Vlade Djurovic, in a conversation with Arena Sport, discussed Partizan’s transfer window and the ambitions of the black-and-white team for the upcoming season.
The experienced Serbian coach began by praising two young players within the “Parni Valjak” squad.
“I said last season that Balsa Koprivica has NBA potential, and I still believe that. He missed the last season due to mononucleosis, and I hope he can overcome it because I really like him. He’s not ball-hungry, does the dirty work in defense, sets screens; he has everything that NBA players possess, even though he’ll face tough competition. The same goes for Alen Smailagic, who is faster and has the best vertical jump among us, great at setting screens. The competition between these two is fierce because Frank Kaminsky will have more playing time”.
In the continuation of the conversation, Vlade Djurovic shared his opinion regarding Partizan’s transfer window.
“I think Partizan will bring in someone, as it has been quite modest thus far. Four players have arrived, and four have departed. Some crucial players have left Partizan, and four new ones have arrived. Mathias Lessort is a better rebounder and defender than Kaminsky, but the American excels in scoring. Ioannis Papapetrou can be effective, but losing Dante Exum and Yam Madar, one of them should have stayed; I don’t know how they’ll compensate for that” -Djurovic said. He then added:
“Players like Aleksa Avramovic, Kevin Punter and Smailagic are still here. Avramovic needs to prove himself at Partizan; he has never been under such pressure, and I think he has settled in now and should have a great season”.
The former coach of Crvena Zvezda highlights that Partizan’s ambitions for the upcoming season include making a push for the Final Four of the EuroLeague and competing for the trophy in the ABA League against the Red and Whites.
“Partizan’s ambitions are to reach the Final Four, and as for the ABA League, it’s the final against Crvena Zvezda, and there’s nothing more to think about. It’s good that they start with Mornar, and it will be a good rehearsal for the EuroLeague. They lost some games they shouldn’t have”.
He doesn’t see any possibility for anyone other than the two eternal rivals from Belgrade to make it to the finals of the regional league.
“Objectively, the champions will be decided by two teams. There’s not even a theoretical chance for anyone else to get involved. As for the relegation battle, there will be more teams in that mix. Zvezda, Partizan, FMP, Mega, the Studentski Centar, Igokea, and Buducnost will compete for the top six spots, and Cedevita is not in the picture”.