Valencia Basket faces reconstruction with two-thirds of a new roster

The Valencia Basket season begins with an unusual intensity. The Supercopa takes place this very weekend, and the Euroleague kicks off next week, forcing the taronja team to compete on two fronts from the outset. This tight schedule requires a long and versatile roster, something the club has tried to build after significant changes over the summer.

Two-thirds of the roster and coaching staff are new, a transformation that will inevitably generate comparisons with the previous season. Fans will wonder if TJ Shorts can fill the void left by Jean Montero, if Saint-Supéry is better than De Larrea, or if it was a mistake not to renew Costello in favor of Osetkowski. These comparisons are natural and hard to avoid when a team changes so much from one year to the next.

The most significant departures and the new project

Valencia Basket has lost key players like Jean Montero, De Larrera, Badio, and Pradilla. Additionally, they did not renew Costello or Braxton Key, who improved substantially from April onward after an irregular start, becoming a key piece. Key signed with Fenerbahce, strengthening one of their major European rivals. These departures weaken any project, but the club has tried to compensate with strategic additions.

The training philosophy also changes under the direction of Pedro Martínez, who arrives to implement his own model. The question is whether the team can maintain the previous level of play or if they need to adapt to a new style. On the bench, they will have Xavi Albert, who was an assistant to Mumbrú and later to Pedro Martínez, providing continuity in the technical structure.

Point guards and shooting guards: the weak spot in game direction

At the point guard position, TJ Shorts comes from Panathinaikos after a lackluster season. His specialty is the pick and roll, but he has weaknesses as a perimeter shooter. He is a playmaking point guard with different characteristics from Montero, requiring an adaptation process. Saint-Supéry, on the other hand, is a more creative point guard, occasionally individualistic, capable of bursts and big shots, albeit prone to the errors of youth. Cárdenas completes the point guard trio after finishing the last season at a good level.

This combination creates uncertainty. There is no first-level starting point guard, which represents an obvious weakness compared to the European level. However, the versatility of the trio may allow the team to adapt according to the opponent and the context of the game.

Perimeter and power forward: bets on the future and experience

On the perimeter, Armoni Brooks must assume the role of clear scoring leader. Omari Moore, after a season of experience in the club and the Euroleague, should provide more output. Lucas Marí, recovered from the NCAA, arrives as a local player to play two positions and will be utilized more in the ACB. Josep Puerto and Guillem Corbalán complete the options, although Corbalán still needs to prove if he has enough game for the Euroleague or if he will be relegated to domestic competition.

The small forward position is clearly the weakest of this Valencia Basket. Kameron Taylor provides guarantees, but the roster needs more depth here. Elias Valtonen, coming from Granada, must earn his continuity in a very different project with differing objectives. The team senses a potential signing in the three-four position in the coming weeks, unless Valtonen delivers unexpectedly strong performances.

At power forward, Valencia Basket has made two significant bets. Mouhamadou Gueye is a relative unknown arriving as a project, while Nikola Mirotic is a quality signing but is going through a physical decline. Osetkowski can also play in this position, offering defensive versatility.

Centers: the need for a performance leap

At the center position, Valencia Basket has two pure options: Yankuba Sima and Neal Sako. Sima must make a significant leap in performance and effort to justify his place in the project. Sako, for his part, was somewhat inconsistent last season. Nate Reuvers, used more as an open center by Pedro Martínez, adds versatility to the offensive game.

If the performance of any of these players does not convince, there is a possibility to extend Jasiel Rivero's contract for a few more months, though his current link is only for September.

The challenge of double competition and European demands

In the ACB, a lineup formed by Cárdenas, Corbalán, Puerto, Osetkowski, and Sima provides enough guarantees to compete against most opponents without problems and allows for rests. However, the Euroleague is a completely different story. The continental competition is much more demanding and requires around a dozen players to be ready to play in each match and compete head-to-head against elite rivals.

Pedro Martínez distributed minutes among nearly a dozen players in each game last season. Now, it is expected that Shorts, Brooks, Moore, Taylor, Mirotic, Reuvers, and Sako will have more specific weight in the matches. Concentrating minutes among fewer players can be an advantage if they perform well, but also a weakness if one of the pillars falters.

The challenge is enormous. The team must settle quickly, control the group, grow, and improve while winning from the start. The Euroleague allows little time to build a solid identity. By the fifth game, almost all European teams are already engaged, and winning is hardly ever easy.

Expectations following previous success

Winning the Spanish league was probably not a natural goal just twelve months ago. However, Valencia Basket achieved this in June with much merit. Competing in the Final Four seemed like a miracle, and the team was in it last May. Not dropping too many steps and going far in both competitions is what is expected for this new season.

Additionally, the team should aim to win the Copa del Rey, which will return to be held at the Roig Arena in February. It is a secondary objective but provides a third path to success and consolidating the project.

The roster is long and competitive, that is for sure. But there are also clear uncertainties in game direction and in some key positions. Valencia Basket has everything needed to compete, but it needs time for all the new players to adapt to the project and the demands of the Euroleague. The coming months will be decisive in confirming whether this reconstruction will be a success or if the club will need to make adjustments in the market.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Valencia Basket afronta la reconstrucción con dos tercios de plantilla nueva