It's official. Olympiacos has completed the signing of John Konchar, who signs through the end of the 2027-28 season and becomes the new perimeter reinforcement for Georgios Bartzokas. The Greek club gets ahead of Real Madrid, who was also interested in the player, and finds the piece they've been looking for since parting ways with Tyler Dorsey over his social media criticism.
Konchar arrives in Piraeus in his first experience outside the United States and with a very defined profile. In Memphis they nicknamed him 'Jitty,' a term that Grizzlies fans adopted for the player who doesn't look like an elite athlete but makes the plays that win games. A versatile defender, a rebounder well above what's typical for his position, with good court vision and off-ball movement, he's the type of player who usually finds his place in the EuroLeague.
His last NBA season
Last season he split time between the Grizzlies and the Jazz. In 56 games he averaged 4.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals in around 20 minutes per night, numbers that reflect better than anything what he brings: many small plays and few possessions of his own. This summer he signed with the New York Knicks, but was cut before the start of the season.
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From the Summit League to the NBA Playoffs
His career is that of a player who has had to prove more than usual. Despite his great high school career, few universities offered him a scholarship and he ended up at Purdue Fort Wayne. There he was selected to the All-Summit League first team in his four seasons, became the university's all-time leading scorer with 2,065 points, and was the first NCAA Division I player to surpass 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists and 200 steals.
He was not selected in the 2019 Draft and started in the Memphis Hustle of the G League, but quickly earned a spot with the Grizzlies, with whom he played in the playoffs four times and reached the Western Conference Finals in 2022. In January of that year he had his best rebounding game, with 17.