Anadolu Efes cruise past AEK 101-72: The win raises more questions than answers

When Bruno Fernando caught a long pass from Matthew Strazel and dunked one-handed early in the third quarter, the scoreboard at the TÜBAD Mehmet Baturalp Tournament flashed 78-52. Anadolu Efes had just built its largest lead of the game against AEK. But anyone who has followed Efes through many ups and downs would not focus solely on the 101-point offensive display. This victory feels more like an early indicator of roster depth than a championship statement. The context makes this win more meaningful. One day earlier, in the same preseason tournament in Istanbul, Anadolu Efes shockingly lost to Esenler Erokspor, a club not among Turkey's elite. That result sent Efes into the third-place game. Against AEK, a traditional Greek side but one no longer at EuroLeague level, Efes faced little resistance. They led early and finished with a 29-point margin. Looking only at this result, one might think Efes is ready for the new season. But the Esenler Erokspor loss still lingers. The box score paints a balanced picture. Bruno Fernando scored 15 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Matthew Strazel added 15 points and 4 assists. Daron Russell contributed 13 points and 5 assists. Dario Šarić, returning from injury, posted 12 points and 5 rebounds. Jordan Loyd, a EuroLeague veteran, added 11 points. In total, five players scored between 11 and 15 points. No one dominated, and no one was ignored. That is the kind of team basketball head coach Erdem Can might want: a system-driven collective, not a one-star show. But that balance is also a double-edged sword. Against AEK, whose defense is not elite, the even scoring distribution looks smooth. It allowed Efes to maintain offensive rhythm for four quarters. Deeper rotations mean Efes can substitute freely without losing quality. However, the big question is what happens in tight EuroLeague games where one possession late in the fourth quarter often requires a player who can create his own shot. Can Russell or Loyd handle that responsibility when the defense tightens? Preseason tournament results always call for caution. I have watched many teams dominate exhibition games only to fall apart once official play begins. The simple reason is that preseason is for experimenting, managing workloads, and testing new lineups. AEK did not feel the pressure to win. Esenler Erokspor, by contrast, played like a team with nothing to lose. Ambitious teams like Efes often struggle when opponents press for forty minutes with total freedom. The ugly loss to Esenler Erokspor may be an early warning: without consistent focus, Efes will drop games against smaller Turkish League sides. The most notable bright spot came from a player who is not exactly new. Dario Šarić, a former NBA player, has gone through ACL surgery and spent nearly a year rediscovering his feel on the court. 12 points and 5 rebounds against AEK is not a spectacular line, but what matters is that he moved without pain. Šarić is no longer the rim-attacking forward he was in Philadelphia, but his passing and floor-spacing ability remain valuable. If Šarić maintains this intensity through the first ten EuroLeague games, the frontcourt pairing of him and Fernando will become Efes' biggest advantage. Meanwhile, the presence of Strazel and Russell suggests Efes is testing multiple options at point guard. Strazel, a Frenchman who briefly played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, has strong penetration. Russell, a proven scorer in European leagues, brings experience. Their competition could push both to improve. But the more interesting story is whether Efes has a player who can organize the offense in a half-court setting. Both Strazel and Russell prefer a fast pace; against disciplined defenses, who will control the tempo? Tactically, Efes showed a desire to push the pace. Scoring 101 points against AEK is impressive, but AEK is not a high-level defensive team. To truly test themselves, Efes must face opponents that defend aggressively in the middle of the court. EuroLeague teams generally defend for the full 24-second shot clock; they rarely allow the quick shots AEK gave up. Thus, Fernando's 9 rebounds and Šarić's 5 rebounds do not prove they can out-muscle the bigger centers of Real Madrid or Panathinaikos. It should be noted that TÜBAD is short for the Turkish Basketball Coaches Association. This is a friendly tournament used by teams to evaluate their rosters before the season. No EuroLeague champion has ever been crowned in such events. Efes won the EuroLeague in 2026 and 2026, but since then the roster has changed significantly. This summer, the Istanbul club brought in several new faces, with Šarić being the most notable. Finishing third at TÜBAD, with one win and one loss, shows the rebuilding process is far from complete. The truth is that big teams rarely reach peak form in preseason. More important are tactical patterns, chemistry between positions, and workload management. The statistics suggest Efes is experimenting with a motion offense that relies on continuous ball movement. Fernando does more than roll to the rim; he catches the ball high and passes to cutting guards. Šarić, even at less than full fitness, remains a key connector for opening the floor. If Coach Can preserves this fluidity, Efes could become difficult to scout. But there is one issue this blowout win cannot hide: mental inconsistency. In European basketball, with EuroLeague and domestic league games overlapping, every win is precious and every loss hurts. Efes enters a crowded schedule. If they continue dropping games against weaker opponents such as Esenler Erokspor, they may fall behind early in the race for home-court advantage. The win over AEK is therefore more of a temporary sedative than a long-term boost. In other words, do not get overly excited about this victory. Watch how Efes respond when opponents pressure them high, when they trail midway through a game, or when Šarić faces quicker power forwards. Those are the real tests. The AEK game, despite its beautiful scoreline, is only a small piece of the Anadolu Efes 2026-26 puzzle. The lesson from previous seasons, such as Croatia reaching the 2026 World Cup final, still rings true: data only makes sense in the right context. 101 points against AEK is a number. But it does not tell us where Efes will stand when they face Fenerbahçe or travel to Olympiacos. European basketball does not forgive naivety. Efes must prove that this win is not an exception but a standard built on discipline and depth. What I want to monitor over the next month is not points scored, but how Coach Can manages Šarić's minutes. If Šarić plays only 20-22 minutes per game, that means the medical staff remains cautious. If that number climbs past 25 minutes and stays there for five consecutive games, Efes is betting heavily on his recovery. Fans may be impatient, but I believe patience will pay off. A fully healthy Šarić could be the piece that elevates Efes back to contender status. For AEK, losing 72-101 is not necessarily a disaster. They can use this game to learn before the Greek league season. A 29-point gap is a clear difference in physicality and roster quality, but AEK has often surprised teams in European cups. If they stay together, they could go far in the Basketball Champions League. Let us wait and see. The EuroLeague season starts in October. By then, preseason numbers will quickly be forgotten. The only thing that remains is a feeling: Can Anadolu Efes rediscover the winning identity that took them to the European summit? The journey begins with small details, from a Šarić rebound to a Russell decision to a Coach Can substitution. The win over AEK is just one step. The road ahead remains long.