By Aris Barkas / barkas@eurohoops.net
Time flies, and with the 10th round of the EuroLeague upon us, Besiktas Istanbul has the chance to get its fifth win for a solid 5-5 record and take a step toward the top 10 of the standings.
Many wouldn’t have bet on the Turkish club being in this position. Even if the season is long, Besiktas has already had its share of hardships, including injuries and a tough home loss to Valencia Basket by just two points in Round 1.
To be exact, Besiktas has three road wins so far and only one at home, having also lost in Istanbul to FC Barcelona and Olympiacos Piraeus. Still, coach Dusan Alimpijevic and his players have beaten Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv, Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and Virtus Bologna on the road, while defending their home court against FC Bayern Munich.
That’s not a bad start in the club’s first season of the modern EuroLeague era, more than a decade since 2013, when it last competed at the top level.
And Besiktas is doing it in style, combining the bravado of Coach Alimpijevic and newcomer Lonnie Walker. Alimpijevic comes from the long line of successful Serbian coaches who have left their mark on European basketball, and Walker is a unique offensive talent, as he proved with Zalgiris Kaunas in 2024-25 and Maccabi last year.
After his 30-point performance in Bologna, it’s clear that Walker can be the key for Besiktas moving forward, even if players like David DeJulius, Scottie Wilbekin, Jaylen Nowell and Anthony Brown also have the ability to take over a game.
However, Walker – like Besiktas – has a chip on his shoulder after leaving Zalgiris for an NBA return that didn’t pan out and missing the playoffs with Maccabi despite his talent. Besiktas needs him, and he needs success with Besiktas.
His former team, Zalgiris, comes to Istanbul with a 5-4 record and the 10th spot in the standings, so the challenge is obvious. When it’s all said and done, a positive result could be considered an omen of how this season may end.
Make 
Your Preferred Basketball Source.
Add Eurohoops to Google