Maccabi Tel Aviv Named EuroLeague's Top Dark Horse by GMs

Maccabi Tel Aviv has been identified as a potential surprise team in the upcoming EuroLeague season, according to a survey of the league's general managers. In the second part of the annual "Buckets News" GM survey, Maccabi shared the top spot in the "dark horse" category with Zalgiris Kaunas, each receiving 26.7% of the votes. The survey highlighted Maccabi's roster, which includes recent additions like Kithon Wallace, Daniel Theis, Bonzie Colson, and Yovel Zoosman, as drawing attention from league executives.

Despite operating with a slightly lower budget than Zalgiris and facing the challenge of playing most home games in a neutral venue, Maccabi's potential was recognized. Zalgiris, meanwhile, announced a record budget of 28.8 million euros for the upcoming season, with approximately 13 million euros allocated for player salaries. Other teams receiving votes as dark horses included Dubai, Barcelona, Partizan Belgrade, Milan, and Baskonia.

The survey also provided clear predictions for the Final Four, with Olympiacos unanimously selected by all participating GMs (100% of votes). Panathinaikos followed with 86.7%, Real Madrid with 73.3%, and Fenerbahce with 66.7%. Dubai was the next highest with 46.7%, and Zalgiris was the only other team to receive at least one vote. Notably, Hapoel Tel Aviv received no votes in this category.

Regarding the championship title, Panathinaikos emerged as the favorite with 46.7% of the votes, followed by Olympiacos (26.7%) and Real Madrid (20%). Fenerbahce was the only other team to receive votes. Panathinaikos has bolstered its roster with signings like Jerian Grant, Sylvian Francisco, and Mathias Lessort, and the return of coach Zeljko Obradovic.

The survey also identified Olympiacos's Sasha Vezenkov as the favorite for the MVP award, receiving 40% of the votes. Jean Montero, Vezenkov's new teammate, was also recognized as the most likely player to make the jump to the NBA, securing 53.3% of the votes.