Alen Smailagic, a basketball player for Partizan, took center stage during the EuroLeague’s media day and revealed his ideal lineup for the popular ‘Fantasy’ game when it comes to the premier European competition.
One particular aspect that garnered significant attention was the selection of the Serbian national team member as he crafted his best five for the most prestigious European tournament from his perspective.
“My starting five would be Facundo Campazzo, Walter Tavares, Luke Sikma, Kevin Punter… and myself!” – said Alen Smailagic in an interview with “Sport Klub”.
Just to recap, the black and white basketball player had an impressive season where he showed that after an adaptation period, he had a lot to offer to the team. The mosaic that head coach Zeljko Obradovic assembled from the bench gave him some freedom in his play, which Alen Smailagic knew how to utilize.
He reached his best form towards the end of the season when he became a significant factor in the ABA League trophy quest after a ten-year “drought.” In addition, in the EuroLeague, he caused significant problems for all teams in the closing stages of the season. His series against Real Madrid is particularly memorable when Chus Mateo simply couldn’t find a solution to the wide range of offensive abilities possessed by Alen Smailagic.
Although that series and the near-miss for the Final Four won’t be fondly remembered by those who cherish the black and white colors, the fact is that the former Golden State Warriors player made remarkable progress. This progress also earned him a call from Svetislav Pesic to represent Serbia at the FIBA World Cup.
The season begins
Due to the virus, he had to leave the national team’s camp earlier than planned. However, there is an impression that he is in good form ahead of the new season. Partizan participated in an international tournament in Banja Luka to celebrate Igokea’s 50th anniversary. There, they clinched the trophy.
However, they missed the opportunity to secure the club’s 50th trophy in history. In the ABA Super Cup final, they were defeated by Studentski centar. As a final test before the official start of the season, they participated in the “Pavlos Giannakopoulos” memorial tournament. The black and white team suffered two losses in Athens, first to Efes and then to Bayern.
In the previous competitive year, Alen Smailagic averaged 9.2 points and nearly five rebounds per game. The natural progression is for him to show an additional level of improvement in the upcoming challenges, which is primarily expected of him.