Kevin Punter handed Barcelona captaincy amid coach Sekulic's integration challenge

FC Barcelona enter the ACB preseason with a completely new look. The club from Palau Blaugrana has changed coaches and brought in a large group of new signings, making team cohesion the top priority. Coach Aleksander Sekulic has had a short time at the Comú d’Encamp sports centre in Andorra to shape his squad before facing home side MoraBanc Andorra. The first days together in Andorra have produced positive signals. Sekulic praised the players' commitment and described the atmosphere as promising. Although no clear tactical system has been revealed, his early message is obvious: attitude must come before sophisticated schemes. That is a sensible approach for a squad full of fresh faces. The most notable decision has been naming Kevin Punter as captain. The American previously wore the captain's armband at Partizan, and that experience is expected to give him a strong voice in the locker room. Alongside Punter, Joel Parra and Darío Brizuela complete the leadership group, combining experience, energy and technical quality. Punter himself said it is an honour and stressed the team's right mentality and ambition. His words reflect strong personal investment in the project. At a big club like Barcelona, having a leader who truly believes in the process is crucial during a period of transition. The biggest challenge is time. New players, a new coach and a new system all need to click, and the early games will not wait. Sekulic has acknowledged this by focusing on hard work and team spirit. But attitude alone is not enough. Adaptation will be measured in the way the team defends as a unit, moves the ball and handles pressure. Barcelona remain among the favourites in the ACB, but they are no longer the most settled side. The friendly match against MoraBanc Andorra will provide a first test of the team's readiness. It is a mirror of how much the coaching staff have managed to pass on to the players in a short period. The choice of Andorra as a training base seems smart. It offers calm surroundings and easy logistics, allowing everyone to focus purely on basketball. However, there has been no mention of contracts, salary details or clear tactical schemes, making it difficult to measure the true strength of this new-look Barcelona. Kevin Punter is expected to be the anchor, but he cannot do it alone. The coach must define each player's role quickly, especially with so many new faces uncertain about their place in the system. Five-on-five scrimmages are a useful tool, but they are not a magic solution. For now, the mood is grounded and realistic. There is no excessive hype, only a focus on daily work. That could prove valuable if Barcelona hit a rough patch early in the season. In the end, words mean little on the court. The true answers will come when the ball is tipped and the new-look team finally performs together.