Basketball, Euroleague: Olimpia Milano is back on the market: who to take to replace Dinos Mitoglou?

The figures already say a lot. In the Euroleague he was holding the best shooting percentages of your career (61% from two, 32% from three, 78% in the line). And in the league, in just 20 minutes from the bench, he gave a solid contribution (12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds with 67% from two and 50% from three). But, going beyond the numbers, Milan had finally found that two-dimensional area man sought for a very long time, effective in any offensive situation but equally important in one’s own meta, with that mindset ready and prepared to absorb Messina’s needs. Melli-Mitoglou was the most intriguing pairing of this start of the season, a big-man combo short that red and white fans dreamed of since the mid-90s, when they could delight eyes and heart with Gregor Fucka, Antonio Davis and Warren Kidd. The Greek was the perfect equalizer for this new version of Olimpia. Now, however, the alchemy are all to be rediscovered.

Convincing? The right. Not to say very little. The choice must be well thought out, given the importance of the role we have described above. Recent history hasn’t been particularly smiling at Olimpia, and it should serve as a lesson. Inserting a new long one into the race is a much more complex operation than an external one. Last year came Jeremy Evans, stopped for a year, but his integration, also thanks to an injury which arrived very quickly, was disastrous. And the memories of three years ago are still alive, when, in the Pianigiani era, Alen Omic he found himself catapulted into an environment very far from his characteristics, performing far below his level.

Another Mitoglou, right now, it is nowhere to be found (obviously). But a player with not very distant characteristics will be needed. Not the light and jumpy Jeremy Evans from last year. And not even the shy and planted Alen Omic of the Pianigiani era. You will need a modern long, with points in the hands, but above all with mental strength, athleticism and physicality, because the plus that the Greek also gave under the basket in the defensive metacampo he was instrumental in building those splendid balances of the first races of the season.

Which market segment to explore? The American one is very, very risky. Inserting a player without Euroleague experience at this time would risk translating into a problem rather than an advantage. The experiences already lived this year, from Jerian Grant to Troy Daniels, should be quite explanatory. Of course, different roles, but lived the same. The European one is lower in quality, but probably more suited to the cause. A very in-depth look at Eastern Europe, in these cases, is always a must.