The eighth Pavlos Giannakopoulos tournament offered the first answers to what Zeljko Obradovic expects from the new Panathinaikos Aktor.
Some nights at the arena make you pay a little less attention to the scoreboard. The eighth Pavlos Giannakopoulos tournament had several such moments. The memory of the club’s late patriarch, the emotion surrounding everything he gave, the embrace between “Zoc” and Mrs Despina, and the presence of people whose journeys were intertwined with his gave those two days special significance. Panathinaikos honoured a man who remains a defining figure for the club and its supporters.
Zeljko Obradovic was back… home. Dimitris Diamantidis and Mike Batiste received the kind of ovation reserved for a bond that has stood the test of time. And Cedi Osman, returning as an opponent on this occasion, was given a warm welcome. Different people, different paths, all connected to that green DNA. The atmosphere gave the tournament meaning before any discussion of plays, adjustments, lineups or readiness could begin.
Then came the basketball. The win over Bourg, the demanding final against PAOK, the 87-81 scoreline and the trophy. Above all, there was an opportunity to see a little more clearly how the Serbian “Lord of the Rings” is trying to organise this new Panathinaikos team. What he keeps demanding, which habits he rewards, and which details he revisits until they become second nature.
Before going any further, it is worth remembering who was missing: Nunn, Sloukas, Hayes-Davis, Rogkavopoulos and Fall. Five players who belong on the 12-man roster. With absences of that magnitude, the finished team will look considerably different from the one that appeared at the tournament. Any assessment must therefore focus on its direction, with all the caution this stage of the season requires.
The coach himself made that clear in his comments to SKAI: “We are not ready. We have had seven practices with ten players.” What followed explained the difficulty even better: “Those are different practices; there are no substitutions.” This is a group trying to develop a shared understanding within a limited timeframe and with constraints on what it can do in practice. The breakdowns in communication and the fluctuations in performance have an identifiable starting point.
For Panathinaikos, the overriding message at this stage is that everyone must stay involved. The player without the ball has to remain part of the action. The player receiving it needs to know what he wants to do. The defender must be ready for the opposition’s next action. Obradovic is trying to connect those individual responsibilities so that all five players think at the same speed.
Lefteris Mantzoukas offered a telling description on “Magic Euroleague”: “He doesn’t want the ball to stick. He wants every player on the floor to be involved.” That intention was visible in both games. Fewer unnecessary dribbles, quick passes and a willingness to find the teammate in a better position. The extra pass matters when it arrives on time, before that window… closes.
Speed, then, is primarily about thinking and making decisions. Is the shot there? Is there a driving lane? Does the ball need to move immediately? Those reads determine how quickly the defence has to shift. Overdribbling allows opponents to recover their positions and takes teammates out of the possession. During their better offensive stretches over the two days, Panathinaikos kept the action flowing, with more players willing to pass and shoot.
That also explains the freedom the Greek forward described: “He doesn’t restrict any player. Whoever is open will shoot; whoever needs to pass will pass.” It is freedom within a clear set of rules. The playmakers will sometimes need to hold on to the ball longer, as Francisco and Grant did. The demand remains the same: recognise what the offence needs at that moment and act accordingly.
At the other end, the responsibility becomes even more tangible. Mantzoukas highlighted the starting point of the plan: “The coach wants what we do on defence to carry over into our offence.” To find their rhythm, Panathinaikos first have to make life difficult for their opponents, finish the defensive possession and secure the ball. Pressure without a rebound leaves the job half done.
Certain combinations can meet that demand at a high level. Playing Badio, Bonga, Hernangomez and Lessort together provides size, athleticism and the ability to switch screens. When their movements are coordinated, the available space shrinks and the opposing offence struggles to flow into its next action. We saw stretches like that. Sustaining them and reproducing them against different challenges is the next… test in the EuroLeague and domestic competitions.
For Panathinaikos to get there, they also need to follow the less glamorous instructions. Mantzoukas pointed to the fouls players are expected to use when the team still has fouls to give: “I made that mistake too, and I got an earful.” That sentence captures everyday life with “Zoc”. An instruction repeated in practice has to be executed properly during the game, particularly when the intensity rises and decisions become harder.
The Pavlos Giannakopoulos final provided precisely those conditions. Andrea Trinchieri’s well-prepared, well-drilled PAOK made the hosts fight for the win until the end. The sight of players diving after a loose ball, one after another, summed up the effort. “This is the energy and the DNA we want this team to have,” Yabusele said. His words were reflected in those late battles for possession, when every ball mattered.
Partnerships are also developing through this process. The minutes Francisco and Badio share are helping them build chemistry, while the return of Nunn and Sloukas will allow more combinations alongside Grant. Bonga brings versatility, a more explosive Lessort helps sustain the intensity, and Mantzoukas is pushing for a meaningful place in the rotation. Their roles are assessed through how the five-man unit functions.
“A lot of good things, but also a lot of mistakes. We are here to learn,” was “Yabu’s” apt assessment. On Thursday (24/9), against Paris, the EuroLeague begins for a Panathinaikos team that is still taking shape.
The two-day Pavlos Giannakopoulos tournament delivered emotion, warm reunions and the first basketball… answers. Now Obradovic’s demands must gradually become instinctive for his players, with the same commitment to the simple pass as to the hard-fought loose ball.
