Barcelona vs. Anadolu Efes: Sekulic Makes EuroLeague Debut Against Laso's Efes and Mike James

EuroLeague 2026-27 kicks off at the Palau with one of the standout matchups of the opening round. On Thursday, September 24 at 8:30 p.m., Barcelona hosts Anadolu Efes, two clubs with Final Four pedigree coming off forgettable seasons that have completely rebuilt their rosters. On one bench, Aleksander Sekulic, making his European debut as Barcelona's head coach; on the other, Pablo Laso, facing his first full preseason in Istanbul.

An Almost New Barcelona

Barcelona's summer has been one of demolition and reconstruction. From the previous roster, only Juan Núñez, Kevin Punter, Joel Parra, and Darío Brizuela remain, and all the new signings are under 29 years old: Olivier Nkamhoua, Justin Robinson, Josh Nebo, Umoja Gibson, Agustín Ubal, Stanley Umude, Olek Balcerowski, Tyrese Martin, and Tosan Evbuomwan, with Makoundou and Justin Minaya added later. A new head coach and new general manager complete a cycle change that comes after a season in which Barcelona fell in the EuroLeague Play-In and lost in the Spanish League final.

The Badalona Endesa Supercup was their first serious test, with mixed results. In the semifinals, they beat Valencia 86-87 with clear rebounding dominance (51 to 37, with 16 offensive), though they turned the ball over 21 times. In the final on Sunday, they faced an inspired Joventut: Nico Laprovittola punished his former team with 31 points and 9 three-pointers, and the green-and-blacks won 101-87. According to EFE's report, Barcelona suffered from rushing and individualism in several stretches, with Punter and Robinson bringing order, supported by Parra's energy and Nebo's interior scoring. Parra finished with 24 points and Punter with 20.

Laso's Efes, Rebuilt From the Perimeter

Anadolu Efes comes off a very difficult season. They strung together nine consecutive losses, and Laso arrived mid-course in December to replace Igor Kokoskov, unable to prevent the team from falling out of European contention. This summer, the club went straight to the problem the Vitoria-based coach identified: playmaking.

Laso explained it himself: after a season marked by injuries, they wanted to improve playmaking, which is why the arrivals of Matthew Strazel, Fatts Russell, and Mike James were key. James, 2024 EuroLeague MVP and the competition's all-time leading scorer, is set to be the reference point following Shane Larkin's departure, though the coach doesn't want the team to depend solely on him. In the paint, Dario Saric returns on a 2+1 deal, and Bruno Fernando and Spanish player Santi Yusta also join.

EuroLeague's end-of-summer rankings described a roster built in Laso's image that should be very entertaining to watch, though with questions about how it will perform defensively. In preseason, they fell to Dubai 79-75 in Antalya, with a double-double from Saric (16 points and 11 rebounds) and 14 points from James.

Recent History

The last matchup at the Palau went Barcelona's way. In March, on matchday 33, Barcelona won 78-71 with 21 points from Will Clyburn, and Efes suffered their third consecutive loss on Barcelona's home court. From that Barcelona team, almost no one remains: Clyburn, Satoransky, Vesely, and Shengelia, who carried the load in that game, are no longer on the roster.

A Demanding Week

Barcelona won't have time to settle in. After Efes, they host Leyma Coruña on Saturday the 26th in the Spanish League, visit Dubai on Tuesday the 29th, and face Besiktas in Istanbul on Friday, October 2. Four games in nine days, three of them in EuroLeague.

Thursday's key points go in two directions. Barcelona needs to take better care of the ball than they did in Badalona, because turning it over more than twenty times against an Efes team with three playmakers like James, Strazel, and Russell is an invitation to run. And Efes needs to prove that defense isn't the weak link in their project against a rival that has already shown muscle on the boards.

• Game: Barcelona-Anadolu Efes, Matchday 1 of EuroLeague 2026-27
• Date and Time: Thursday, September 24, 8:30 p.m. (CET)
• Venue: Palau Blaugrana