By George Adamopoulos / gadamopoulos@eurohoops.net
Ahead of the 2026 EuroLeague Final Four Athens, presented by Etihad, Olympiacos head coach Giorgos Bartzokas opened up in an exclusive interview with Eurohoops about managing his most deep and talented roster yet.
Addressing the delicate balance of ego and strategy within a powerhouse lineup, the 60-year-old Greek tactician praised French star Evan Fournier for embracing a sixth-man role while crediting Tyler Dorsey for engineering his own spectacular season through sheer competitive drive. Beyond internal dynamics, Coach B dissected the tactical realities of their upcoming semifinal matchup against Fenerbahce Beko, the psychological chaos surrounding the championship-crowning tournament, and the unique pressure cooker of playing a Final Four on home soil.
When asked by Eurohoops whether this current squad represents the most complete roster in team history, Bartzokas agreed with the assessment but pointed out the inherent challenges of managing such a high-caliber group. “I believe that we have a very deep roster with talent. We certainly have quality, and players with different characteristics that one can combine to allow you as a coach to do different things. And of course, a deep and quality roster also has an opposite reading, a different reading, which says that many good players may not have such an important role and they must accept that their ego must be put a little lower,” he stated.
The conversation shifted to individual standout performances, particularly that of Tyler Dorsey, whose consistent presence alongside the Most Valuable Player of the 2025-26 campaign, Sasha Vezenkov, transformed the team’s dynamics. While 30-year-old Dorsey previously mentioned that his coach granted him more freedom on the court, Bartzokas viewed his resurgence as a vital internal evolution rather than a pre-planned club strategy. “He always could score, but all these super talented scorers are terribly influenced by whether they score to what they will do in the other areas,” he explained. “The fact that Tyler has a Greek passport is important for us. It is and is a different starting point than another player who might not have. But here the club gives me absolute freedom to use any player.”
A pivotal element of this roster management was Evan Fournier’s transition to coming off the bench. “Who is in the starting five and who doesn’t start in European basketball doesn’t have the same impact as in the NBA, where if the franchise player doesn’t start, the coach and the president have to leave together,” said the Athens native. “Things are a little different here.”
“There are a lot of players with big egos and big status who see that entering the second part of the game, after five or seven minutes, can have other advantages,” he furthered. “They have read the games from the bench. Teams are probably in the bonus and can play their game much more effectively in the sense that the defenses, when you are in the bonus, are less tough, or that they can earn fouls more easily, or play against worse players who haven’t started on the other side. So, of course, here is the greatness in Fournier, who fully accepted this, even though I don’t think there is any player who can be happy with this.”
The fierce competition for playing time extended to the frontcourt, pushing players to elevate their performances. Managing these minutes across multiple competitions presents a distinct psychological challenge, particularly when transitioning from continental games to domestic matchups. “To be honest, in the Greek League, if you exclude four or five or six games that are attractive to the players, and I don’t need to mention which ones they are, I would say that most at the Euroleague level, not only Olympiacos, they see it as a chore. There is a great lack of motivation,” admitted Bartzokas. “When they have played, for example, on Wednesday and Friday in the Euroleague and then play on Sunday in the Greek League with a team that we beat, let’s say, anyway, whoever is out of the team celebrates. Well, so I understand that things are not exactly like that. On the other hand, in the Euroleague, if someone is not playing, it definitely bothers them. I think that there was good management by the entire organization.”
Turning his attention to the semifinal clash with Fener in Telekom Center Athens next Friday, he dismissed external narratives framing the matchup as a battle between high-powered offense and a top-tier defense. “You can never know how a game between very capable teams in terms of stats in offense and defense will develop. It can go to a very high score, it can go to a low score, shooting percentages can be very low or very high and many times it doesn’t even matter, not even the tactics, in relation to the management of the human factor, how much someone can be stressed coming in, how ready he is, or ultimately it can also be a matter of circumstances and luck,” he said.
Instead, Bartzokas argued that tactical surprises are rare. “Minor small adjustments and tricks, I know we will have and our opponents as well,” he described. “How will you manage this situation that we see here with so many interviews and so much publicity. What will happen in the tournament hotel with all the teams? As I heard and Saras said, it will be a mess. The most important thing for us is that everyone is asking for tickets, and our players and coaches must be completely excluded from this stuff, because if they are involved in this, they will not do anything else all day. So, your usual routine all year long, which has brought you here as the top seed and from the Playoffs to the Final Four, it must not change. If your routine changes, you immediately enter conditions that you may not be good at.”
Hosting the tournament in Athens without archrivals Panathinaikos in the field creates a highly unusual atmosphere, yet Bartzokas chooses to view the situation pragmatically. “We’ve made 55 trips this year, which is OK for us. The most important thing is for our fans who are always anxiously looking for a ticket and support us in all the Final Fours, is that they don’t have to pay money for another trip, or at least those who are in Athens, because many of our fans will come from abroad or from other parts of Greece,” he mentioned.
“The venue is very good to organize a Final Four. With the host missing, Panathinaikos, this is a special condition. Let’s not hide from this,” he continued. “However, it is a team that, if they were participating, would have the most pressure because the hosts essentially have the most pressure. You don’t know how things will go.”