Sekulic debuts in Europe against Laso's Efes

Aleksander Sekulic is experiencing a historic moment: his debut in Europe at the helm of the blue and claret team coincides with Pablo Laso's first full preseason in Istanbul. Two coaches, two new projects, and two teams aiming to rise again in the top continental competition after disappointing seasons.

A nearly new Barça at the Palau

The blue and claret summer has been one of demolition and total reconstruction. From the previous roster, only Juan Núñez, Kevin Punter, Joel Parra, and Darío Brizuela remain. The change of cycle is profound: all new signings are under 29 years old, with names like Olivier Nkamhoua, Justin Robinson, Josh Nebo, Umoja Gibson, Agustín Ubal, Stanley Umude, Olek Balcerowski, Tyrese Martin, and Tosan Evbuomwan, to which Makoundou and Justin Minaya were later added. A new coach and a new sports director complete a radical transformation that follows a stay in the Euroleague Play-In and a loss in the Liga Endesa final.

The Supercopa Endesa in Badalona was the first serious test, yielding mixed results. In the semifinals, they overcame Valencia 86-87, demonstrating a clear dominance in rebounding (51 to 37, with 16 offensive rebounds), although they committed 21 turnovers. In the final, on Sunday, they faced an inspired Joventut: Nico Laprovittola punished his former team with 31 points and 9 three-pointers as the greens won 101-87. Barça displayed haste and individualism in several phases, with Punter and Robinson imposing order, supported by Parra's energy and Nebo's interior scoring as the most solid arguments. Parra finished with 24 points and Punter with 20.

Laso's Efes, reconstructed from the perimeter

Anadolu Efes endured a very tough season. They suffered nine consecutive defeats before Laso arrived midway through the season in December, replacing Igor Kokoskov and unable to prevent the team from being out of the European fight. This summer, the club identified the issue that the Vitoria coach detected: playmaking.

The arrivals of Matthew Strazel, Fatts Russell, and Mike James directly address this need. James, the Euroleague MVP in 2024 and the competition's all-time leading scorer, is set to be the reference following Shane Larkin's departure, although Laso does not want the team to rely solely on him. Dario Saric returns in the paint with a 2+1 season contract, while Bruno Fernando and Spanish player Santi Yusta complete the puzzle of the reconstruction.

End of summer Euroleague rankings depicted a team made in Laso's image, entertaining to watch but with defensive doubts. In preseason, they lost to Dubai 79-75 in Antalya, with a double-double from Saric (16 points and 11 rebounds) and 14 points from James.

The precedents at the Palau

The last face-off at the Palau was favorable to Barça. In March, on matchday 33, they won 78-71 with 21 points from Will Clyburn while Efes recorded their third consecutive loss on the blue and claret court. Very few players from that Barça remain: Clyburn, Satoransky, Vesely, and Shengelia, who carried the weight of that match, are no longer on the roster.

A demanding week ahead

Barça will have no time to settle after the European clash. Following Efes, they will host Leyma Coruña on Saturday the 26th in the Liga Endesa, visit Dubai on Tuesday the 29th, and face Besiktas in Istanbul on Friday, October 2nd. Four matches in nine days, three of them in the Euroleague, a schedule that will require intelligent management of rotations and energy.

The keys for Thursday point in two clear directions. Barça must take better care of the ball than in Badalona, as losing more than twenty possessions against an Efes with three playmakers like James, Strazel, and Russell is a direct invitation to suffer in transition. On their part, Efes needs to prove that their defense is not the weak link of the project against a rival that has already demonstrated strength in rebounding and the ability to dominate inside play.

Match: Barça-Anadolu Efes, round 1 of the Euroleague 2026-27 | Date and time: Thursday, September 24, 20:30 (peninsular time) | Arena: Palau Blaugrana

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