By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
We evaluated the players – 10 being the highest score – in five different areas that can demonstrate the competitive value of each of them so far this season.
THE CRITERIA
Player’s performance: The individual performance in combination with the demands that existed before the start of the season greatly affects the decision as to who is the MVP. Certain players exceeded initial expectations and others confirmed they belong in the elite of European basketball.
Team’s course: Basketball is a team sport and if someone cannot convert their individual performances into wins for their team, then they automatically lose points in the race for the MVP.
Player’s role: How would each team perform if we automatically removed the MVP candidate from the squad? There are players who are the alpha and omega of their squad, with their key presence providing an advantage on the MVP Ladder.
Consistency: The performance of certain star players varies in big games. Some play consistently at… full throttle, without fluctuations. There are also players who specialize in making their teammates better in every game, even if they themselves don’t put up good numbers. As the season progresses, however, their value peaks.
Leadership: The biggest names in the EuroLeague have to step up when their team needs them. Their contribution in those moments – both in defense as well as in offense – can be as important as their overall numbers. This element, along with other leadership characteristics, adds points and is seriously taken into account when drafting the MVP Ladder.
Honorable mentions: Kevin Pangos (Zenit St Petersburg), Pierria Henry (TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz)
#6 SERGIO RODRIGUEZ (previous rank: 1st)
AX Armani Exchange Milan | Guard | June 12, 1986 | Spain
12.8 pts | 2.7 reb | 4.7 ast | 1.3 stl | 0.1 blk | 1.8 tov | 22:17 min | 15.2 PIR | 9 G
Player’s performance: 7
Team’s course: 8
Player’s role: 9
Consistency: 7
Leadership: 9
Total: 40
After a career-high start in the first four rounds, Sergio Rodriguez’s stats show a decline and the same goes for AX Armani Exchange Milan’s course. He has dropped down to 14th place in points and his assists (12th) are no longer enough to fill the gap. His overall image in the last month is fully reflected in his position in PIR, where he is now out of the Top 10 (12th).
We will, however, grant him the excuse that the Italian team has not played all of the games and it’s hard for a player to recover his rhythm in such circumstances. Plus, his absence from the last game (a 77-80 loss vs. Panathinaikos OPAP Athens) was noticeable.
#5 KRUNOSLAV SIMON (previous rank: new entry)
Anadolu Efes Istanbul | Guard | June 24, 1985 | Croatia
13.4 pts | 2.8 reb | 3.4 ast | 0.8 stl | 0.4 blk | 1.1 tov | 27:16 min | 16.2 PIR | 11 G
Player’s performance: 8
Team’s course: 7
Player’s role: 9
Consistency: 8
Leadership: 8
Total: 40
If consistency had a face it would be his. At a time when Anadolu Efes Istanbul has been called upon to play most games without Shane Larkin, Krunoslav Simon hasn’t just filled the gap, he has emerged as an x-factor with career-highs in points (11th) and PIR (10th), while his contribution extends to other major statistical categories as well, like rebounds and assists. It’s no coincidence that his 27:16 minutes – aside from being the third highest among his teammates – is the most playing time he has gotten in all his years with the Turkish team (2017-present).
We’re going to let the last game go (59-77 vs. TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz), as it was Efes‘s worst game in general, not just his.
#4 WILL CLYBURN (previous rank: 2nd)
CSKA Moscow | Forward | May 17, 1990 | USA
14.8 pts | 4.3 reb | 1.3 ast | 0.8 stl | 0.3 blk | 1.6 tov | 27:33 min | 15 PIR | 12 G
Player’s performance: 7
Team’s course: 9
Player’s role: 9
Consistency: 7
Leadership: 8
Total: 41
CSKA Moscow are undefeated in the last seven games and they’ve climbed up to second place in the rankings, but Will Clyburn is no longer the one with the biggest share in this success since he doesn’t have the momentum he had in the first rounds. Even though he has scored double digits in 10 of the 12 games and has a career-high in that department, he has dropped to sixth overall in the competition (the last game in which he had only 2 points cost him), while he’s also out of the Top 10 in PIR (13th).
Even so, he remains one of the most crucial players in the Russian team’s game, and this is why he gets the second highest playing time behind Mike James.
#3 VLADIMIR LUCIC (previous rank: new entry)
FC Bayern Munich | Forward | June 17, 1989 | Serbia
14.4 pts | 4.9 reb | 1.3 ast | 1.1 stl | 0.1 blk | 0.7 tov | 29:44 min | 19.8 PIR | 12 G
Player’s performance: 9
Team’s course: 9
Player’s role: 9
Consistency: 8
Leadership: 7
Total: 42
Now it’s a given. FC Bayern Munich’s start wasn’t a fluke nor were Vladimir Lucic’s first performances accidental. We’re talking about the player who is ranked second in PIR, where he has an average that is also a career-high, as are those in points (7th) and rebounds (24th). How could he not be one of only two players in the German team with 12/12 starts (Wade Baldwin is the other) and the one with the highest playing time?
Bayern owes him a lot for what is the best start in their history in the competition and his career-high performances have them consistently placed in the top four in the standings.
#2 NIKOLA MIROTIC (previous rank: tied 3rd)
FC Barcelona | Forward | February 11, 1991 | Spain
16.1 pts | 6.4 reb | 1.4 ast | 1.5 stl | 0.5 blk | 2.3 tov | 24:21 min | 22.8 PIR | 8 G
Player’s performance: 8
Team’s course: 9
Player’s role: 9
Consistency: 8
Leadership: 9
Total: 43
Nikola Mirotic is still standing out from the crowd of stars in FC Barcelona and how could he not with performances like these. He’s fifth in points and second in two-point field goals with an impressive 78.3%, while his name also figures high in many other major statistical categories. The added fact that he’s second in rebounds and fifth in steals puts him first in the PIR, way ahead of the second in line.
The fact that Barcelona’s only two defeats both occurred on two of his three season-low nights says a lot about his importance in the team’s game.
#1 MIKE JAMES (previous rank: tied 3rd)
CSKA Moscow | Guard | August 18, 1990 | USA
19.2 pts | 2.5 reb | 4.7 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 3.2 tov | 29:33 min | 18.5 PIR | 11 G
Player’s performance: 9
Team’s course: 9
Player’s role: 9
Consistency: 8
Leadership: 9
Total: 44
CSKA has left behind for good its problematic start of three defeats in the first five games and now have the best streak in the competition. Mike James is credited with the biggest share in these seven consecutive wins and more. The last four especially had his signature all over them, the one over Real Madrid (74-73) even more so with his season-high 28 points and a game-winning… four-pointer.
He may have dropped to 11th in assists, but he has climbed up to first in points and fifth in the PIR, and his team has climbed up to second in the rankings thanks to his performances.