Often, living up to all the expectations and hype surrounding your name is a difficult mission. And this was most evident in the case of TJ Shorts. The miraculous ‘shorty’, who came to Panathinaikos with high credentials in the summer of 2025, after an epic rookie season in the EuroLeague with Paris.
However, from his very first game, Shorts seemed to be entering a very different process. It was characteristic that he remained scoreless in the EuroLeague premiere match against Bayern. Nevertheless, it was logical that in the beginning, he would need a period of adjustment. But this was slow to come and more specifically, he never seemed to integrate satisfactorily into the Greens’ play-style.
But Shorts wasn’t always… an extra and uninvolved. He was there, both in the series against Valencia and against Olympiacos in the Stoiximan GBL finals. There, he showed that he likes and is made for such games. It is safe to say that Ergin Ataman did not fully utilize him. He failed to get 100% of his abilities, while the game he made him work in (more set plays, rather than fast breaks and fast-paced play) seemed to limit him, especially due to his height.
This, combined with the fact that the Turkish coach called him out not once, not twice, but three times, were among the main reasons that led Shorts to decide to take a different path. Specifically… a Spanish one, as he will go to Valencia for 2.2 million euros per year. The decision had been made and that’s why it didn’t change, as Panathinaikos entered the Obradović era.
The relationship between Shorts and the ‘Trifylli’ didn’t… work out on the court, and we emphasize ‘on the court,’ because as far as the human and professional relationship was concerned, everything was perfect. An honest and hardworking player who always had the support of the fans (he even thanked them for their support via social media), receiving a standing ovation every time he came out early to warm up at the T-Center, while many always expressed the belief that he should play more and receive more support.
And we are of course talking about a ‘what if’, as Shorts came to Panathinaikos with huge hype and despite the very good relations with the fans and the club, it didn’t work out. It didn’t pan out. And he is another case of a guard, after Luca Vildoza and Lorenzo Brown, who hasn’t ‘worked out’ for the Greens in recent years. But Shorts had come as a huge investment that didn’t… stick, despite the flashes of quality he had. That’s why he goes down in history as a… what if.