Olimpia Milan: mandatory win with Paris, waiting for the real Guduric
Olimpia’s Euroleague journey has been decidedly uninspiring. The red-and-whites, to date, have won only two of the seven games played and, in fact, are in the lower reaches of the standings. In particular, the four games lost in sprints weigh heavily (the last one, in order of time, against Barcelona).
Today (2:30 p.m. ball), Coach Messina’s team hosts Paris, one of the surprises of this first slice of the regular season (4-3 record for the Parisians). A win is needed to turn things around and start grinding out victories in Europe’s top competition.
In the spotlight Guduric. His arrival in the summer, was hailed as a super hit. Having said goodbye to Mirotic (now at Monaco), Olimpia has relied completely on the Serbian, the real star of Fenerbahce’s splendid ride to the Euroleague last season.
Guduric, to date, has not convinced. In addition to taking little responsibility on offense (8.4 points and 2.9 assists on average in the Euroleague), the white-and-white 23 is not always polished in the key moments of games, as seen against Barcelona. From someone with his incredible talent, much more can be expected. He will have a chance to make up for it against Paris, a team that runs a lot and loves high tempo. Olimpia absolutely must take home the win, perhaps with Guduric as the star player.
