Maccabi Tel Aviv Opens Preseason With Narrow Loss Amidst Roster Challenges

Maccabi Tel Aviv began its preparation for the 2026/27 basketball season with an 86-84 loss to Bnei Herzliya in a friendly match held at Yad Yosef on Thursday. The team played with a significantly depleted roster, as several key players were unavailable. Jalen Hurd had just arrived in Israel during the game, Daniel Theis had not yet joined, Roman Sorkin and Yiftach Lundberg were rested, and Jimmy Clark was injured. Additionally, Gur Levy and T.J. Leaf were dealing with existing injuries.

Despite the absences, Maccabi showed promising basketball in stretches, particularly with only four foreign players. Keeton Wallace was a standout performer, scoring 20 points and demonstrating high individual skill. Another positive noted by the coaching staff was the performance of Bayeot.

"The result is not the most important thing at this point in time, it's perhaps the least important thing," a team source stated. "We are looking at many things, and many players are far from game fitness, but that's what the coming weeks are for. Wallace was very good, and Bayeot also showed exactly what we expect from him. It should look better going forward, and there is a clear goal: to improve from game to game, from practice to practice."

Looking ahead, Sorkin and Lundberg are expected to participate in the next friendly against Maccabi Rishon LeZion next Tuesday. Kessiem Mada, who played limited minutes in the recent game, will also increase his involvement. Decisions regarding Hurd and Theis's participation in the upcoming match will be made closer to the game. Maccabi will also participate in a preseason tournament in Cyprus later in the week and will hold an open practice for fans on Friday.