UNICS will host Lokomotiv Kuban in the season opening game.
Location: Basket Hall, Kazan, Russia.
Time: 30 September, 15:00 (Moscow time)
Broadcasts: Start Triumph, Match TV, League website
Intro
Missing basketball? Good news: the new season starts tomorrow! And it’s going to start loudly. In the first game of the 2023/24 regular season, UNICS and Lokomotiv Kuban, the finalists of the previous season, will play. The two teams ended the 2022/23 season with the game in Kazan, and this Saturday they will open the new season with another thrilling battle.
I know what you have done last summer
At first sight it may seem that there are not many changes in UNICS, as almost all of the key players who led the Kazan team to its first League title in the club’s history remained. Jalen Reynolds and Louis Labeyrie extended their contracts, Marcos Knight also used his option to extend, Velimir Perasovic is still here, and Nenad Dimitrijevic was not given to Valencia.
At the same time, Vince Hunter and Georgiy Zhbanov, important elements of Perasovic’s system, have moved to their closest rivals from St. Petersburg. Andrey Vorontsevich returned to Pari Nizhny Novgorod, Daryl Macon will continue his career in China. It turns out that the Kazan team “golden team” isn’t quite as preserved as it used to be.
Who came to UNICS in the summer? The team has six newcomers, among them two foreigners. The main transfer news (after Dimitrijevic’s extension, of course) was the signing Ismael Bako from Virtus. The Belgian forward, who has experience playing in the Euroleague and the Champions League, is expected to replace Hunter. Eric Green, a veteran who has played in the NBA (Denver, Utah), top European clubs (Olympiacos, Fenerbahce) and even in China, was signed to replace Macon.
Looking back at UNICS’ summer activity, the signings of Dmitriy Kulagin, Mark Tikhonenko and Evgeniy Kolesnikov are noteworthy. These Russian players will definitely add depth to Perasovic team and help relieve the leaders throuout regular season.
Who came to Loko in the summer? For a long time it seemed that the vice-champion would be able to keep its roster 100% and become even stronger. Firstly, due to the growth and progress of young Russian players, and secondly, due to the signing of Jordan Morgan and ex-MINSK guard Uladzislau Blizniuk.
But the Krasnodar team was not without losses: just before the SuperCup, the club announced the parting with Chris Horton, one of the defensive leaders of the previous season. It won’t be long before we know how effective Morgan will be in replacing him.
SuperCup 2023
Both UNICS and Loko were among the main favourites to win the United League SuperCup. But the Kazan team unexpectedly lost their chances for the title on the first day, losing to Pari NN (82-86). Then Perasovic team failed to beat Besiktas defence (68:75), and the only win was over MBA (83:64) in the 7th-8th place game.
Loko also surprised, but on the positively. In the Quarterfinals, the Krasnodar team got past CSKA in overtime, coming back from a double-digit deficit (100-98 OT), and in the Semifinals against Fenerbahce, they made a 14-point comeback and knocked off the tournament’s main favourite (105-89). Loko could have taken the title, but lost to Zenit in the final seconds (83:85).
Who to follow
In a game where Jalen Reynoldsplays, the first thing to watch is Jalen Reynolds. The bigman may not show the best efficiency or not the greatest shooting percentage, but he always remains one of the most emotional and epathetic players on the court.
But, of course, UNICS also has Dimitrijevic, the reigning Playoffs MVP, Green can put on a show, and we’ll have to see how Bako fits into Perasovic’s system.
Loko heroes all seem to be known from last season, right? DeVaughn Akun-Purcell and Jaylen Barford duo (yes, he missed the SuperCup, but he’ll be back in the regular season) will be the main scorers, the White – Martiuk – Morgan trio will protect the paint, and Aleksandr Scherbenev and Vladislav Emchenko will continue to surprise with their individual skills and new performances.
