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sep 16 2026In late June, Tony Parker listed in L'Équipe his ASVEL signings: Daniel Theis for the paint, Armoni Brooks and Nick Weiler-Babb for the perimeter, Sylvain Francisco as director. A serious team. By September, none of the four are in Villeurbanne.
In between, the club had to dismantle what it had just built due to financial problems, sell whoever it could sell and loan out whoever it couldn't. And then start over. The result is one of the most overhauled rosters in the EuroLeague, with fifteen players, twelve new faces and a coach who has never managed a club before.
The Starting Point
There's no nice way to put it. ASVEL finished the 2025-26 season in twentieth place, dead last, with 8 wins and 30 losses. They scored 2,989 points, the lowest figure in the competition, and allowed 3,270, for a differential of -281 that was by far the worst of the twenty teams.
That bottom explains everything else. The club changed coaches and, above all, its structure: Parker, owner and president for years, sat himself on the bench. It's his first job as a head coach, at 44 years old, and he's surrounded himself with a coaching staff of nine people with Vincent Collet, former French national team coach, as his main assistant.
His argument is simple and ambitious: no French club has won a European title since 1993 and ASVEL hasn't reached a Final Four since 1997.
Who's Leaving
The long list includes Melvin Ajinca, who left for Le Mans; Bastien Vautier, to Surne Bilbao; Braian Angola, to Japanese basketball; Zac Seljaas, to Napoli; Glynn Watson, to Reyer Venezia; Adam Atamna, to Ratiopharm Ulm; and Thomas Heurtel, among others. Mbaye Ndiaye departed for Olympiacos after his buyout clause was exercised.
But what stands out is the other list: those who arrived and never played. Sylvain Francisco ended up at Panathinaikos, Daniel Theis at Maccabi, Weiler-Babb was loaned to Crvena Zvezda and Brooks to Valencia. Four signings announced as the core of the project who ended up wearing other jerseys before the first official game.
Who's Arriving
Twelve additions, made almost all in August and on the back of market opportunities.
The biggest name is Patty Mills, who arrives from La Laguna Tenerife to play his first EuroLeague under a former Spurs teammate. With him come two other NBA veterans: Jae Crowder, 36 years old, who signed for one season after averaging 14.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in twenty-eight games in the Puerto Rican league, and TyTy Washington, selected 29th in the 2022 draft, making his European debut at 24 years old.
The point guard position is completed with Tremont Waters and young Marc-Owen Fodzo Dada. On the perimeter are Hugo Besson, Myles Cale and Both Gach, who arrives from JL Bourg after making the EuroCup All-Star Five.
And the paint, which was the real hole, was filled late but well: Joel Bolomboy from Crvena Zvezda, Nate Sestina from Olimpia Milano, Yves Pons returning home after his stint at MoraBanc Andorra and Mathis Dossou-Yovo from Nanterre, where he averaged 17.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in the Betclic Élite and made the league's All-Star Five.
Who's Staying
Three players. Edwin Jackson renewed and is heading into his eighth season with the club, Bodian Massa continues in the frontcourt and David Lighty, at 38 years old, remains tied to the project.
Along with Barcelona, it's the team with the least continuity in the entire competition.
The Keys
Chemistry versus the calendar. Twelve new players, a debut head coach and a freshly formed coaching staff. All of that gets tested in preseason, but the EuroLeague starts on September 24 and waits for no one. The first two months will be pure adjustment.
Six French-trained players. Fodzo Dada, Besson, Jackson, Pons, Massa and Dossou-Yovo meet the local quota, and not as filler: Dossou-Yovo arrives to be a starter. It's the part of the project that most resembles what Parker says he wants to build.
The bench. No one doubts Parker's understanding of the game, but coaching from the sideline isn't the same as understanding it from the court. Collet's presence as main assistant is reasonable insurance, and also a potential source of noise if things start going wrong.
The bar is on the floor. After 8-30, almost anything is an improvement. That takes pressure off the start, but it also shows where the team was four months ago.
The Forecast
ASVEL won't be fighting for the play-in, and probably the club itself doesn't expect it this season. The season will be measured on another scale: whether the team competes for all forty minutes, whether Dossou-Yovo confirms his leap, whether Washington and Waters function and whether Parker proves he can coach.
There's loose talent in that roster and there's veteran presence to sustain ugly games. What there isn't is a player with a 20 rating or a well-oiled structure, and in a league of thirty-eight games that shows up in March.
That said, it's one of the most interesting teams to follow this season. If things click before Christmas, it will be one of the stories of the year. If not, it will be another long year in Villeurbanne.
Full Roster
Point Guards and Shooting Guards: Tremont Waters (1.80m), Marc-Owen Fodzo Dada (1.80m), Patty Mills (1.88m), Edwin Jackson (1.90m), Hugo Besson (1.91m), TyTy Washington (1.93m)
Small Forwards: Yves Pons (1.97m), Jae Crowder (1.98m), Myles Cale (1.98m), David Lighty (1.98m), Both Gach (2.00m), Nate Sestina (2.03m)
Power Forwards and Centers: Joel Bolomboy (2.04m), Mathis Dossou-Yovo (2.08m), Bodian Massa (2.10m)
