By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Recent Olympiacos signing, Saben Lee is set to enter the lineup of the clash with Partizan Mozzart Bet in the Peace and Friendship Stadium, SEF, on Friday night.
After joining team practices, he will debut with the Reds in Round 28 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, barring an unexpected setback.
“He is in good shape,” head coach Giorgos Bartzokas said about the newcomer during a media session on Thursday, “He will be in the lineup for sure. We hope he will play and help our team.”
Lee, 25, a veteran of 134 appearances in the NBA, will return to Europe’s premier club continental competition after eight games with Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv earlier in the season.
Dealing with a sprained left ankle, 30-year-old guard Nigel Williams-Goss trained individually on Wednesday. He is scheduled to rejoin team practices on Thursday before being potentially cleared to play against Partizan.
Except for Thomas Walkup (back), Moses Wright (illness), and Keenan Evans (knee), the rest of the players are available for Olympiacos.
On the opposite end, Isaac Bonga (hand) and Frank Ntilikina (leg) will remain sidelined, as noted by head coach Zeljko Obradovic on Thursday.
With seven outings left in the 34-game double-legged round-robin schedule, the Greek club leads the EuroLeague table with a 20-7 W-L tally, standing two games clear of second-placed Fenerbahce Beko. At 15-12, Partizan is tied with EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in the eighth spot, in the middle of the Play-In Showdown zone.