Olympiacos Piraeus forward Tyson Ward praised TJ Shorts’ fresh start at Valencia, saying he is back in a system that suits him, while highlighting Jean Montero’s willingness to learn at Olympiacos.
Tyson Ward made a quick and smooth transition to Olympiacos Piraeus last season, capping off the campaign with two more trophies added to his resume.
MIN
20.7
PTS
7.3
FG%
56.5%
REB
3
AS
1
After winning the Basketball Champions League and the EuroCup in consecutive years, as well as the French league with Paris Basketball, he helped Olympiacos capture its first EuroLeague title in 13 years last season, alongside winning the Greek League over archrivals Panathinaikos Athens.
The American forward instantly became one of the key players for one of Europe’s top teams, and this season he is once again proving to be an essential part of Olympiacos as they look to repeat their success from last year.
While his example shows how players coming from smaller teams can adapt well to title-winning teams in the right situation, his good friend – TJ Shorts, who spent multiple years alongside him winning the BCL in Bonn and making an incredible run in both the EuroCup and EuroLeague in Paris – did not experience the same type of success with his move to Greece.
Shorts made one of the biggest moves of the 2025 offseason by signing with Panathinaikos Athens.
However, after just one year, his time in Athens concluded as he took his talents to Spain, joining the Spanish League champions and last season’s EuroLeague Cinderella story, Valencia Basket.
Ward happy to see Shorts in a system that suits him
Ward is happy for Shorts, who is once again able to be himself in Valencia.
Talking to BasketNews after last week’s game in Kaunas against Zalgiris, Ward opened up about Shorts’ move to Valencia, saying it is his time to shine in a system he is comfortable with and where he has a great support group.
“I think this is his time to shine,” Ward said about Shorts. “You know his system. He knows the system well, and you know TJ is the kind of guy that always finds a way.”
Position
SF
Age
29
Height
198 cm
Weight
86 kg
Birth place
Tampa, United States of America
“You saw it in his first game, and I’m always in his corner making sure to support him.”
“But, you know, he’s got a good support group, and he’s going to do well for himself. And I know that wherever he goes, he’ll always find a way to be TJ,” he added.
Ward praises Montero’s adjustment to Olympiacos
The 29-year-old forward also opened up about another top-tier EuroLeague talent making a big jump to Greece this offseason, with former Valencia star Jean Montero making the move to Olympiacos.
Ward spoke highly of Montero, praising his willingness to learn and adjust to the team, noting that he has done a really good job of that so far.
“He’s good, man. He’s adjusting well, and he doesn’t ask too many questions, but you can see that he’s very eager to learn and eager to adjust and really ready to kind of shape into the team mold,” he said of Montero.
“And his game is pretty centered around how we play a little bit. He’ll find his way to get into it. And I think he’s doing that really well.”
“I think he’s doing a great job of picking his spots and knowing when it’s his time to go,” Ward added. “And I think he’s doing that really well, especially, you know, coming from being the man to also being the man here with other high-level guys.”
“So it’s super cool to see, super cool to watch someone so young be elite-level talent.”
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