BasketNews expert Augustas Suliauskas takes a look at a disappointing Partizan season and offers five ideas the Serbian powerhouse should do in the upcoming offseason.
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade were one of the biggest disappointments in this EuroLeague season. What moves should they do this summer to avoid the same next year?
From 20 victories to 16, from 6th place in the regular season to only 11th, and from being one step away from the Final Four to missing out even on the Play-In tournament.
That's not the turnaround Partizan fans had hoped for after an incredible return to the biggest European stage last campaign.
Yes, the departures of Mathias Lessort and Dante Exum were crucial. But Zeljko Obradovic and the whole Partizan front office invested heavily by bringing PJ Dozier and Frank Kaminsky from the NBA while also signing Mateusz Ponitka and later Bruno Caboclo as the season progressed.
As it turns out, it wasn't enough. Once again, Partizan's defense was the focal point of discussions after each loss—just like last season, they were in the bottom four among all 18 teams.
And while last year, their No. 1 offense somehow managed to overcome defensive issues, this season, it slightly dropped, and it all went downhill from there.
One loss followed another until they depended on arch-rivals Crvena Zvezda winning the last game against the red-hot Efes for a chance to enter the play-in. How can Partizan avoid such a scenario next season?
The franchise stars are clear. With Kevin Punter and Zach LeDay re-signing last summer for 2 more seasons, what are the best players to build around this duo?
Here are 5 ideas for the black-and-white side of Belgrade.
