Maccabi Tel Aviv will open training camp with as few as nine players after national-team call-ups and injuries sideline six or seven regulars just over a week before sessions begin. Coach Oded Kattash must start meshing a finalized roster without several key pieces.
The gaps land after the club locked in Keaton Wallace and recalled Shane Hunter, yet the absences reshape early chemistry tests that feed straight into the Super Cup derby.
Who Is Missing and When They Return
Daniel Theis joined the German squad for the August World Cup qualifier window and a warm-up tournament. Jaylen Hoard received an official French national-team summons and will also miss the camp start. Iffe Lundberg appears in Danish federation promotional material for the EuroBasket 2029 preliminary game against Romania on August 27 at Farum Arena; the roster is not yet final but he has not played for Denmark since February 2025.
Roman Sorkin and Yam Madar report to the Israeli national team. Gur Lavy and TJ Leaf remain unfit. Leaf underwent shoulder surgery in February after a dislocation and carried an estimated return near September 1.
| Player | Reason | Expected return |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Theis | Germany WC quals | Early September |
| Jaylen Hoard | France national team | Early September |
| Iffe Lundberg | Denmark EuroBasket 2029 pre-qual (likely) | Late August |
| Roman Sorkin | Israel national team | Early September |
| Yam Madar | Israel national team | Early September |
| Gur Lavy | Injury | Unfit for camp start |
| TJ Leaf | Shoulder surgery recovery | Around early September |
Theis, Hoard and the Israelis arrive in early September. Lundberg can join a few days earlier if called. That leaves the Yellows opening with nine, including Amit Ebo and Shane Hunter.
Nine Bodies on the Floor at the Start
Kattash must run early sessions with a skeleton group. Hunter returned from loan and Ebo sit in the backup tier, both projected mainly for domestic-league minutes. The rest of the available core includes John DiBartolomeo, Jimmy Clark, Oshae Brissett, Will Rayman, Bonzie Colson and others listed on the club’s full 2026-27 roster details.
- Guards and wings available early: DiBartolomeo, Clark, Wallace (new), Ebo, Hunter
- Frontcourt pieces present: Colson, Brissett, Rayman, plus any healthy bigs not on NT duty
- Immediate workload: install schemes, condition, and evaluate who can hold minutes in closed-door games
The thin group turns the first practices into live auditions. Backups who normally wait get extended looks while stars finish international windows.
Four Tune-Ups Before the Derby
Maccabi listed four preseason games ahead of the Super Cup. The schedule packs closed-door and road tests that will still run short-handed at the start.
- September 3: Host Bnei Herzliya (behind closed doors)
- September 8: Host Maccabi Rishon Lezion (behind closed doors)
- September 11: Preseason tournament in Cyprus vs Aris Thessaloniki
- September 13: Same tournament vs Olympiacos
- September 17: Super Cup vs Hapoel Tel Aviv at Menora Mivtachim Arena
The club’s own preseason and Super Cup fixtures line up with the rival’s calendar. Hapoel’s site lists the identical September 17 Super Cup date as the season’s official open, after its own six-game prep slate that includes Balkan, Partizan and a Cagliari tournament. The Hapoel confirmed Super Cup date locks the derby as the first full measuring stick.
Early closed games will feature heavy minutes for the nine. By Cyprus the internationals should start filtering back, giving Kattash two days to stitch units before the city rivalry.
New Pieces Still Waiting to Mesh
Wallace signed a two-year deal after Atlanta Hawks time and is expected near $1 million per season. Theis inked his two-year pact on August 5 after helping Monaco to the 2026 French title, Cup and League Cup. Both arrive as high-impact adds yet miss the first install phase.
Wallace: 1.91 m guard bringing toughness and intensity, per Kattash.
Theis: 2.03 m center, veteran of NBA stops and German titles, now the top earner on some reported salary lists and the biggest summer reinforcement for the paint.
Hunter: Recalled from loan, ready for immediate domestic work.
Delayed stars mean the system installs without them. When they land in early September the group has already run several sessions and two games. Chemistry becomes a late bolt-on rather than a full-camp build.
Depth Players Get the Early Ball
Ebo and Hunter step into expanded roles by default. Clark draws trust as a consistent scorer in fan and analyst previews. Brissett, Rayman and Colson carry frontcourt load while Leaf and Lavy rehab and Theis finishes with Germany.
One EuroLeague preview called the squad underrated and a home-court playoff threat once whole, flagging Theis as the center the club needed most and Clark as a key piece. That view absorbs the crowd sense that absences sting short-term but the bench and new depth can bridge. The forced minutes give those players a chance to claim rotation spots before the full roster crowds the gym.
Ownership has skin in the rebuild. The Recanati family ownership stake sits at 58 percent after the control deal, with the group funding the Wallace and Theis additions that now sit on the sidelines for the openers.
Full Squad Changes the Picture by Mid-September
Once Theis, Hoard, Sorkin, Madar and Leaf clear their windows and recoveries, Maccabi fields a deeper, more experienced unit for the Super Cup and the EuroLeague tip on September 24. The early camp still leaves residual risk: fewer shared practices, less scrimmage time with the final lineup, and possible rust on the internationals.
Kattash has managed NT drains before. Maccabi has long supplied the Israeli national team with core talent. This window simply stacks three foreign call-ups on top of the home ones and two injuries. The second-order result is an accelerated depth evaluation that could lock unexpected rotation pieces into the early slate while the stars catch up.
The Super Cup on September 17 therefore becomes more than a trophy opener. It is the first night the nearly complete group shares the floor under real stakes against the cross-town rival that has already logged a fuller prep schedule.
