Throughout the upcoming Euroleague season, The Sports Rabbi will ask 5 questions to a journalist ahead of Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv’s games concerning an upcoming opponent. This week, we ask veteran Greek journalist Vaggelis Patas about Panathinaikos who will tipoff with the yellow-and-blue on Tuesday at the OAKA Arena in Athens.

1) How do you see TJ Shorts fitting into the squad?
TJ Shorts faced some challenges at the start of the season and fell behind in his preparation. He certainly hasn’t shown everything he’s capable of yet, but he’s been working hard to integrate himself as best as possible into the team. I believe it’s only a matter of time before we see the player we knew from previous years.

2) What have been the biggest challenges for Ataman so far this season?
Panathinaikos didn’t have a “proper” preseason this summer. Several players took part in EuroBasket 2025 and afterward came the historic trip to Australia for the “Pavlos Giannakopoulos” tournament. Naturally, the team isn’t fully ready at this stage, so I believe the biggest challenge for Ataman is to bring the squad up to the desired level as quickly as possible.

3) Do you see Panathonaikos in the Final 4?
This season’s EuroLeague is the biggest in history, and no one can predict what will happen between now and next May. The only certainty is that reaching the Final Four is Panathinaikos’ clear and unwavering goal.

4) Do you think there will be any changes to the roster?
At this point, it doesn’t seem like something like that is on the horizon. After all, we haven’t yet seen the true potential of this year’s Panathinaikos, and let’s not forget that Ataman is still waiting for Mathias Lessort’s return.

5) Are the fans happy with the team?
Panathinaikos hasn’t been perfect, but considering the circumstances and the problems the team has faced, it hasn’t had a bad start either. Fans of the seven-time European champion always have the highest expectations for their team, but as I mentioned earlier, it’s still very early in the season.