After three straight Munich wins, a particularly high hurdle looms on the Spanish Mediterranean: Valencia Basket were last season’s EuroLeague surprise as a Final Four participant — and despite various departures, including the MVP and the head coach, they’re simply carrying on at the reigning Spanish champions: the hosts for Bayern Basketball this Thursday evening (8:30 p.m.) are currently third in the table at 7:3. The BBL leaders’ next home appearance under Anton Gavel is this Sunday on Family Game Day against third-placed MBC (4:30 p.m.).
A BBL top game on Sunday at BMW Park
The expected upheaval in the summer took Valencia’s successful team’s local heroes Montero, Badio, Key, Pradilla and also coach Pedro Martínez (Real Madrid) — the allure of Southern Europe’s basketball magnates was too great. Yet neither the results nor the offensive style of “Los Taronjas,” the Oranges, has changed significantly. In Spain’s ACB, they are once again lying in wait as second (5:2), behind Martínez’s unbeaten Madrid side.
“They still have a very talented team; they’re one of the best offensive teams in the EuroLeague,” says Bayern head coach Anton Gavel of the opponent. “It will be essential that our defense does a good job for 40 minutes. Not only Shorts must we deny easy points — that’s a task for the entire team.”
So TJ Shorts is now the one worrying about Valencia’s pace and their roughly 96 points per game on average, after his ill‑fated stint at Panathinaikos. The diminutive playmaker is currently averaging 16.9 points and 5.6 assists per game and has rediscovered his three‑point shot (53.8%). The second high‑profile addition is Armoni Brooks from Milan (14.9 ppg), whose two‑year deal in Lyon was canceled; Nikola Mirotic (13.0), an NBA veteran, also moved from Barcelona to the shiny new Roig Arena (but was recently sidelined).
TJ Shorts rules the Oranges
Kameron Taylor (11.9) and Nathan Reuvers (8.4) have stayed; Reuvers could also be available again against Bayern (3:7 wins) after a layoff. Valencia’s speed, secure ball handling (only 10.9 turnovers), and strength on the offensive glass (13.8 ORPG) are now organized by head coach Xavier Albert, 38. A product of the club, he long served as an assistant.
Bayern playmaker Rokas Jokubaitis knows what’s coming but is confident: “Our start to the EuroLeague wasn’t the best, but now we’ve won three times on the road, including internationally at ASVEL, which was very important for us,” the Lithuanian explains. “We want to carry that good vibe into Valencia, show the character from Lyon, and win. Valencia are playing very fast again, and everyone knows they’re among the quickest teams in Europe. So our job will be to stop them and sprint back to slow their transition. They’re even stronger at home. Our defense has to be the priority, with stopping TJ Shorts as our first mission, because the game is built around him.”