Olympiacos and the 'First Handshake' with Montero: Signals from a September Practice

I don't watch the game. I watch the crowd betting on the game. But in early September, when the ball hasn't rolled in the EuroLeague yet, I look at a team's practice schedule. And there, amidst the contracts and transfer rumors, is a small detail the crowd overlooks: Jean Montero, Olympiacos's 21-year-old new signing, had his first practice just one day after landing in Athens. That was September 3rd. An ordinary Tuesday. But to me, it's the clearest operational signal a team can send during the preseason. Not because Montero is that good, but because head coach Georgios Bartzokas chose to plug him into the system immediately. In a system as demanding and collective as Olympiacos's, a young player practicing the day after arrival isn't haste. It's a statement of priority. The context matters here. Olympiacos enters the season with nearly its full roster available. Bartzokas has almost all his core players, from Thomas Walkup and Kostas Sloukas to Moustapha Fall. This stability is a massive operational advantage. While many EuroLeague teams are still scrambling to fill roster gaps or waiting for World Cup participants to return, Olympiacos can start assembling its tactical machine early. And Montero's early arrival, training immediately, shows the coaching staff doesn't see him as a long-term project. They see him as part of the immediate solution. But let's talk about Montero. The Dominican isn't a stranger to those who follow European basketball. Last season at Valencia, he averaged around 13-15 points per game in the ACB, Spain's top league. But that number doesn't tell the whole story. Montero is a scoring guard, capable of handling the ball and attacking the rim. He uses a lot of possessions, and his efficiency depends heavily on having a clear role. This creates an interesting contrast with Bartzokas's philosophy, known for ball movement, off-ball movement, and discipline. This is the crux. The question isn't whether Montero is good. It's whether he's willing to bend into Bartzokas's framework. And the preliminary answer, at least from the first days, is yes. His early presence in Athens, training immediately, shows the right attitude. But attitude is only a necessary condition. The sufficient condition will be tested at the friendly tournament in Crete from September 4-6, where Olympiacos will face Fenerbahçe, Armani Milan, and Red Star Belgrade. The Crete tournament isn't just a series of friendlies. It's an early test against proper EuroLeague-caliber opposition. To me, this is where the first signals of Montero's integration will emerge. Will he start right away? Will he be given the freedom to handle the ball as much as in Valencia, or will he be restricted to a more specific role? These answers will shape the media narrative for the first month of the season. But I want to offer a counter-intuitive perspective. The crowd will look at Montero's performance in Crete and rush to conclusions. If he plays well, they'll scream "breakout signing." If he plays poorly, they'll whisper about a failed transfer. Both reactions are wrong. Preseason games, especially in a compressed three-day tournament, aren't an accurate measure of form. They're for experimentation, for making mistakes, and for building chemistry. Results in Crete have almost no predictive value for the regular season. What truly matters here is something else: the team's overall readiness. Olympiacos has nearly its full squad to enter the preparation phase. This means Bartzokas can start installing his system with the official lineup right now, rather than waiting or using backups. In a grueling EuroLeague season where stability and roster depth are key, this advantage is invisible but immensely valuable. Look at the bigger picture. Olympiacos is in an interesting transition phase. They still have an experienced core, but they're injecting young blood. Montero, born in 2026, is a long-term investment at the guard position. He brings youth, speed, and rim-attacking ability that the team needs alongside the aging Walkup or Sloukas. This is a "win-now while building for the future" strategy – an approach that demands patience and deep financial resources. However, there's a potential risk I want to point out. Montero being the most attention-grabbing among the new arrivals could create undue pressure. European media tends to exaggerate everything. A good performance in Crete could generate "breakout" headlines and push expectations too high before the season starts. Conversely, a quiet performance could lead to premature skepticism. Both scenarios are unfair to a young player in the process of adaptation. Each isolated number is a lie. Only when placed side by side does the truth begin to vomit out. And the truth here is: we don't have enough data to evaluate Montero at Olympiacos yet. We only have a positive operational signal – he arrived early, trained immediately, and the team has a full squad. That's a good start, but it's only a start. So the real question for this season isn't "Is Montero good?" but "Will Olympiacos be patient enough to wait for him to shine in Bartzokas's system?" And that question, only time and official games can answer. For now, I'll watch the Crete tournament with a different eye. I won't look at the score. I'll look at how Montero moves without the ball, how he reacts when he makes mistakes, and how Bartzokas uses him in different situations. Those are the real signals.