Fal, the animal center that makes the difference at Olympiakos

The new agreement between Olympiacos and Mustafa Fal makes the French center a permanent resident in Glyfada until the summer of 2025. The contract extension was… barbaric and lasted three years, which means that the great basketball player is at the end of his career Greece has to complete a period of four years. He’s never been on a team for so long. With the exception of Poitiers where he started and played for three years, he stayed a year at all the other clubs he has played at.

Exactly then, in the advertising clip for the contract extension with the “red and white” OEM, he started speaking Greek. In a short time he will have learned farce. In the stadium, the “Crocodile”, as George Printezis christened it, or “Mous”, as his friends call him, has no problem communicating anyway.

If Olympiacos was looking for a great man who would be both a scarecrow and a creator and a major influence on his game, Fal was the first lottery number, although his acquisition was not based on an expectation “that my lottery would fall”. It was purposeful and well thought out considering George Bartzokas and his collaborators have had Fal on their radar for three years now.

In the summer of 2018, he was being mooted for a position in Khimki, with Fal eventually wearing Lokomotiv Kuban’s jersey. It is said that Bartzokas made a turn and chose a 218cm body as he used to play with shorter centers. The truth is that Bartzokas likes fast highs, regardless of size. And in addition to his animal body, Fal is also known for his speed.

But who would have expected that with the changes in the screens, the tall Frenchman would be unbeatable in defense and rise to three points to miss the opposition? At the same time having the ability to follow him to the layup, essentially negating the advantage that the nearest opponent has over the larger one in these instances. These skills were greatly appreciated by the Piraeus technical staff.

What Fal is, Olympiacos found out in last summer’s friendlies, but also in the two games of the 2020-21 EuroLeague. So, when the question of acquiring a center arose in the summer and Fal was available, the flirtation ended in marriage three years ago. The big gap that existed within the Olympic racquet last year, especially in front of bigger bodies than Hassan Martin, has been filled with the above.

The “5” position became a reference point of this year’s Olympics, as Fal is one of the team’s most influential players in defense and attack. You don’t have to analyze the stats to understand why. It can also be seen with the naked eye inside the stadium.

Defensive support from the few, whether it’s fear of volume near the basket or because his massive body moves quickly during changes, causes the opposing attacker a constant headache. See the “red-white” center opponents shoot in the graphic, according to Instantscout.com

The low percentage of his opponents when they shoot for three points (5/23) shows his unique ability for a player of his size, which made Olympiacos’ good defense even better. It’s not wrong to say that his defense off the basket is better than at the post.

And in attack, however, the role of Fal is crucial. His teammates will be looking for him from the first moment, either to “support” the opponent high, play a pick and roll or create the conditions for a free kick.

He only threatens close to the basket if he misses the shot, but he has an instinct to pass to either the player moving off the ball and cutting to the racquet, or those set for a three-pointer. In a total of 41 games of the Euroleague and the Greek championship, Fal plays an average of 21:16 minutes, scores 8.4 pence (67.9% d, 63.4% b), gets 5 pence and still has 1.2 assists, 0.4 kg, 1.2 l and 1.1 blocks.

Fal finishes the stages very well in cooperation with his teammates. Best is Tyler Dorsey with 6/6, followed by Costas Sloukas with 6/7, Thomas Wookup and Sakil McKissick with 3/3 and Costas Papanikolaou with 3/4. By the Instant Scout’s measurements, the very large center completed 92% of the clutch plays he attempted. That is, reset the shots (mostly nails) with the timer. He was usually preceded by a very nice performance by his teammate and some kind of “pass put”. That number is his best, after 98% in post-up.

Above all, Olympiakos appreciates his cleverness on the pitch. The perception of the game, his quick adaptation and character outside the four lines immediately made him an important member of the team and very popular with Greeks and foreigners alike. Having another Frenchman like Livio Jean Charles made it easier for him to join SEF, while being immediately ‘connected’ and in very good company with Hassan Martin.

He says he’s very happy with what he scored at Olympiacos, he really likes life in Glyfada and has decided to accept the good offer from the ‘Red-Whites’ who knew they would be happy with his performance should be making rapid progress in the EuroLeague this year before other suitors emerge. The offer of the Angelopoulos was so great that Fal not only could not refuse, but also anchored for four years.