Fenerbahçe strengthens its offense for the 2026-27 EuroLeague

The 2025-26 campaign left a clear conclusion for Šarūnas Jasikevičius's project: Fenerbahçe did not need to be rebuilt but rather to improve its scoring. With 3,114 points in 38 games—the sixth worst figure among the twenty teams in the competition—the team achieved 24 victories thanks to an exceptional defense that allowed only 3,061 points, the lowest in all of EuroLeague. This impossible balance allowed them to finish fourth, although the fall in the Final Four semifinals in Athens against Olympiacos cut short their aspirations to retain the title won in 2025.

Internally, the balance was more positive. The Turkish Cup arrived in February with Tarik Biberović as the protagonist, and the BSL concluded with the club's thirteenth title, with Wade Baldwin crowned MVP of the finals. Additionally, between January 16 and February 25, Fenerbahçe strung together nine consecutive victories, the longest streak in the continental competition.

Goodbye to key figures, arrival of scorers

Eleven players have left Istanbul this summer. The most sentimental departure was the retirement of Nando De Colo, while Tarik Biberović, after the best season of his career, moved to the Dallas Mavericks. The rest practically emptied the entire interior rotation: Devon Hall to Olimpia Milan, Mikael Jantunen to Real Madrid, Armando Bacot and Bonzie Colson to Maccabi, Arturs Zagars to Zhejiang, Metecan Birsen to Beşiktaş, Khem Birch to Aris, Brandon Boston to Red Star, along with Jilson Bango and Mert Emre Ekşioğlu.

To cover these losses, the club made nine signings before July 30, with an evident common denominator: all of them generate points. Shane Larkin, coming from Anadolu Efes after eight seasons, is the standout signing. The point guard averaged 15.1 in performance rating last season and arrives at a position where Talen Horton-Tucker, Wade Baldwin, and newcomer Trent Forrest already coexist, who brings defense, handling, and few turnovers from Baskonia.

Veteran presence and talent on the perimeter

On the perimeter, Fenerbahçe has opted for two veterans with proven track records. Shavon Shields, after six years at Olimpia Milan, signs for two seasons with two All-EuroLeague Second Team selections in his accolades. Will Clyburn, at 36 years old, arrives from Barcelona with a habit of deciding games in the crucial moments of April. Johnny Juzang completes the group coming from Zenit, while Braxton Key comes from Valencia and Ignas Sargiūnas from Rytas.

In the paint, Marcus Bingham arrives from UNICS Kazan, bringing verticality, and Sertaç Şanlı returns to the club for his second stint after his time at Beşiktaş. Silva and Melli hold the structure, but the interior rotation is shorter and less physical than last season.

However, the fundamental difference with other rebuilds lies in the fact that Fenerbahçe has reinforced its core. Baldwin and Horton-Tucker, both in the best second team of EuroLeague 2025-26, remain as the team's axis. Nicolò Melli, Chris Silva, and Melih Mahmutoğlu renewed; the captain is entering his fourteenth season. Onuralp Bitim completes the continuity block, and Jasikevičius is under contract until 2029.

The offensive puzzle and its risks

The arithmetic of the offense is clear: Larkin, Shields, Clyburn, Juzang, and Key are five players who generate and score on their own. If the defense remains at last year's levels, that group has more than enough talent to be a title contender. The "if" is not minor, because several interior players who upheld those elite defensive numbers have departed.

There is also a management issue: eight pure perimeter players—Larkin, Baldwin, Horton-Tucker, Forrest, Sargiūnas, Juzang, Mahmutoğlu, and Bitim—are competing for minutes, and behind them, Shields, Clyburn, and Key are vying for their share of the spotlight. Jasikevičius will have to leave some people out of the lineup every week, and in locker rooms with hierarchy, this generates friction.

Age is not a minor detail either. Clyburn is 36, Melli 35, Larkin 33, and Shields 32. It is a roster built to win now, not to last three seasons. The advantage is that no one needs to learn what a EuroLeague playoff is; knowledge is guaranteed.

Prospects and challenges ahead

With a starting point of being champions in 2025 and semifinalists in 2026, the bar can only be the Final Four. This squad has more than enough talent to make it. The doubt is of another kind: Fenerbahçe has fixed what it was missing at the cost of altering what was already working. If Jasikevičius manages to get a group with so many scorers to continue defending like last year, they will be the favorites. If not, they will become a spectacular team that will have plenty of points in March but lack a stop in May.

The acid test will come against teams that play inside, such as Olympiacos or Real Madrid. There, the shorter and less physical interior rotation than last season will show its limits. Fenerbahçe has changed eleven pieces but has maintained the spirit. Now it is time to demonstrate that this combination of defensive continuity and offensive power is winning in the most demanding competition in Europe.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Fenerbahçe refuerza su ataque para la Euroliga 2026-27