At the start of last season, there were reasonable expectations for how Anadolu Efes‘ season might unfold.
The team featured a new head coach expected to lead them into a new era, an executive from the media world tasked with roster rebuilding, and a series of signings that suggested significant potential.
None of this, however, actually came to fruition. Igor Kokoskov was fired just a few months after his arrival; subsequently, the club also parted ways with Ismail Senol, the executive responsible for the roster overhaul.
The season proved disastrous, particularly in the EuroLeague, as disappointing results and a string of injuries severely undermined the team’s competitiveness.
Right now, the Turkish team is undergoing a summer of major changes. Shane Larkin, a key figure in Efes’ recent history, has left the club to join rival Fenerbahce.
Rodrigue Beaubois, another long-time mainstay, did not renew his contract.
Nick Weiler-Babb, one of last summer’s biggest signings, has also departed alongside Vincent Poirier, Rolands Smits, and Saben Lee.
In an effort to regain the competitiveness lost recently, Anadolu Efes have turned to a trio of players whose existing chemistry could be key to a turnaround.
A piece of French Riviera in Istanbul
The Efes roster heading into the upcoming season will feature Jordan Loyd, Mike James, and Matthew Strazel, who shared the court at Monaco between 2022 and 2025.
Loyd is the only one of the three who wore an Efes jersey last season, having joined mid-season after Monaco began experiencing financial difficulties.
Although Efes’s results were not impressive, Loyd made a positive impact by becoming the team’s second-leading scorer.
At the end of the season, the club rewarded the Polish-born player with a contract extension through 2027.
Matthew Strazel, for his part, represents a significant investment for both the present and the future.
Credit ZUMAPRESS.com – Scanpix
The French point guard is only 23 years old but has been a reliable performer for several seasons.
Aggressive on defense, Strazel is a dual threat capable of producing both on and off the ball.
The French point guard has proven to be one of Europe’s most promising players in that role, and when Monaco hit a rough patch, many EuroLeague clubs tried to sign him.
In the end, Efes came out on top, offering him a lucrative 2+1 contract worth approximately €1.5 million per season.
Mike James was the latest player to join Anadolu Efes this offseason. While it was widely known that James was leaving Monaco, his arrival at the Turkish club was far from a foregone conclusion.
After talks between James and Barcelona fell through, he went back to exploring his options, and Efes managed to convince him to join their new project, beating out Dubai, another club that had set its sights on James.
Efes could hardly have found a better replacement for Shane Larkin. James possesses the ideal charisma and experience to fill Larkin’s shoes and remains eager to prove his worth as a game-changer.
The Turkish club is also banking on the chemistry between the three players. During their time in Monaco, James, Loyd, and Strazel developed an excellent rapport, and the prospect of playing together again undoubtedly appeals to them.
On several occasions while in the Principality, James praised Strazel, viewing him as a spiritual successor.
Now the two can continue their partnership alongside Loyd, with whom they established strong chemistry in France.
The coaching limbo
Since 2023, the year Ergin Ataman left Efes, no coach has completed a full season.
Erdem Can started the 2023-24 season before being replaced in February by Tomislav Mijatovic, a longtime assistant with the Turkish club.
Efes retained Mijatovic at the start of the following season, only to appoint Luca Banchi in January.
Despite Banchi’s strong performance in the second half of the season, Efes handed the head coaching position to Igor Kokoskov, who shared a close friendship with general manager Ismail Senol.
Kokoskov, however, lasted only a few months, leading Efes to choose Pablo Laso as his replacement.
Pablo Laso
Credit ZUMAPRESS.com/Scanpix
During this offseason, Efes initially agreed to bring back Luca Banchi to the bench for the upcoming season.
Although both sides were in complete agreement, the deal ultimately fell through due to personal family matters that required Banchi to remain in Italy.
After negotiations with Coach Banchi fell through, Efes decided to retain Laso as head coach for next season.
However, doubts remain about the security of Laso’s position, given that virtually no recent coach has enjoyed long-term continuity at the club.
Laso’s post-Real Madrid stints, first at Bayern and then at Baskonia, have been underwhelming.
When the Spanish coach took over at Efes midseason, he was unable to turn things around and merely kept the team afloat.
To return to their former glory, Efes must draw out the best in Laso – a version of the coach not seen in the EuroLeague for several seasons.
But will the Spanish coach and the Turkish club truly be able to trust one another? Much of Anadolu Efes’s success hinges on the answer.
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