By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Euroleague Basketball promised content from Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the rest of its competitions despite suspending playing action, and delivers the “Experts Round Table: Round 29”. Before the 2019-20 regular season was paused, Euroleague Basketball Legend Ramunas Siskauskas, Juan Antonio Casanova, the former long-time EuroLeague writer for La Vanguardia in Spain, Darko Plavsic, basketball reporter at Sportklub Serbia, Nikos Varlas, Publishing Manager, Eurohoops.net Global, and Frankie Sachs, Editor at EuroLeague.net were asked about March’s first double-round week.
Per EuroLeague.net:
What player impressed you most in March’s first double-round week?
Ramunas Siskauskas
“Tornike Shengelia of Baskonia was the player who impressed me the most. He helped the team a lot to win two very important games. He played very solid. He was everywhere: in scoring, rebounding, making assists and so on.”
Juan Antonio Casanova
“Nikola Mirotic. No, I did not forget Shane Larkin’s exhibition against Olympiacos with his 10 threes to match the EuroLeague record. However, Anadolu Efes lost one of its two games – the only one in its last 13 games – and Barcelona won both to make it nine straight, a new record for the team in the competition. Barcelona’s wins came with more difficulty than expected and with Mirotic’s invaluable contributions despite his 0-for-6 threes in the first game. He drew 17 fouls and made 21 of 23 free throws between both games.”
Darko Plavsic
“Alexey Shved. He had some problems with decisions and shooting percentage during the season, but right now, he’s playing great and leading Khimki to the playoffs.”
Nikos Varlas
“Can I go with Shane Larkin again? I’m afraid I’m going to become boring. Okay, only because Larkin has gotten to the point where he scores 40 points and makes it look completely normal, I’ll choose Darrun Hilliard, after I first pay tribute to Baskonia’s great leader, Tornike Shengelia. Why Hilliard? In his team’s two wins, the American guard had an average of 16 points on 61.5% (8 of 13) three-point shooting. It’s very important for Dimitris Itoudis’s team that every player that supports his system is effective in his role. This is exactly what Hilliard did this week. He was the shooter his team needs so that spaces can open up and the right distances can be maintained and details like these can decide whether you fail or make history in the Final Four.”
Frankie Sachs
“As a journalist, I can’t help but get caught up on words. The question asks about the player who ‘impressed’ me the most, which implies making an impression that wasn’t already there. For me, the answer comes down to two players: Walter Tavares of Real Madrid and Jonas Jerebko of Khimki. The Real big man put up fantastic numbers of 22 points, 20 rebounds and 7 blocks between his team’s two wins, but even more important was the nearly 29 minutes per game he averaged. No player changes the game simply by standing in the paint the way the 2.20-meter Tavares does and if he can play nearly three quarters in every game, Real has a huge – no pun intended – advantage. Jerebko averaged 16.0 points on effective shooting and 9.5 rebounds for a PIR of 26.0 as Khimki went 1-1. It was his rebounding and ability to stretch the floor from the ‘4’ position that could be a game-changer for Khimki. Over the past month, Jerebko has been playing at his best and among the best rebounders in the league. He’s a player to follow closely down the stretch.”
Read the rest of the “Experts Round Table: Round 29” on EuroLeague.net.