the “4”, or both positions, and can contribute a great deal. Naturally, there is also the guard-forward hybrid named Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, always taking on a kamikaze role on the court/glass floor and providing tremendous energy and incredible defensive coverage, often being the “X” factor.
GET WELL SOON, NIGEL 💚
— Panathinaikos BC (@Paobcgr) September 1, 2026
During today's (1/9) Panathinaikos AKTOR practice, Nigel Hayes-Davis injured his left hand. He immediately went to the "HYGEIA" hospital for tests, which showed he suffered a fourth metacarpal fracture and his… pic.twitter.com/NoGvW2QGQ4
The names we mentioned are many and possess immense quality in their game. Bonga is the epitome of the modern two-way forward, with scoring and defense as his main assets; Juancho is the soul of the team, with a knack for rebounding, off-ball play, excellent one-on-one defense, and a lethal shot; Mitoglou has returned stronger and improved, having put in tons of work, as proven in his performance against Spain; Rogkavopoulos is the pure shooter of this team, while Yabusele, once he steps into the “4”, will make Panathinaikos explosive and add tremendous versatility to the team’s game.
In this way, the absence of Hayes-Davis can be covered. Again, as in the case of Nunn, not entirely. It is a major issue that these two will be missing simultaneously, especially during the early exploratory but crucial days. And the worst part is that they won’t be able to bolster the team during preseason, nor will they be able to participate themselves to get into a rhythm. It is also logical that we might see them take a little longer to get back up to full speed. Therefore, both Zoc and his players must live with this problem. Because it happens at a bad time, the timing is not good—it never would be, but especially now—yet Panathinaikos is called upon to show just how deep and high-quality a roster they possess.
