This has been a strange season for Fenerbahce in Euroleague. Sometimes, strange things can turn out to be good. At least that’s been the case so far under Sarunas Jasivkevicius. In the second of our deep dives into the four competitors in Berlin, it’s time to look at the Istanbul giants.
There may be no team with less pressure from its own fans in Berlin. That doesn’t mean Fenerbahce don’t have eyes on winning the Euroleague title. If anything, it might be the X factor they need.
A remarkable turnaround
The front half of the season was not exactly pleasant for Fenerbahce fans. Up to the point they finally decided to move on from Dimitris Itoudis, this side looked like it would be a play-in side at best. The appointment of Sarunas Jasikevicius, while a big name, was a curious one.
Jasikevicius was taking on a situation where he wouldn’t be able to build a roster. It was also a roster that included some guys he hadn’t exactly gotten along great with in previous stops. Had it been a summer appointment, these issues wouldn’t exactly have been red flags. At the midpoint of a Euroleague campaign, these looked to be major complications.
Until, of course, they weren’t. Fener not only managed to make it into the playoffs directly but they did the thing nobody ever did before. A Game 5 win as a road team is quite the big deal. Even if the second such occurrence happened mere hours later.
Everyone can change
There was a clear attitudinal boost with the arrival of Jasikevicius, on all sides. Saras, for his part, showed that he’s willing to adapt his coaching style and play a different kind of basketball.
The players bought into that. There were highs, like Nigel Hayes Davis having a 50 point game. Of course, there were lows, like Anadolu Efes saving their own season (temporarily) with a win over their Istanbul rivals. Still, there was a commitment to the grind from the Fenerbahce side that had been lacking.
Jasikevicius ensured this wasn’t going to be a team that just went through the motions. After the disastrous end to Game 4 in the playoff series, it would have been easy to feel that was that for their Euroleague campaign. Mentally, this team was able to brush that off and come out anew for the decider.
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Courageous yet unselfish
Jasikevicius has asked a complex question of his roster. He wants his players to be willing to take the big shots when they matter but also to know when to holster it. That’s a difficult balancing act but it was one built around a cleaner and more efficient game.
Nowhere has this transformation been more apparent than with Nick Calathes. In simple terms, his game has become far more conservative since the arrival of Jasikevicius. Yet his role has also never been more important. The green light is there for Calathes but he’s being asked to lean into his distribution more while also emphasising great ball protection.
The point guard has embraced it to such a degree that it might well have added a couple of years to his relevance at the top of the sport. This has also dripped down to the likes of Scottie Wilbekin, Tarik Biberovic, and even Hayes-Davis in adopting the duality of purpose. They need to be brave enough to not take that shot or throw the hero pass. Yet they must also know when it’s the best option on the table.
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House money
When you’ve been through the type of season that Fenerbahce have, it grounds the fans somewhat. They will, of course, hope for the best. Yet there isn’t overwhelming pressure on this side either. The movement is in the right direction and a Euroleague Final Four appearance is something to be celebrated.
The last time I recall a team with this little pressure from its own fans that looked capable of winning the big one was the Italy football team in 2006 that won the World Cup. Fortunately, Fener don’t have the non sporting scandals as the cause of pressure easing.
Instead, it’s an inevitable maturity for any fanbase. Things were strange this season. Many, many things could have gone a lot worse than they did. This is a talented roster, one capable of winning a pair of elimination games, but nothing is taken for granted. That means the players can just focus on their basketball and that makes them terrifying.
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