Team Breakdown: Promitheas Patras
Two games left for Cedevita Olimpija in Eurocup Regular Season and both of them against the Greek team Promitheas Patras. The situation is kinda funny because if Cedevita Olimpija loses both games, they can theoretically be out of Top16 but if they manage to win both (and Trento wins vs Gran Canaria) they can finish first in the group.
Today is the game that should be played at the end of October in 5th Round of the competition but was postponed due to covid cases in Greek team. This means that Luka Rupnik is not available for coach Golemac tonight since he joined the team later.
Similar as Bursaspor, Promitheas made big jumps in last seasons too. The club was founded in 1985 but played mostly in local and regional Greek Leagues. In 2013/14 season they played in Greek 4th league for the first time and managed to win it and earn the promotion for 3rd League. They won the 3rd league in their first try in next season too.
After that they finished on the 4th place in Greek 2nd League and just missed promotion in first league, but one team above them decided to not use their rigths to advance and Promitheas took their spot so they managed to jump from 4th Greek League to 1st Greek League in three years. But they didn’t stop there.
In 2018/19 season they were playing in an international competition for the first time. They played in Group D of Basketball Champions League, the same group as Petrol Olimpija and Promitheas won both matches. Rion Brown, now a Cedevita Olimpija player, played for Promitheas in that season.
Last season Promitheas finished 2nd in Greek Cup, won the Greek Super Cup and managed to finish in Top8 teams in unfinished Eurocup season.
This season the results aren’t so good. They managed to win only two games in Eurocup so far and need to win all three games left if they want to have some chances to advance. In Greek League they’ve played only two games so far — managed to win vs Paok and lost in last round vs Aris.
Last 4games from Promitheas Patras in all competitions:
11/11: vs Trento 80–89
Top scorers: Agravanis and Miller 22, Mantzoukas 9, Faye 8 (13 rebounds)
21/11: vs Paok 83–80
Top scorers: Agravanis, 24 (10 rebounds), Mantzaris 16 (8 assists), Lountzis 12
5/12: at Aris 83–94
Top scorers: Miller 21, Agravanis 15, Radičević 10
8/12: at Nanterre 70–91
Top scorers: Miller 16, Agravanis 11, Garrett 9
OFFENSE
- Pretty static offense with not much ball movement
- Run a lot pick & rolls with Mantzaris as operator and pick & pop plays with Agravanis
- Miller their go-to-guy and main offensive weapon
- Play a lot with three guards in their lineup
- Sloppy in offense and are one of the teams that makes the most turnovers per possession
- They don’t grab many offensive rebounds
DEFENSE
- Leaving too many open three point shots
- Many miscommunications and bad rotations, letting an offensive player completely open
- Switching on pick & rolls most of the time
- Their defense can be too ball oriented and leaving easy cuts to the basket
- Agbalese very good inside defender and rim protector
- Mantzaris likes to play full court pressure on ball handler
ROSTER
#1 Danny Agbelese (C | 205 cm | ‘90)
Important player for Promitheas on the defensive end while he has a lot to offer on the offensive end too. His stance on low post in strong and protects the rim really well. In offense limited mostly to around the rim finishes with his left hand — usually a power dribble or two and a jump hook with his left hand.
#4 Michalis Lountzis (G | 195 cm | ‘98)
Point guard with good positional size. His basketball IQ is high and reads the game well. Dangerous in transition, likes to push forward and going to the rim. More a slasher than a shooter and lacks consistency in his shot. Showing some good pick & roll skills too. With his size he can be a good perimeter defender and putting some pressure on ball handler.
#5 Delroy James (C | 203 cm | ‘86)
Experienced, strong and undersized big. His role in the team is not so big but shouldn’t be underestimated. Left handed and capable of making shots from distance, even though he is more efficient closer to the rim.
#7 Dimitris Agravanis (PF | 208 cm | ‘94)
Maybe after Ian Miller the most important player of this team. His role in offense is pretty high, especially in the pick & pop game while also used sometimes as a creator from low post. Lacks athleticism and quicker legs which can be easily exploited on the defensive end. If I must make a comparison to him with one player from the region, Luka Mitrović would be the one that would come first to my mind.
