Kostas Sloukas: The Key to Panathinaikos BC’s Success

 

Kostas Sloukas: The Key to Panathinaikos BC’s Success 

 

 

The summer of 2023 was met with a move which sent shockwaves through the world of Greek basketball, Kostas Sloukas, the star point guard of Olympiakos had unexpectedly made the switch from Piraeus Red to Athenian Green, a move mirroring that of Vasilis Spanoulis which rocked European basketball over a decade ago. The move came unexpectedly as contract negotiations with the reigning finalists seemingly stalled. 

 

Sloukas has been no stranger to being in the headlines, his performances in big games has earned him the reputation of being one of European basketball’s most clutch performers. Signing with Panathinaikos meant that the Greens not only pulled one over their rivals in red, it also meant that after a period of underwhelming results, the Athenian club meant serious business as they sought to take back their seat as domestic champions and also chase the seventh Euroleague championship. 

 

After penning a three year deal, Sloukas was named as captain of Ergin Ataman’s squad with the hope that he would help lead the team to both domestic and European success. The start to the season has been one that is filled with mixed emotions. In the domestic league, the Greens sit in first place undefeated, while in Euroleague the squad is sitting at .500 with a slightly underwhelming record of 7-7 after a win against ASVEL. 

 

The transition for Sloukas into Panathinaikos has not been perfect, however after today’s performance I believe that Sloukas has shown just how valuable he can be to this Panathinaikos team. Against ASVEL Kostas Sloukas scored eighteen points and netted himself a career high twelve assists. The ball movement, especially in the fourth quarter from the veteran guard proved to be key toward landing the Greens their first victory in four games and snapping the three game losing streak. 

 

Scoring has always been a key component of Sloukas’ game, with today serving as a great example of his offensive acumen. This is something that before today appeared to be lacking slightly from the team’s captain. His focus on passing the ball and finding the open man against ASVEL helped to alleviate the offensive log jams that we had seen the team run into during the losing streak. I believe that with the two guard system coach Ataman has in place, Sloukas leaning more toward facilitating the ball as a classic point guard will do this team wonders. 

 

The two man game between Matias Lessort and Sloukas has been a staple in the offensive schemes Panathinaikos has run to start off the season, although it has been effective, it also has become slightly predictable as well. The positive takeaway from today’s game is that once the pick and roll action was nullified, players like Marius Grigonis stepped up and hit the open looks that were created from Sloukas. To find success we are going to need to find ways to get the ball into the hands of our shooters while having a designated ball handler. 

 

A two guard lineup with Sloukas as the primary ball handler and Kendrick Nunn as shooting guard is what I would most like to see. The team sacrifices some defense, however it also plays into the team’s strengths which is its offense. If Sloukas can continue to make the plays we saw him make against ASVEL it will be a key in helping the team get the scrappy wins it has sorely been missing so far. In past games we have seen forced shots and poor decision making in key moments without taking the time to slow the game down and make the right play. Today we saw that down the stretch the team addressed those issues and fought themselves out of a potential come back win for the home side. 

 

All in all, I am happy Kostas Sloukas is a Panathinaikos player. I have admired his game from afar and now I get to enjoy seeing him captain my favorite team. For me he is the key to unlocking the team’s full potential offensively, mainly through his ball distribution, but also with his clutch scoring in vital moments. I hope today’s performance and result will give Sloukas the boost to continue playing this way and help the team qualify for the playoffs.