When did the opening game of the Euroleague season become one that is a must win? For Maccabi Tel Aviv, who will begin their continental slate at ASVEL Villeurbanne, anything other than a win is unacceptable if they are to compete for a playoff spot this season.

It’s a harsh assessment, but it is also the truth; the yellow-and-blue have to pick up win #1 against the French team that should end this season near the bottom of the standings.

The Euroleague expanded to 38 games a couple of season back when it went from 18 to 20 teams and while the number of games increased as well, so did the competition for the postseason. The league’s well known slogan is that every game counts and that is as true as ever for Oded Katash’s squad.

Last year, the yellow-and-blue went 2-8 in their first ten games and then needed almost the entire season to dig out of the massive pit to get back into the race for a Play In spot which they did but eventually came up short due to what was an exhausted team that lost their last four games of the season to finish 18-20 and in 12th place.

Two years ago, back in the 2024/25 season, Maccabi opened up against ASVEL and took a 89-82 win with Jordan Loyd on the roster until the Iran attack that seemingly blew up the campaign as Katash’s team ended with a brutal 11-23 record.

Sure the first game may not be the decisive one in the season, but it also makes a statement as to what a club’s goals are for the year ahead. That’s why it’s a critical one to win. It shows intent. It says to all that yes, we are here and we are going to be competing for the gold.

Katash may want to ease into the campaign ahead and continue to improve and build, but if he wants to see his charges play the way his Maccabi team of 2022/23 and 2023/24, then he’s got to make sure that the team continues its development while collecting wins. It’s always easier to fix things when you’re winning and that much more difficult when losing.

The bench boss didn’t want to commit completely to the thought that this is a must win but Katash is well aware that this year’s team has something that last season’s didn’t, “I think our starting point, both in terms of the roster, its depth and the continuity we have is better than it was last season. But still, if you ask me about the EuroLeague and the Israeli league in general, I also think the competition has become stronger, so a lot will depend on us. A lot will also depend on whether the games return to Israel and whether we’re fortunate enough to stay healthy. As for everything else, I believe we’ll make the necessary adjustments and put the pieces together as time goes on.”

Brissett, who was part of last year’s team reiterated what Katash said about starting off at a different point, “That’s what we talked about. The guys knowing what’s at stake and knowing how important every single game is. That’s something that we talked about last year, but honestly, you know, myself and a lot of other guys coming from different leagues, you don’t really understand it as much until you’re in it. Now being here for my second year, I think that we’re all going to be more locked in, be more focused on starting, starting now.”

One of the advantages over last year’s squad is that there is more depth along with players who have been together for over a year now which will be a plus for this season’s Maccabi, “We got a hell of a squad from top to bottom with a lot of experienced guys and guys just want to win. I think that’s the most important part. I think from the jump, it’s been clear that everyone has bought into what Oded is trying to do with us and we all know that it’s team-first basketball that we want to play here all season. I just think that’s going to go a long way for us. So, we’re excited and I think everyone should be excited for us this season.”

Katash is well aware that in the Euroleague, anyone can beat anyone despite there being a gap between some of the teams, “There are no easy games and the rosters are incredible. On the other hand, there are also new teams being built, perhaps with smaller budgets, but they’re still very interesting. It’s another season we’re starting, another intense season and we really hope the games return to Israel, because from our previous experiences, we know how significant that is.”

Ultimately though, every game counts in the Euroleague and Brissett knows what that means for a Maccabi team that has expectations.

“Every game is a must-win. Every game’s a must-win, for sure.”