Crvena zvezda returns from Crete with one win, one loss and enough material to see the first outlines of what Ibon Navarro is trying to build, but not enough to draw any serious conclusions about the team’s ceiling. Armani was beaten after a major comeback, while Olympiacos showed much more clearly in the final how far Zvezda still is from the level of cohesion it wants to reach.
A similar pattern emerged in both games. Zvezda had stretches of very good offensive basketball, managed to raise the tempo, find several players in rhythm and put together runs that changed the direction of the game. At the same time, those good stretches were not consistently paired with quality defense, control of the glass and fewer mistakes. Against Armani, those fluctuations did not result in a loss. Olympiacos punished them much more severely.
At this point, that is probably the most important takeaway from the tournament. Zvezda does not lack individual offensive quality, but the team is not yet able to turn it into controlled basketball at both ends for extended stretches.
Navarro’s Deep Rotation Is Already Taking Shape
Against Armani, Zvezda trailed 54-42 before turning the game around with a run in which Patrick Baldwin, David Kramer and Vojin Medarević found their rhythm, before Jordan Nwora took over down the stretch. Against Olympiacos, the deficit climbed above 20 points, but Zvezda once again managed to respond and cut it to single digits. The difference was that against a much more cohesive opponent, it did not have enough stability to turn that comeback into genuine uncertainty.
Navarro’s idea of using a deep rotation was already visible. Against Armani, no player spent more than 20 minutes on the floor, while almost everyone received an opportunity. That was not simply a product of preseason. The Spaniard also emphasized intensity, clearly defined roles and a distribution of minutes at Unicaja that allowed a large number of players to contribute without a major drop in energy.
Zvezda’s roster makes sense for that kind of approach. The issue is that having many options does not automatically produce a functional hierarchy. Finding the right balance between players who need the ball and those who can contribute without it will be one of Navarro’s first major tasks.
Nwora Has Already Shown He Can Take Over Games
Jordan Nwora gave the clearest indication in Crete of how much individual offensive quality Zvezda possesses. He scored 23 points in just 16 minutes against Armani, then added another 16 against Olympiacos. His 39 points across the two games made him the team’s most productive scorer, but more importantly, he does not need much time to find his offensive rhythm.
In the first game, he essentially took over the closing stages, scoring nine consecutive Zvezda points. He did not have the same influence on the flow of the game against Olympiacos, even though he again reached 16 points. That is where the next step lies: Navarro has to find a way to incorporate Nwora’s ability to create his own offense into the system so that his impact does not depend solely on individual inspiration.
The Playmaking Will Not Belong to One Guard
Jared Butler finished the tournament with 21 points and made a much stronger impression in the final, scoring 12 on 4-of-5 shooting from three. Ten of those points came in the second half, when Zvezda was trying to work its way back into the game. Still, there was not yet enough evidence to say that he had taken primary control of the offense.
Playmaking duties were largely shared among several guards. Chris Jones had 11 assists in the two games, seven of them against Olympiacos, but scored only five points in total. Against the Greek side, he also recorded four steals alongside four turnovers. His ability to initiate the offense is not in question, but Zvezda will need more of an individual scoring threat from him. He struggled badly with his shot in Crete, making only two of six field-goal attempts and just one of six free throws. If opponents decide they can take away his passing without being seriously punished by his shooting or drives, organizing the offense becomes considerably more difficult.
Tyson Carter had five assists against Olympiacos, further showing that Navarro does not have to depend on one traditional point guard. That can be a significant advantage, especially in a season with a heavy schedule, but only once it becomes clear who finishes possessions when the initial action fails to create an advantage.
Kramer’s Value Comes From Not Needing the Ball
David Kramer was certainly one of the more encouraging impressions of the tournament. The German international arrived in Belgrade after national-team duty and had only one full practice with the team before the trip to Crete, yet scored 25 points in 24 total minutes against Armani and Olympiacos. He made five of eight three-pointers and was one of Zvezda’s most efficient players against Olympiacos, scoring 16 points in 14 minutes.
More important than the percentages is the way he gets his points. Kramer does not need the ball in his hands much, nor does the offense have to be built around him. On a team where Butler, Jones, Nwora, Motley and Baldwin will naturally use a large number of possessions, a guard who can punish help defense, get into his shot quickly or attack on a secondary action carries particular value.
His previous season with Real Madrid adds context to why that first impression is interesting. Kramer arrived in Madrid after a very good year with Tenerife, but never carved out a significant role under Sergio Scariolo. He appeared in only 14 EuroLeague games, while in the ACB, where he received somewhat more opportunity, he averaged 6.7 points and shot 41.6 percent from three. In Crete, it was immediately apparent that greater security in his role could suit him.
Medarević Made the Most of Every Opportunity
Vojin Medarević was another pleasant surprise. He scored nine points in nine minutes without missing a field goal against Armani, then grabbed six rebounds against Olympiacos. For a player without a guaranteed place high in the rotation, that is the best possible way to use preseason: without forcing the issue, but with a tangible contribution every time an opportunity comes.
Patrick Baldwin showed two different sides. He scored 13 points and made three three-pointers against Armani, including important shots during Zvezda’s comeback. Against Olympiacos, he was held to five points on 1-of-5 shooting from three. His talent is obvious, but so is the need to adjust to the physicality, speed of decision-making and defensive demands of European basketball.
The Interior Game Still Needs Much More
The biggest room for improvement remains inside. Johnathan Motley scored seven points across the two games and only three against Olympiacos. Ebuka Izundu added four in the final. For a team with significant quality on the perimeter, the interior game has to provide a more reliable option when the shooting goes cold or when opponents pressure the guards aggressively.
Against Olympiacos, that problem was not visible only in the centers’ scoring. The Greek side collected 13 offensive rebounds and turned second-chance opportunities into 22 points. Zvezda had nine offensive rebounds of its own but produced only seven points from them. The overall rebounding margin did not look dramatic, but the way Olympiacos punished those extra possessions did.
Good Defense Means Little Without Finishing the Possession
That was perhaps the clearest indicator of the difference between the two teams. Zvezda played good enough initial defense on several possessions but failed to finish the job with a rebound. Against a team of Olympiacos’ quality, one good rotation means little if the opponent gets the ball back after the miss.
Turnovers were the other major problem. Zvezda committed 19 against Olympiacos, and the opponent scored 19 points off them. With a new coach and a large number of new players, that figure is not unexpected in preseason, but the way some of those mistakes opened the floor for the opponent placed additional pressure on Zvezda’s transition defense.
Navarro’s Real Work Is Building the Balance
Zvezda therefore left Crete with reasons for both optimism and caution. It has a large number of players capable of scoring, multiple creators, considerable shooting potential and enough depth for Navarro to use the kind of rotation he wants. Nwora has already shown that he can quickly take on offensive responsibility while improving his shot selection, Kramer that he can be efficient without using many possessions, and Medarević that he can make the most of limited minutes.
On the other hand, the Olympiacos game clearly exposed problems that individual quality cannot hide: turnovers, defensive rebounding, limited interior production and stretches in which the good basketball simply does not last long enough.
For early September, that may be an expected picture of a team that has changed its coach, a large part of its roster and its style of play. Navarro’s biggest task will be to build a system in which those individual qualities can fit together and create the right team balance.
