Euroleague 2025/2026 Rankings 1
By now, we have seen plenty of European Basketball, both from the Euroleague and the domestic competitions, so I feel it is time to release my first Euroleague Ranking of the season. This is based on a mix between prediction, quality of the team so far and talent of the roster. It is definitely not a "how good these teams have been so far" ranking. I will also place teams into separate tiers
Tier 1 Teams: Championship Contenders
1. Real Madrid
Yes, I know, Real Madrid have not had the best of starts this season. The Super Cup loss vs Valencia hurts, and they had a bad showing on the opening against Virtus Bologna, before defeating Olympiacos and Gran Canaria in the Movistar Arena. However, I believe that their roster is very well crafted (They have suffered some injuries early on) and they have the coaching staff, players and experience to be the best team in Europe
2. Panathinaikos
The Greens have a very talented roster, maybe the most talented, however there are some issues that generate me doubts. First, the TJ Shorts may prove to be questionable. The track record with talented guards Vildoza or Brown is not good. Secondly, their defense also is full of question marks. Despite this, as previously mentioned, their squad+coach combination is just too good to place them far from the top spots.
3. Fenerbahce
Horton-Tucker has been a very positive signing, Baldwin seems to be more comfortable and Hall is carrying his positive momentum. Not having Hayes is of course a big loss, and there is room for improvement once Jantunen, Bacot adapt. Colson, Biberovic and Melli need to (and will) improve their shooting. There will be some growing pains for this somewhat new core.
4. Olympiacos
Olympiacos has been a perennial contender, yet some of the roster construction may endanger this status. There is a lot of talk surrounding the PG position, where Evans has injury issues, Walkup/Ntilikina lack scoring and Lee lacks playmaking and pace control. I also do not like their interior rotation, where I find Hall not good enough for his role, while there is also a lack of versatile players who can fill both interior positions. Otherwise, Olympiacos has everything to contend for any titles, especially considering the star power and the plethora of useful role players.
5. Anadolu Efes
I am completely in love with the squad that Efes has crafted this summer, although Kokoskov offers me a lot of doubts. I think they have created a perfect context around Larkin, allowing him to shine, while also having dependable scorers like Loyd or Cordinier alongside him. NWB adds toughness and playmaking in the backcourt, Dozier gives them an excellent slasher who can raise the athleticism of the team in the 1-3 spots. Osmani, Smits provide spacing, and I am expecting to see more of Swider. However, their defense must improve, and if Poirier does not come baxk well from his long term injury, then Efes will have trouble in the inside, unless Kai Jones or Papagiannis step up.
6. Monaco
Monaco is a team that has a lot of offensive talent, yet I find that they lack a touch of toughness in some units (To be fair, Strazel, Hayes, Blossomgame and especially Diallo do provide that). Spanoulis is going early on with a small rotation, which considering the age of Theis, James, Mirotic or Nedovic... Anyway, Monaco are still a Final 4 contender, however I think the competition has gotten better this year.
Tier 2 Teams: F4 aspirations
These teams have the Playoffs as the objective, but making an F4 appearance is not completely of the cards. They should be careful however, as they have serious chances of missing the playoffs due to the high level competition in these part of the table
7. Hapoel Tel Aviv
I found their offense too individualistic and 1v1 based, however they also did show some very positive signs in their first two wins. They are loaded with talent, two-way players and depth. Excited to see what new dimensions Madar and Caboclo can offer when they return. Let's see if Micic becomes his old self (very positive glimpses in the opener). Oturu is playing like a Top 5 Center in Europe. Blakeney is translating his G-League dominance with the Bulls to the European courts and Bryant is giving balance to the roster.
8. Barcelona
My prediction is that Barcelona will be a very inconsistent team. Nightmarish defense vs Hapoel in Round 1, followed by elite offensive execution out of the PnR vs Panathinaikos in the OAKA and then some awful defending in the ACB vs Valencia. Barcelona is lacking an elite PG. Lapro is their best one, by far, however he is coming from a serious injury, got hurt again and is more of a SG than a Point. Nuñez is also out long term, Marcos is dealing with his inexperience and Satoransky is not good enough. Barca also has a problem in defending the interior (looking at you Willy and Fall) and it has some old legs in its roster. However, the Catalans also have some of the most gifted scorers in Europe, such as Punter or Clyburn, with the latter having an excellent start in the Euroleague. Shengelia and Vesely offer some very valuable inside scoring/creation, while Brizuela and Willy can function as instant scorers. Cale, Norris and Parra have to provide strong defense and efficient passive scoring for this to work.
Tier 3 Teams: Playoff Aspirations
These are teams who aim to make the Playoffs, but in principle at least, start a step behind their opposition. It would not be surprise to see any of these teams in the post season, and perhaps making a surprise there.
9. Valencia
If Valencia was healthy from the start of the year and it had a tad more experience, I would have had them in Tier 2. However, I feel like the Taronjas needs a season or two to truly find their feet in the very competitive Euroleague. The new arena and its playstyle have impressed everyone, and I would not be surprised if they make the playoffs. Excited to see Montero. De Larrea has already shown a lot, and Darius Thompson is preparing for a comeback season. Exciting, to say the least.
