Paris bets on Hifi and Warren ahead of its third technical revolution

Paris Basketball is starting over. Three coaches in a year is not an anecdote but a symptom of an institution that arrived at the EuroLeague with aspirations of stability and has been forced to constantly reinvent itself. Francesco Tabellini was the first, appointed in June 2025 to replace Tiago Splitter when he left for the Portland Trail Blazers. He lasted until March 23, with the team in seventeenth place and a record of 12-21. Julius Thomas took over as interim to finish a season that ended in sixteenth place with 15 wins and 23 losses. Now Maxime Lefèvre arrives, coming from the Minnesota Timberwolves organization, with the responsibility of installing a system in a locker room that has seen its narrative change every few months.

The Anchor That Remains

If something hasn’t changed, it’s Nadir Hifi. The shooting guard continues in Paris with a contract until 2028, and in a summer of eleven moves, this is the most important news. While the club has revolved around him, Hifi has maintained his level: in the 2025-26 season, he averaged 18.9 points per game and was the second-highest scorer in the EuroLeague, only surpassed by Sasha Vezenkov. He is the player who sustains the project, who guarantees that Paris will remain competitive offensively, and who carries the responsibility of bringing continuity to a team that has experienced more changes than stability.

Alongside Hifi are Jared Rhoden, Sebastián Herrera, Daulton Hommes, Jeremy Morgan, and Allan Dokossi, all with renewals or active contracts. It’s a small but necessary core, a reminder that not everything is new in Paris.

The Revolution of Signings

Paris has opted for a clear strategy: six signings, the majority with a past in the NBA. TJ Warren is the name that stands out the most. The power forward has spent ten seasons in the NBA and represents the profile of pure scorer that fits the club's offensive philosophy. His arrival is accompanied by Tyson Etienne, coming from the Brooklyn Nets, and Alize Johnson, who joins from Chinese basketball. Three names that reinforce the ability to generate points from the perimeter and the low post.

In the direction, the move is significant in France. Frank Ntilikina arrives from Olympiacos to fill the gap left by Justin Robinson, who went to Barcelona after being the MVP of round 37 and one of the most productive point guards in the competition. Ntilikina is not a typical playmaker: he is an elite defender who has often played as a shooting guard, raising an uncomfortable question about who will direct the game if Etienne does not take the definitive step. The team is completed with Maozinha Pereira, from Turkish Manisa, and Terry Tarpey, the veteran who arrives from Monaco.

The Departures and What Is Lost

The departure of Justin Robinson is the most painful. He was one of the most productive playmakers in EuroLeague, and his absence will leave a void that is not easy to fill with an elite defender like Ntilikina. Lamar Stevens and Derek Willis left for Partizan, two pieces of the defensive block. Yakuba Ouattara returned to Monaco, Enzo Shahrvin went to American college, and Julius Thomas left the bench after assuming the interim role.

The Dilemmas of a Season

Stability is the pending subject. Three coaches in a year cannot be resolved 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 its narrative change every few months. The question is not whether Paris has offensive talent, but whether it has the defensive capability to compete in an increasingly demanding EuroLeague.

The team has built its European identity by running and scoring. In the 2025-26 season, it scored 3,422 points, the third-highest total in the competition, but conceded 3,456. A fun team to watch and difficult to defeat, but one that has been conceding over a hundred points per night for two seasons. None of the new signings seem poised to fundamentally change that.

Additionally, there is a wildcard that conditions everything: Paris continues in the EuroLeague with a one-year license, just like Beşiktaş. A weak season not only costs classification but also continuity in the competition. It’s an additional pressure that the club must manage while trying to find tactical balance.

The Prediction and the Reality

Paris once again presents a roster that will score points and lose games in the nineties. It’s the team that no one wants to visit on a Tuesday and that no one fears on a Friday. With Hifi in that form, with Warren and Etienne adding outside threats, the play-in is within reach if the team finds a minimal defense 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 mid-low zone, with flashes of offensive brilliance and the feeling that this project still needs something that cannot be bought in August: continuity. Paris has the ingredients to compete, but it lacks the most difficult factor to achieve in professional sports: stability.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, París apuesta por Hifi y Warren ante su tercera revolución técnica