The 25 points from an assist by Slukas, the “hot” Larentzakis and the role of Boloboi

Olympiacos made a perfect start to the EuroLeague. The ‘Red-Whites’ put on an excellent performance against Barcelona in Barcelona and clinched a big win with 70-80, showing their ‘teeth’.

Olympiakos showed character. He withstood the pressure from the Catalans, confident in his size in every position, saw Sluka keeping him creative and showed he had found the ideal teammate in the person of Boloboi and ended up enjoying Larentzakis in a role of executioner.

Sportish presents with the help of InStat Scout how the “Red-Whites” achieved victory.

The Slukas – Walkups and the role of Boloboi

In a game where shooting after dribbling looked like an endangered species for both teams (just 6 points on 12 possessions on ball handler pick-and-roll shots for Olympiacos, 6 points on 9 possessions for Barcelona), Olympiacos had Luck has two players in the squad who could see a phase ahead: Kostas Slukas and Tomas Walkup.

The two guards combined had 14 assists (Slukas 9 and Walkap 5), with Olympiakos earning a total of 38 of their 80 points thanks to their own creation. Nearly 50% of the team’s points come from assists from its two guards. But actually Slukas was the one who determined the developments in the field of creation.

The National Guard gave away 25 points with his 9 assists, while also being the best of his teammates on the +/- system with +14. At the same time, however, it is now clear that he has found the pick and roll player he was looking for in Joel Boloboi.

The experienced tall finished the game with 12 points and 7 rebounds. He was the one who set up Pick and Roll with Sluka and Walkup. However, the reason he’s valuable isn’t so much because he powerfully rolls to the basket and jumps high. The reason he’s special is that he can do what’s called the “short roll” where he stays 4 meters behind the screen and either hooks or passes to the boundary (as he did at one point in the 4 period , finding a clear shot at Lorentzakis).

Boloboi is not a bad passer. But he’s a good passer, creating good ball circulation and creating situations for his teammates, which was evident at Barcelona.

Boloboi’s Defense and Vezenkov-Peters’ +13

In reality, of course, it is clear that Boloboi was the one who – along with Walkup and Papanikolaou – determined developments in defense. With Giorgos Bartzokas opting for a defensive move early on – having not feared the Catalans’ follow-up since Mirotic’s absence – the former CSKA man was crucial in the way he defended on the touchline.

According to InStat Scout, Boloboi had a defensive rating of 70.59 (points his team concedes per 100 possessions with him on the floor). With the exception of McKissick, who only had 50 points in the relevant category (but only participated in 4 minutes), no one had a lower number.

At the same time, there is one more detail that made the difference for Olympiacos. The simultaneous use of Peters and Vezenkov. According to InStat Scout, the two Olympiakos power forwards co-existed on the floor for a total of 15 minutes. During that time, Olympiacos had +13 in the +/- system.

Formations with these two on the ground in the front positions give Olympiakos a rare combination: good distance in attack and size in defense. It is no coincidence that some of the best moments of the “red and white” happened with these two on the floor. There has been a lot of talk about them coexisting well at the power forward position. But the main thing is that they can play together.

Larentzakis and the great figure that sealed the victory

Olympiacos extended their difference in play with the quintet of Sluka, Kanaan, Papanikolaou, Vezenkov and Boloboi in the 3rd period as they included Barcelona. But it was Larentzakis who sealed the win and gave him something different in the fourth period.

With Barcelona at one point and then forced to close their defense more and more inwards to deal with Sluka’s pick and roll with Boloboi, it was Larentzakis who found the free kicks after a good move off her ball and the legs of the Catalans with cut the “Red-Whites”, who at this moment are playing with three guards (Sloukas, Walkap, Larentzakis) alongside Peters and Boloboi.

In the end, with Barcelona putting on tired Slukas in defence, Giorgos Bartzokas put his finishing touches on the floor: a back five of Walkup, Larentzaki, Peters, Vezenkov and Boloboi (once replaced by Black). That is, a five with enough size to train the Catalans in defense, with Walkap stealing balls, while in attack he had three players to open the field (Larentzakis, Peters, Vezenkov) who did not allow Barcelona to Spaces of their own size under the basket to close. Then two more threes from Larentzakis sealed the win.

A big win and good omens

It’s still too early to celebrate. There are still 33 games left in the regular season of the EuroLeague. But it must not go unmentioned that Olympiacos achieved a huge victory while also showing excellent signs in only their 3rd official game of the season – and their first in this composition with 7 foreigners in the 12th round.

The fact that Olympiacos won in a game little executed by their dribblers (Slukas, Kanaan) and attacking mainstay (Fahl) says a lot about the way the team is set up. About how he now has more options on offense thanks to the immediate chemistry Boloboi and Slukas found and how Peters opens the field. And above all about how Boloboi and Schwarz immediately gave the defense a little more.

The calendar shows October 8th. The season still has 8 more months of basketball. However, the first sample of Olympiakos was excellent. The sequel will be very interesting.