10. Zalgiris
Zalgiris is another team where a higher standing would be easy to achieve had they signed another Center. I just cannot see a Wright-Birutis rotation reaching far. Their backcourt, with Francisco, Lo, Giedraitis, Goss, Sirvydis, Brazdeikis on the opposing hand is one of the best in Europe. Different profiles, good fit and versatile. Tubelis will be their X-Factor.
11. Partizan
Big fan of their coach (most obvious statement possible), big fan of the players in the roster, not the biggest fan of their depth. Ntilikina and Lundberg left (the latter has been unregistered from the EL roster), leaving the backcourt a bit empty (Lakic or Bosnjakovic have to step up) and there is no true Center other than the excellent on one hand, but undersized on the other, Tyrique Jones. Late signing Muurinen offers excitement, adding another option in the wing-forwards, where they already have quality players like Parker, Osetkowski, Bonga, Marinkovic or Brown.
12. Armani Milan
Truly chaotic at times. Nebo's injury does not help, lackluster defense and I see Cancar as a candidate for "the biggest dissapointment of the year" award. They have a lot of clashing profiles in the backcourt, and Lorenzo Brown has not played yet. I cannot say I do not like them, but the competition is very tough and I see them lacking some crucial aspects that could take them over the edge.
13. Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Maccabi is a club that is desperate to return to winning ways. Some signings show ambition. Specifically, Walker, who can be a top 3 player in Europe and Dowtin, who has shown his microwave scoring abilities in the derby vs Hapoel. I like what Brissett and Leaf are offering, Blatt and Sorkin continue to provide value as domestic players. Hoard is cementing himself as a top tier F/C in Europe and he has been covering for Walker's slow start. They need Marcio Santos and Omoruyi (has not done his debut yet) to do well. My issue with them is that there is a lack of depth, which will penalise them as the season goes along. They also are very prone to allow high scoring performances by their opponent, which to be fair, they are able to match.
14. Dubai
In their two games they have shown their ceiling (dominant W vs Partizan) and their floor (pathetic defensive effort vs Monaco). The Euroleague does not often reward teams with this type of character. To be fair to them, they have had many injuries in the backcourt, which has not allowed them to have a normal rotation (Wright is averaging 33' per game) or to play their best Point-of-Attack defender, Aleksa Avramovic. Players like Petrusev, Musa and Bacon have the potential to be the top scorer of the competition.
Tier 4 Teams: Play-in ceiling
These teams could make a push to enter the Play-in tournament, if everything goes well for them. Defeating them, especially away from home, will be a challenge.
15. Virtus
Yes, I have them at 15th, but no one should ever underestimate a team coached by Dusko Ivanovic. The experienced coach always manages to pull something out of the hat, just ask Real Madrid. Niang is already a highlight reel machine, Alston is a very good under the radar signing and Morgan/Edwards are pure dynamite on the backcourt. Vildoza needs to find consistency, as I think he has to be the lead guard of this project (Morgan and Edwards should be scorers more than anything). Their Centers should raise their performance level, and the lack of shooting from their Wing/Forward is a concern.
16. Crvena Zvezda
The Serbs have some talented players, but the fit is just bad. No spacing, many on ball players, lack of shooters both in the backcourt and the Forwards, bad momentum as a club... They sacked Sfairopoulos (should have done it in the summer, or not as early this year), showing an undecided overall approached. EIther you support or you release him in the end of last year. They should make at least 2 changes in their (expensive) squad for the team to gel better.
17. Baskonia
Baskonia should be in the bottom if I had to base this ranking on the performance thus far. Yes, they almost stole a game vs Olympiacos, however their image in the second round and in the ACB vs Zaragoza was awful. The worst defense in the Euroleague. By far. Yet, I have to say I have some faith on this roster, and once they find chemistry I can see them pulling some upsets. They desperately need an interior defender who can add height and length. Watch out for Diakite and Diallo. I'd like to see more of Rafa Villar, who is a very capable defender.
18. Paris
Everything is different yet everything is the same with Paris. Frenetic pace, many 3s, no post game and the surprise element. It is important to note that Paris is clearly a worse team than last year, with less talent and the need to find chemistry. Dokossi's hustle has been a positive surprise, however Bako and Willis have been dissappointing thus far. Much more is needed by them, as they are meant to provide rim running and spacing. Faye is very raw, but he also needs to find his feet soon. On the backcourt, Robinson and Hifi are candidates for the Alphonso Ford award, Ouattara is trusted with a bigger role and Ayayi or Herrera have a context which could allow them to grow. Hommes, Morgan and Mbaye are providing what's expected for them as role players.
Tier 5 Teams: Bottom of the League
These are the teams where I just cannot see them getting more than 10-12 wins, at most.
19. Bayern
Bayern lost many places in this ranking due to the injury of Jokubaitis. Coach Herbert will always produce a competitive team, however he does not have the tools to truly fight in Europe this season. I feel like they have many very useful role players, but there is no leading figure who can push Bayern to some key wins. Despite this, their start to the season has been nothing but respectable.
20. ASVEL
Another team which frankly has a very poor roster, a reflection of their small budget. I like the Seljaas-Ndiaye pairing in the frontcourt, however they are using players who are too old for their role (Lighty, Jackson), and block development opportunities for ASVEL. I want see more of Armel Traore (just 3' average). Despite their ranking, they could easily be 2-0, a testament to how good their coach is on one hand, and how competitive the Euroleague is on the other.
Comments
Post a Comment