Maccabi Tel Aviv Faces Early Season Woes in EuroLeague

Maccabi Tel Aviv has stumbled out of the gate in the EuroLeague basketball season, holding a disappointing 0-2 record after an unexpected home loss to Besiktas, 109-93, in Belgrade. This follows an earlier defeat to ASVEL Villeurbanne. The team's performance has raised significant concerns, with a lack of cohesion on both offense and defense.

Coach Oded Katash had called for greater aggression and urgency, but the team struggled to execute a structured offense, appearing disorganized and uncoordinated. Defensive lapses, particularly in the paint, were also a major issue. While acknowledging it's early in the season and players need time to gel, the current level of organization is below expectations.

Key players have underperformed. In the frontcourt, Jalen Reynolds was not at his best, T.J. Leaf is still finding his rhythm after injury, and Daniel Theis has been disappointing. Armando Bacot did not play against Besiktas after limited minutes previously. In the backcourt, Yovel Zoosman did not start and seemed off his game, Angelo Caloiaro has struggled for two consecutive games, and Keeton Wallace has been a disappointment to many within the club.

A source within the club expressed deep concern, stating, "We cannot look like this. Nothing is functioning, certainly not the defense. Nobody imagined we would start the season like this." Coach Katash echoed the disappointment, calling the Besiktas game a "must-win" that the team failed to approach with the right energy. He acknowledged the team's shortcomings and the challenging schedule ahead, emphasizing the need to find solutions quickly.

The team has little time to recover, flying to Athens on Thursday for a Friday game against Panathinaikos, who have started their season with two wins. This is followed by a Winner Cup semifinal match against Hapoel Jerusalem on Sunday, highlighting a demanding schedule that requires immediate improvement.