Mike James begins his journey at Anadolu Efes: a preseason win and unsolved questions

Mike James made his Anadolu Efes debut on a quiet evening. The EuroLeague playoff lights and roaring stands of Salle Gaston Médecin were absent. There were only a nearly empty floor, a few rows reserved for officials, and the steady bounce of the ball. Tomislav Mijatović sat on the sideline, taking occasional notes. When the final buzzer sounded, Anadolu Efes had beaten Trabzonspor 76-71. It was not a beautiful victory, but nobody looks for beauty in a preseason game. Anadolu Efes have been rebuilt after the Ergin Ataman era. The Istanbul club chose an assertive path, adding several seasoned players. Dario Šarić arrived from the NBA as a tactical anchor. Daron Russell and Jordan Loyd added backcourt creativity. Matthew Strazel brought familiarity with Mike James from their time at Monaco. Collin Malcolm, Darius Karutasu and Burak Can Yıldızlı supplied depth. Yet the most important signing is Mike James, the EuroLeague 2026-24 scoring champion, who left Monaco amid reports of tension with the head coach. James’s arrival is a statement: Efes want to chase a Final Four return. The preseason game against Trabzonspor was not the right place to judge tactics, but it revealed how Mijatović is rotating four guards. James finished with 14 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists. For a player who averaged 18.2 points per game in the EuroLeague last season, that stat line is modest. The issue is not the scoreboard; it is James’s ball usage. He was a finisher, not the primary creator. Šarić collected 11 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists, the line of a playmaking big man. If that partnership develops, James can be freed from playmaking duties and play natural scoring basketball. Daron Russell, who led all scorers with 16 points, raises a hierarchy question inside the locker room. Russell plays like a hungry scorer, moving constantly to get the ball. When both James and Russell want to create, Mijatović must provide an answer. Until that puzzle is solved, Efes remain an expensive collection of talent. I have spent more than three decades watching major European teams, and I know a friendly rarely reveals the truth. It only reveals how a coach thinks. Mijatović did not scream from the sideline; he observed how his new players corrected their mistakes. That image reminded me of Roberto Mancini in the early days of rebuilding Italy. Mancini never shouted; he removed the screws of fear without making a sound. The most frightening change does not start with an explosion; it starts with deliberate silence. Mijatović seems to be in that stage. He allowed Trabzonspor to hold the ball and accepted some broken defensive sequences, as long as James and his teammates began to understand each other’s movement. A 76-71 win says little; his silence says more. In the first half, Efes led only 34-31. Trabzonspor, a club not used to EuroLeague-level pressure, stayed close until the end. A pessimistic observer could point to a defensive unit still searching for communication and an offense leaning on individual plays. A deeper view sees a team in the early phase of reconstruction. Mijatović used many players in different roles, let James initiate some actions, and then asked Strazel to run a few counters. No coach wants to lose a friendly, but results matter less now than the data he is gathering about James, Russell, Loyd and Šarić in one system. Some will call the narrow win a warning sign. It is fair to mention defensive lapses or lack of offensive flow. But I have watched too many European teams look flat in preseason and then explode when the real games begin. Teams often lower their intensity to protect their bodies. What matters more is whether the team has a clear idea. The true novelty in this game was Efes using Dario Šarić as a point-forward. The former NBA big repeatedly caught the ball in the middle of the floor and opened passing lanes for cutting guards. If Šarić keeps that role, James will not have to carry the entire creative burden as he did at Monaco. At 34, James needs a system that shares pressure; Efes seem to be moving in that direction. James’s scoring is not the biggest question. He has won a EuroLeague scoring title, but individual honors did not take Monaco to the final. Efes did not sign James to repeat old glory; they signed him to add a voice in close games. The season will tell whether this core is strong enough for a playoff run or only for a flashy adventure. I have no verdict yet, only a quiet belief. The transfer market is a game played by those who know how to wait; those in a hurry usually buy regret. Efes did not rush. They waited for James, for Šarić, for the moment when the pieces click. After many years of covering transfers, I know the road to success is almost never straight. At 52, I understand that the pitch is never straight; it bends according to the patience of those who remain.