T.J. Shorts on Panathinaikos’ potential: “It will be scary once it finally clicks”

Panathinaikos point guard T.J. Shorts spoke to Eurohoops about his new environment, teammates, and goals.

By George Adamopoulos / gadamopoulos@eurohoops.net

After a stellar season with Paris, T.J. Shorts decided to join Panathinaikos last summer, embarking on a new adventure in Greece with high ambitions for the 2025/26 season.

He discussed the next big challenge of his career in Athens, as well as his on-court chemistry with Kendrick Nunn and many other topics talking to Eurohoops.

The American guard explained why the “green” perimeter could become a nightmare for opponents once the team fully gels:

“It will definitely be a challenge. When you have so many talented players, it’s always a challenge to figure out where to pick your spots and when to move the ball and play off each other. The more we play together, the more comfortable we’ll get. But at the end of the day, it’s basketball. We are all smart players with high IQs, and I think we’ll be able to make this thing work. It will be scary once it finally clicks,” Shorts said.

Shorts thrived in Bonn and Paris, winning the Champions League with the German club and the EuroCup and French championship with the team from the French capital. After his success, he chose Panathinaikos as his next destination and is looking forward to making another step forward.

“I didn’t have any concrete offers from the NBA. My goals were set on staying in Europe. This is what I want to do and achieve. I’ve won the Champions League and EuroCup, and the last thing on my bucket list is winning the EuroLeague. Hopefully I’ll be able to achieve that this season,” he added.

With a stacked backcourt, Panathinaikos can be dangerous in many ways. With players like Shorts, Kendrick Nunn, Kostas Sloukas, and Jerian Grant, the question arises — who will take control in crunch time?

“Tough answer to give. You’ve got to look at the context of the game, because any of us can do it. Kedrick Nunn can get a shot whenever he wants, I can also knock down an important shot, Sloukas has proven it, Jerian Grant can get to his spots. It’s just a matter of who’s hot that night, who’s feeling the best. It will be game to game.”

On whether he prefers scoring the game-winner or making the pass:

“In my heart, I know when you score the winning basket it always feels the best. You know you did it yourself, the crowd goes crazy. But I love to assist and see my teammates thrive. Slightly, I would like to hit the game-winning shot more than to pass it.”