Astana, Krasnodar, Samara and Saratov will host 4 regular season games on Sunday.
Astana (Astana) vs Pari Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod)
Time: 15:00 (13:00 Moscow time)
Place: Kazakhstan, Astana, Jekpe-Jek
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Astana: The Kazakh team was able to keep only Markell Johnson from last season. In the summer, the roster was replenished with international and experienced Russian players who will add depth to Astana rotation and variability. As part of the preseason preparation, the club confidently won the Kazakhstan Cup and played a series of friendly games in Serbia. And yet the team chemistry is unknown and will be seen after the game versus Pari NN. The rivalry with Nizhny Novgorod will surely be tense, but Astana will have the support of the home fans.
Pari Nizhny Novgorod: Sergey Kozin replaced Zoran Lukic as Nizhny head coach in the summer, and 8 new players were added to the roster. The team looks balanced: there are veterans like Evgenii Baburin and Dmitrii Khvostov, potential stars (Aleksandr Khomenko, Zach Nutall), and 3 League newcomers. During preseason preparation, Nizhny defeated MBA-MAI and PARMA, as well as UNICS and Dubai, showing that the team is ready to qualify for the Playoffs this season. After a busy cycle of friendlies, the Volga team look ready to start the regular season with a win in Kazakhstan.
Lokomotiv Kuban (Krasnodar) vs Enisey (Krasnoyarsk Region)
Time: 14:00 (Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Krasnodar, Basket Hall
Broadcast: Match! Igra, Start Triumph, League website
Lokomotiv Kuban: The Krasnodar team made the biggest change in the offseason in 2 years. Jaylen Barford and DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell were replaced by B.J. Johnson and Antonius Cleveland, and longtime club president Andrey Vedischev became the head coach. In the preseason, the team looked for the game, occasionally struggled in defense, but but was good in offense. At the SuperCup, Loko scored more than 90 points twice and gave the fans many dunks. The team will begin the regular season with a home game against Enisey, who defeated the hosts twice last season. The upcoming game will be principle.
Enisey: After a historic last season, the team star players Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Jeremiah Martin left. Jovica Arsic team was rejuvenated over the summer, with no players over 30 years of age on the roster. The team played a difficult series of friendlies in Serbia, where Ensiey showed good defense, but due to problems in offense could only win over Astana (90-81). Still, the Siberian team is capable of putting up a fight against Loko – the rotation includes players who have previously led at different stages of their League careers (Uladzislau Blizniuk and Timofey Gerasimov), as well as current Polish league MVP Victor Sanders.
Samara (Samara Region) vs Uralmash (Yekaterinburg)
Time: 16:00 (15:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Samara, SKK Dvorets Sporta.
Broadcast: TV Start, League website
Samara: Samara roster underwent major changes (8 new players joined), but judging by the friendlies it didn’t affect the style and quality. Drazen Anzulovic players has teamwork in defense and efficient in offense. As a result, Samara has won all 3 preseason tournaments, with the only loss coming against UNICS at the start of the training cycle. The Volga team look ready for the season start and will try to take revenge on Uralmash for last year’s play-in loss.
Uralmash: The Yekaterinburg team was one of the few to retain the leaders in the summer and made spot additions. Garrett Nevels was replaced by Enisey star Jeremiah Martin, and veteran Viacheslav Zaitsev was added. Rostislav Vergun team proved readiness to compete with the leaders of recent seasons: the team has beaten Loko, Besiktas and Turk Telekom. But there is bad news. Octavius Ellis is out for several months due to an ankle injury. It won’t be easy for Uralmash in Samara in any case – last season the Volga team twice upset the Yekaterinburg team.
Avtodor (Saratov) vs PARMA (Perm Region)
Time: 17:00 (16:00 Moscow time)
Place: Russia, Saratov, Saratov, DS Kristall
Broadcast: Start Triumph, VTB League website
Avtodor: The Saratov team lost its leaders in the summer and couldn’t fill out their roster for a long time, so the preseason games weren’t easy for the team. After wins over CSKA-2 and PARMA, Milenko Bogicevic team lost to Samara and Nizhny. Forward Caleb Agada joined the club after the friendlies, so the Volga team will have to work on chemistry as the season progresses.
PARMA: The Perm team played the most pre-season friendlies, but managed only 3 wins in 11. Problems with the roster started even before the start of the season – Samson Ruzhentsev was injured, and Alex Hamilton joined the team late. Despite this, the team had time to play together, and the young players had time to get enough playing time and adapt to the new level of contact. In the preseason tournaments, the Perm team lost to Avtodor in the end (68:69).
