Partizan enters the new EuroLeague season with more experience, better team balance, slightly less individual offensive talent, but also a roster that, on paper, offers a wider range of options than in previous years.
At Partizan, they know well that a season is not decided in September, nor by names on paper alone. What will matter far more is how quickly the players assembled around Joan PeƱarroya can become a team, how they respond to the pressure that comes with playing for Partizan, and whether they can maintain that sense of togetherness once the first serious setbacks arrive.
That is exactly what Joffrey Lauvergne and Ethan Thompson discussed with Skweek. One returned to the club where he began building his reputation in European basketball almost 15 years ago, while the other is only now entering the EuroLeague and European basketball. Their shared message is simple: Partizan first has to build a team capable of lasting.
Lauvergne Wants His Career to End Where His European Story Began
For Lauvergne, returning to Belgrade means something special. The French center makes no secret of his desire to finish his playing career with Partizan, while also hoping to leave the club in a better position than he found it upon his return.
āIt was very important for me to finish my career here, and Iām really glad that I signed with Partizan. I want to help the team as much as possible and, whenever I retire, I want Partizan to be in a better position than it was when I came back. I donāt know if that will be in two, three or four years, I donāt knowā¦ The longer I can play, the better. But if I can accomplish what Iām talking about, Iāll be really happyā.
That perspective perhaps best explains why Lauvergne does not want the entire discussion around this new Partizan team reduced to a single season. The ambition is there, but the Frenchman is talking about a process that needs time.
āThe expectations are to build a team, to act the right way and to fight as much as possible. But our goal, in my opinion, is not only about this season. It is more about a two- or three-year period. The goal this season is to play every game and try to win every game. But we donāt have any particular pressureā.
At Partizan, the Expectation Is to Fight
Pressure, of course, is almost impossible to separate from Partizan. The Arena will once again be full, expectations will rise with every win, and the reactions will become even stronger after every loss. Lauvergne, however, does not view that energy as a burden.
āMy point of view is that people donāt necessarily expect you to win, but they do expect you to really fight and give your best. Of course, a lot of people come to the games and they cheer much more than any other fans in Europe, but what they are really waiting for is to see you fight. So, of course, there are expectations, but our expectations are simply to fight and to be a good teamā.
Partizan itself has changed in the meantime. Lauvergne has returned to a club operating on a completely different level financially, organizationally and in terms of its roster compared with the one he first encountered at the beginning of the previous decade.
āItās been almost 15 years since I first came here, so the situation at the club is definitely very different. Today we have much better, much more experienced and accomplished players than we had back then, partly because we now have some financial resources, even if we only have the 13th- or 14th-largest budget in the EuroLeague. Still, today we can bring in a lot of players from the NBA, as well as players who have already played in the EuroLeague. Before, we were almost always a very young team and, as players, we were trying to make something happen ourselves and earn our way. So, of course, the situation was completely different. But for me, not much has changed. I loved Partizan then, and I still love it now, even if the situation is differentā.
And when he was asked what would have to happen by the end of the season for him to consider his return a success, the answer was very short and very clear.
āTo sign with the club againā.
Thompsonās First Impression Starts With the Locker Room
For Ethan Thompson, the story begins from a very different perspective. The American does not have Lauvergneās history with Partizan, nor does he have a previous EuroLeague season behind him, but during his first few weeks in Belgrade he has already noticed something he considers more important than the individual quality of the roster itself.
āWhen I look around the locker room, I see a great group of guys. I think the people at the club did a great job putting this team together because they brought in a lot of high-character guys, good people first, and then that carries over into how we play on the court. In the time Iāve been with the team, everybody has been lifting each other up, everybody has been helping each other with advice, and everybody has been willing to accept criticism from one another. It feels like we have all the necessary building blocks. Weāre taking it day by day and trying to get betterā.
Partizan also has enough offensive talent that it does not have to find the same path to victory every night. Thompson sees that as one of this teamās potentially biggest strengths.
āI think it starts with playing together, then playing fast and sharing the ball. Like you said, we have a lot of talented guys on this roster and players who can do a lot of different things. Because of that, weāre not going to look the same every night. Sometimes one player will be the one who stands out, and the next night it might be someone else. When opponents prepare for us, that will definitely make things more difficult for themā.
Thompson Is Entering an Entirely New Basketball World
The season will also have a personal dimension for Thompson. The EuroLeague is a new level for him, while European basketball is an entirely new experience.
āThis is my first year and my first experience in the EuroLeague, so I want to put my best foot forward and show what I can do at this level. At the same time, I want to take it day by day, continue to improve and keep developing my game.ā
One thing that will not require much explanation, however, is the importance of Partizanās home court. Thompson has already experienced the atmosphere, and the impression was clearly strong enough.
āI think the best thing a player can ask for is support from the fans. This is my first season in Europe, and I think that kind of support is going to make this the best possible experience for me. Itās the best atmosphere Iāve seen in basketball so far. Itās going to be funā.
A Final Four Run Cannot Be Built on Talent Alone
Still, neither Lauvergne nor Thompson is trying to turn Partizan into something it has yet to become. The talent is there, the depth is there, and the Arena will once again be one of the teamās biggest advantages, but Thompson understands very well that a Final Four run is not built on a roster alone.
āThere are a lot of factors that can affect that over the course of a season. We have to stay together, continue to build and continue to trust each other. We also have to rely on the coaches to guide us, while we as players need to support and encourage each other throughout the seasonā.
That is perhaps the most realistic starting point for Partizan as the EuroLeague season begins. There is no shortage of ambition, and there is quality on the roster to a certain extent, but first Partizan has to become a team. Everything else, including the answer to how far this Partizan team can actually go, will come after that.