Nigel Hayes-Davis offered a striking but entirely accurate assessment after Panathinaikos’ ugly win over Baskonia…
Panathinaikos AKTOR beat Baskonia 85–79 at the T-Center to return to winning ways in Europe and stay top of the EuroLeague standings with a 6–1 record. However, their performance on Thursday, October 22, was far from impressive. The Greens struggled with their shooting, but fortunately for them, so did the visitors. That proved decisive down the stretch, when Francisco and Yabusele knocked down their three-pointers while Perasovic’s side missed theirs.
After the game, Nigel Hayes-Davis made a statement that caught the attention, but also carried a great deal of truth:
“We didn’t play up to Panathinaikos’ standards today. It was a very poor performance, and we know that. Still, it’s a long season, and we’re fortunate to have come away with the win. We all know the big names we have in the locker room, but we need to play basketball as a team. That will be our biggest challenge. It was a close game. We need to fix certain aspects of our game. It’s a long season. Tomorrow, we’ll get back to work and try to improve,” the American said.
And he is right. Of course, that does not mean Panathinaikos have failed to play as a team this season. Quite the opposite: compared with last season, they have looked cohesive and focused, displaying an instinctive understanding of one another, particularly on defence, that we had not seen from them in some time. Even so, the Baskonia game raised a few warning signs. Unimaginative possessions, unforced errors, poor shooting and, more broadly, rushed decisions on offence and lapses at the other end.
With so many big names and so much star power on the roster, the immediate reaction is… wow. Yet the biggest challenge for superteams has always been getting all those pieces to fit together. Many had the same concerns about this season’s Panathinaikos, although the evidence so far has been much more encouraging. Still, as the remaining injured players return — as Nunn and Sloukas have already done, with Rogkavopoulos and Mantzoukas to follow — the rotation inevitably changes, bringing fresh demands and welcome selection dilemmas for Obradovic.
So, yes, Hayes-Davis spoke an important truth. The biggest challenge really will be bringing all those big names together to build a winning team. The most encouraging part, though, is that the players themselves recognise it. Individual egos are not being placed above the team. It is only a matter of time before Panathinaikos have everyone available across every position, and it will be fascinating to see how all the pieces come together.
