The schedule has shown Baskonia no mercy. Paolo Galbiati's team opens the EuroLeague at Buesa Arena against the least desired opponent, Olympiacos, the reigning European champions, on Thursday, September 24 at 8:30 PM. Additionally, it will be the first official game of the season at Buesa. And the matchup carries an uncomfortable echo: last season the competition also started in Vitoria against the Piraeus club, with a 96-102 defeat that marked the beginning of a negative streak.
A Baskonia Still Under Construction
That 0-6 start was the worst opening in Baskonia's EuroLeague history, and the team finished the European season fighting to avoid last place. They compensated at home with a prestigious title: the February Copa del Rey, won against Real Madrid, Barcelona, and La Laguna Tenerife. But the summer took away two protagonists from that final, Trent Forrest, who left for Fenerbahçe, and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, who signed with Real Madrid.
The reinforcements arrive mainly on the perimeter: DJ Stewart, Chris Duarte, AJ Lawson, and Damion Baugh, joined in the paint by Kenneth Faried and Alex Len. The problem lies inside. Len, announced on September 14 for two seasons, suffered an injury to his foot in his first practice—an issue he's carried since May—and according to Encestando, the injury appears to be long-term. The same outlet reported that the club is studying paying the transfer of Zacharie Perrin to iLerna Lleida, though his EuroLeague clause only activates in January.
So, as of now, Faried is the only natural center on the roster. At 36 years old, he arrives from the Puerto Rican league, and at his presentation he already called for a full Buesa for the debut against Olympiacos.
The Supercup, a Warning
The first official test left mixed feelings. In the Supercopa Endesa semifinal against Joventut, Baskonia went into halftime leading 38-41 and playing at their pace, with a lineup without a center and Sedekerskis and Kurucs inside, supported by the spark of Lawson and Kobi Simmons. After the break they faded: Penya put together an accumulated 58-43 run in the second half and won 96-84.
Galbiati didn't hide afterward: he admitted the team lacks work and fitness, that they ran out of gas, and that the newcomers need to learn what the league is about. A troubled preseason, with Kurucs and Markus Howard injured for weeks, explains much of that decline.
Olympiacos, Continuity and Size
Across the way is the champion. Olympiacos won their fourth EuroLeague title and became the first regular season leader to win the championship. Georgios Bartzokas remains on the bench and the club has refreshed pieces without touching the core that lifted the trophy in Athens; the new faces are Jean Montero, Codi Miller-McIntyre, and Mbaye Ndiaye. The most notable departure of the summer was Thomas Walkup, who ended up in Dubai after a lengthy dispute with the club.
Olympiacos already competed last week in the SuperCup in Abu Dhabi. In the semifinals they came back against Fenerbahçe to win 92-90, with Evan Fournier, MVP of the last Final Four, decisive in the final minutes. In the final they fell 89-93 to Real Madrid despite Sasha Vezenkov's 22 points—Vezenkov was last season's regular season MVP.
The most obvious difference between the two teams is in the paint. Olympiacos has Nikola Milutinov, Donta Hall, Tyrique Jones, and prospect Antonis Karagiannidis as centers, against a Baskonia that can only field Faried as a natural five. Milutinov, moreover, was the EuroLeague's leading rebounder last season.
The Keys
Baskonia needs the game to resemble the first half against Badalona: high pace, transitions, and the talent of Simmons, Lawson, and Duarte to create chaos. If the game becomes slow and physical, the lack of size and depth will weigh too heavily against an opponent that can rotate its centers without losing height. And the management of Faried, who according to Encestando shouldn't play more than twenty minutes, will be a factor.
The schedule offers no respite afterward either. The first back-to-back comes immediately: Baskonia visits Valencia Basket on September 29 and hosts Armani Milan on October 2.
- Game: Kosner Baskonia-Olympiacos, Matchday 1 of EuroLeague 2026-27
- Date and Time: Thursday, September 24, 8:30 PM (peninsular time)
- Venue: Fernando Buesa Arena, Vitoria-Gasteiz