#10 Diante Garrett (G | 193 cm | ‘88)
Started his career in Zagreb in 2011 but played only a few games there. Has good positional size and can play on both guard positions. Not the best and most consistent shooter but can put the ball to the floor and attack the rim. He is not having his best season so far but I think his role in offense should be bigger since he proved in his career that he is capable of putting on good numbers.
#11 Mouhammad Faye (PF | 208 cm | ‘85)
Another player that is known in the region since he played in last two seasons for Crvena zvezda. Versatile defender with great length that like to stretch the floor. His best days are gone and not so quick and athletic as before but his experience is still valuable for this team.
#13 Antreas Christodoulou (SF | 197 cm | ‘95)
Getting some solid minutes off the bench. Solid petetrator and finisher around the rim while his shot from distance is pretty bad for his position. Usually playing pretty solid on the defensive end.
#17 Vangelis Mantzaris (G | 194 cm | ‘90)
Even though he is far away from being the oldest in the team, he brings the most experience from the top level. Was an important rotation player in Olympiacos for many years then had a short stint last year in Unics Kazan but returned to Greece in December last year. Great perimeter defender and can put pressure on ball handlers. His scoring role is limited and is not the best scorer but likes to run pick & rolls where he is showing good court vision and can find open teamates.
#31 Charis Giannopoulos (SF | 206 cm | ‘89)
He was amongst the best scorers of the team in the beggining of the season, putting some really good numbers but then got injured and now slowly returning back after injury. A shooting wing profile that should not be left open anywhere on the court. Mobile for his size too and can guard many positions in defense.
#44 Ian Miller (G | 190 cm | ‘91)
Their best player. Volume scorer, capable of puting on great numbers. Very good shooter from distance and doesn’t need much space and time to pull the trigger. Can create and make points out of any situation, knows how to draw fouls and usually efficient at the charity stripe. Definitely a player to watch out for.
#45 Nikola Radičević (G | 194 cm | ‘94)
Another known player in the region even though he played most of his career abroad. Signed a three year contract with Crvena zvezda in 2017 but spend only half season there and left them quickly. His projectiosn were much higher and had high potential as young prospect but hasn’t shown much of it in pro basketball. Left handed guard with good positional size. He could use his body better on both sides of the court and be more aggressive on the offensive end. Not the best shooter.
#72 Eleftherios Mantzoukas (F | 207 cm | ‘03)
Wrote more on him in the Best prospects in Eurocup article. Versatile forward that could make a good career in Europe. Even though he is one of the youngest players in competition, he exploded vs Gran Canaria with shooting 6/6 for three and finished the game with 24 points. Struggles on the defensive end because of his youth but has a lot to offer in offense.
#77 Athanasios Bazinas (PG | 194 cm | ‘03)
Comes from their youth program and logged a few minutes on a few matches this season. His role is minor so far but a player that could become an important part of this team over years. Great court vision and passer, showing some creativity and nice passing touch. Due to his size he can scan the floor really well and usually makes the right pass or decision.
#80 Georgios Tanoulis (C | 210 cm | ‘02)
Third young player from their youth program that got a chance this season already. Late bloomer and his body is not fully developed yet, lacks muscle and easily targeted in defense. Also lacks athleticism but can grab some rebounds because of his height.
KEYS FOR CEDEVITA OLIMPIJA’S WIN
- Limit Ian Miller: their main offensive weapon and their go-to-guy. If Cedevita Olimpija manages to put a lock on him and limit his offensive output, their job will be much easier since this team lacks players that can make points out of nowhere
- Attack Dimitris Agravanis: his legs are slow on perimeter and Perry/Blažič shouldn’t have a hard time getting by him.
- Run the floor: Promitheas is one of the least athletic teams in the group and Cedevita Olimpija should outrun them pretty easily. They should look for as many fastbreak points as possible.
- Punish their miscommunication in defense: their defense can fall apart after a few screens/passes and someone should be open. This happens to often to be an coincidence. Also there should be enough space for some backdoor cuts to the basket.
- Force Danny Agbelese to his right hand finishes: as said above, he does most of the stuff with his left hands. His dribbles and shots around the rim are limited to left hand and if you don’t let any easy left hand finishes to him, you’ve eliminated most of the inside game from Promitheas
- Watch out for pick & roll plays with Mantzaris and pick & pop plays with Agravanis: this is also important in their offense. Even though Agravanis is not a consistent shooter from distance, he still shouldn’t be left completely open.
