Partizan need to find their nasty streak

Partizan won the type of Euroleague game they’d have thrown away last season. Zeljko Obradovic’s side survived their own second half slump to see off a game Anadolu Efes side. The pieces are there, writes Emmet Ryan, they just need to find their inner unpleasant person

You’ve got to love search rankings because putting motherfucker* in the intro to this would hurt this article’s SEO even worse than it will in the main copy. There was a lot to like in the way Partizan took down Anadolu Efes on Thursday night. Then the second half happened and there was a lot learnt. Some of it was good, a lot of it still needs work.

*As ever, when I use motherfucker in this sense, full credit to Sam Meyerkopf

The bits we already knew

The changes to the Partizan roster this off-season were clear positives. While they are a little light in terms of pure ball-handlers, the added pieces like Dylan Osetkowski know how to slot into roles at this level. Jabari Parker may not be excelling for the Belgrade club yet but I have faith in him.

With Tyrique Jones, Sterling Brown, and Carlik Jones, there’s a clear core that can contribute at will. Tyrique Jones in particular looks really comfortable and seems to thrive on whatever 1 on 1 match-up he’s given.

When you add Isaac Bonga, a man so many people call under rated that…you tend to agree because he still is…and this is Euroleague contender grade talent. The talent level hasn’t been the issue for Partizan since the summer of 2024. Nor has the depth, where again it is largely impressive and versatile.

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The bits that have clearly gotten better

Last year’s Partizan would have lost this game. Make no mistake about it. At home and on the ropes, last season’s edition was primed to drop Euroleague games like this one. Save for the final quarter, I watched the whole game on the bus home from my mother’s (she’s grand, I made her a stir fry) and the script felt obvious.

Partizan’s plethora of talent took charge and built up a big lead. They didn’t close the half with the type of killer authority that would have been liked yet it was still ok. Everyone was waiting for the brainfart.

Anadolu Efes chipped and clawed away at them. That Partizan didn’t fully fold was a big change from a year ago. They had the steadiness that deserted them all too often in the prior campaign. In simple terms, they found a way to not lose.

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What needs work

The roster is where it needs to be and Partizan have back to back wins in Euroleague, for the first time since February. These are positives. There are two related pieces missing. This team still doesn’t have the maximum kill mode that every contender needs to ensure some games go easy. More importantly, they don’t have the nasty streak required to frustrate an opponent’s comeback.

The only two players on the roster right now that seem to have both built-in aren’t the guys to deliver. Tyrique Jones is somewhat isolated in his ability to make those assets impact the rest of the players on the floor. The other is Miikka Muurinen and nobody expects the 18 year old to be that guy. That is particularly relevant given we don’t know if Zoc even plans to make much use of him.

It comes elsewhere. Carlik Jones has that motherfucker in him, he’s just had to spend his first year at Partizan making everyone stay sane. Aleksej Pokusevski desperately needs to be a slim version of Felipe Reyes when it comes to being a prick. Shake Milton has clear promise in that regard. Then, there’s the one guy that needs discussion.

Miikka Muurinen didn’t feature despite being on the bench for Partizan against Anadolu Efes in Euroleague. (Photo: KK Partizan)

I believe in Jabari Parker

Through two seasons at FC Barcelona, Jabari Parker had to be a force for positivity. Given the club was descending into pure banter mode on the floor, and off it, he had to lean into his positive nature. The man’s work rate was exemplary and his overall production was a rare piece of reliability

Somebody needs to tell Jabari that he doesn’t need to be the nice guy any more. Get someone like Isaac Bonga to pull him aside and have that chat. His workrate and effort, on a night where he couldn’t buy a bucket, was great. What was missing was what the time at Barcelona dulled in him.

Jabari Parker needs to watch tape of the type of pure heel stuff Rudy Fernandez pulled. Get that into him and he can be a unique weapon for Partizan. Nice Jabari did his job. Now it’s time to be the nasty Mr Parker. Everything about Partizan’s flow on the floor is screaming out for it. This is what the fans in Belgrade need to see.

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