Paris Basketball started last season with Francesco Tabellini, ended it with Julius Thomas as interim coach, and begins this one with Maxime Lefèvre. Three coaches in twelve months at a club that arrived in the EuroLeague boasting a clear method.
What hasn't changed is the player sustaining the project. Nadir Hifi remains in Paris, and in a summer of eleven moves, that's the most important news.
The Starting Point
The 2025-26 season was a serious stumble. Paris finished sixteenth of twenty with 15 wins and 23 losses, far from the play-in they had reached the previous year. They scored 3,422 points, the third-highest total in the competition, and allowed 3,456. A fun team to watch and difficult to beat against.
Tabellini had arrived in June 2025 to replace Tiago Splitter, who left for the Portland Trail Blazers. He lasted until March 23, with the team in seventeenth place at 12-21. Julius Thomas finished the season as interim coach.
The consolation came individually: Hifi posted 18.9 points per game and was the second-leading scorer in the EuroLeague, behind only Sasha Vezenkov.
Departures
The most painful departure is Justin Robinson, who left for Barcelona after being Matchday 37 MVP and one of the most productive playmakers in the competition.
Two pieces of the core went to Partizan: Lamar Stevens and Derek Willis. Yakuba Ouattara returned to Monaco, Enzo Shahrvin left for American college basketball, and Julius Thomas departed from the bench after the coaching change.
Arrivals
Six signings, with a clear bet on names with NBA pedigree.
The biggest name is TJ Warren, ten seasons in the NBA and a pure scorer profile that fits the club's playing style. Joining him are Tyson Etienne, coming from the Brooklyn Nets, and Alize Johnson, arriving from Chinese basketball.
In the backcourt, the move carries weight in France: Frank Ntilikina arrives from Olympiacos, European champions, to fill Robinson's void. The roster is completed with Maozinha Pereira, from Turkish side Manisa, and veteran Terry Tarpey, arriving from Monaco.
On the bench, Maxime Lefèvre, who joins after his time in the Minnesota Timberwolves organization.
Those Staying
Six players, and the first one matters most. Hifi continues after a summer full of rumors, with a contract through 2028.
Also remaining are Jared Rhoden, Sebastián Herrera, Daulton Hommes, Jeremy Morgan, and Allan Dokossi, all with renewals or active contracts.
Key Storylines
Stability as an unfinished task. Three coaches in a year aren't fixed with six signings. Lefèvre is the third idea in twelve months and arrives with the demand to install a system in a locker room that has seen the message change every few months.
Who runs the offense. Robinson is gone and Ntilikina isn't a traditional floor-running point guard: he's an elite defender who has often played shooting guard. If Etienne doesn't step up, the playmaking burden will fall on Hifi, who performs much better when the ball comes to him than when he has to distribute it.
Defense, again. Paris has built its European identity on running and scoring, and for two seasons they've been allowing over 110 points per night. None of the new signings appear positioned to change that.
The wildcard. The club remains in the EuroLeague on a one-year license, same as Beşiktaş. A poor season doesn't just cost playoff positioning: it costs continuity in the competition.
The Outlook
Paris returns with a roster that will put up points and will lose games in the 90s. It's the team nobody wants to visit on a Tuesday and nobody fears on a Friday.
With Hifi in that form and with Warren and Etienne adding outside threats, the play-in is within reach if the team finds minimal defensive competence and if Lefèvre lasts the entire season. Those are two conditions, and neither has been met in the last two years.
The reasonable expectation is another season in the lower-middle tier, with flashes and the sense that this project still needs something that can't be bought in August: continuity.
Complete Roster
Guards and Wings: Nadir Hifi (1.85m), Sebastián Herrera (1.93m), Frank Ntilikina (1.94m), Tyson Etienne (1.96m), Terry Tarpey (1.96m), Jared Rhoden (1.98m), Jeremy Morgan (1.99m)
Small Forwards: TJ Warren (2.03m), Daulton Hommes (2.03m), Maozinha Pereira (2.03m), Allan Dokossi (2.03m)
Centers: Alize Johnson (2.06m)