By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
With Round 5 beginning on 13 October, Panathinaikos and Valencia are the only unbeaten teams at 4-0, while established contenders such as Real Madrid have already been forced to respond to difficult starts.
That is far too early to draw conclusions about a 38-round regular season, but not too early to identify the moments that have shaped its opening weeks.
Dubai announces itself by beating Real Madrid
The first night of the season delivered one of its sharpest reminders that reputation counts for little once the ball goes up. Dubai Basketball edged Real Madrid 78-77 at Coca-Cola Arena on 24 September, surviving a final Madrid possession after trailing by six points in the final three minutes.
Dwayne Bacon was central to the result, scoring 24 points and posting a performance index rating of 31. For Dubai, beating one of European basketball’s most decorated clubs was more than an opening-night result. It was an immediate demonstration that a roster built to compete at this level could handle pressure against elite opposition.
Madrid’s slow start then became a story in itself. Three straight defeats left the Spanish side 0-3 before it finally broke through with an 86-76 home win over Partizan in Round 4.
Carlik Jones gives Partizan a long-awaited opening-night win
Partizan had not won its first EuroLeague game of a season for 19 years. Carlik Jones changed that emphatically.
The guard produced 20 points and 10 assists without a turnover as Partizan beat Olimpia Milano 92-76 in Belgrade. His 33 PIR was the best mark of Round 1 and earned him the season’s first MVP of the Round award. More importantly for Partizan, the victory ended a 10-game opening-round losing streak.
Jones combined control with efficiency, hitting four of six three-pointers and setting a club record with 10 assists. It was the kind of composed opening performance Partizan had been missing for years.
Elijah Bryant owns the first double-round week
If Jones set the early individual standard, Elijah Bryant raised it almost immediately. The Hapoel Tel Aviv guard was named MVP in both Rounds 2 and 3, turning the season’s first double-round week into a personal showcase.
He first posted 18 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals in an 81-80 road victory over Crvena Zvezda. Two days later, he was even better against Real Madrid, recording 22 points, a career-high 13 rebounds and seven assists as Hapoel won 102-98.
For followers who also track basketball through betting markets, resources such as sportsbook promos ranked by Covers.com sit alongside form guides and match previews. The early EuroLeague results, however, have already shown why short samples should be treated cautiously, with favourites stumbling, new combinations still settling and several important games decided by one possession.
Panathinaikos and Valencia make perfect starts
After four rounds, the cleanest records belong to Panathinaikos and Valencia. Both reached 4-0, but in different ways.
Panathinaikos has looked imposing during the opening stretch. Its 92-74 victory over Fenerbahce in Round 4 was one of the clearest statements of the season so far, maintaining the Athens club’s perfect record despite early injury concerns. Mathias Lessort was at the centre of the win with 19 points and eight rebounds in only 23 minutes.
Valencia’s start has been equally notable. A 93-82 home victory over Hapoel moved the Spanish side to 4-0, its best ever start to a EuroLeague campaign. Kam Taylor scored 17 points, and TJ Shorts added 15 points and seven assists, while Valencia converted 12 of 25 three-point attempts.
The contrast between the two unbeaten teams is part of what makes the early table interesting. Panathinaikos entered the campaign among the established contenders, while Valencia has generated early momentum that now has to survive the demands of a long schedule.
The Eurohoops Round 4 roundup showed just how quickly the standings had begun to take shape, with both teams remaining perfect while several major clubs were already dealing with early defeats.
Lessort’s Round 4 MVP adds another comeback milestone
Lessort’s performance against Fenerbahce carried extra weight because it brought him his first EuroLeague MVP of the Round award since returning from a fibula injury.
According to the official EuroLeague Media Centre, his 19 points, eight rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block produced a PIR of 30. It was his fourth MVP of the Round award, all with Panathinaikos.
The fact that he achieved it in only 23 minutes made the display even more striking. His physical presence helped Panathinaikos control a game against another contender and offered another reminder of how influential he can be when healthy.
Four rounds have already changed the early picture
The first month has not established a hierarchy, and it should not. There are still 34 regular-season rounds to play, injuries will change rotations, and the pressure will increase as the playoff race develops.
But the opening stretch has already produced clear reference points: Dubai’s one-point win over Madrid, Jones ending Partizan’s opening-round drought, Bryant’s back-to-back MVP awards, the 4-0 starts by Panathinaikos and Valencia, and Lessort’s return to individual honours.
Round 5 begins with the table still fluid. That is exactly why these first moments matter. Some may eventually look like early signs of what was coming, while others could remain snapshots from a season that soon moved in a completely different direction.
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