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.
Honorable mentions: Kevin Pangos (Zenit St Petersburg), Vladimir Lucic (FC Bayern Munich)
#5 JAN VESELY (previous rank: new entry)
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Center | 24 April, 1990 | Czech Republic
12,5 pts | 5,3 reb | 2,3 ast | 0,8 stl | 0,6 blk | 1,3 tov | 28:17 min | 16,2 PIR | 18 G
Player’s performance: 8
Team’s course: 7
Player’s role: 9
Consistency: 8
Leadership: 7
Total: 39
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going” might be Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul’s new motto. It definitely is Jan Vesely’s, as he took action when Fenerbahc’s defeats were coming consecutively and by big margins and gave everything he had to make them a thing of the past. The MVP of the season in 2018-19 had already started to improve, but now he has stabilized his performance at a high level and the proof of that is that he scored in double digits in each game of the team’s ongoing six-win streak.
He has one of the best percentages in two-point field goals in the EuroLeague (62.9%), he’s 13th in rebounds and has climbed up to 12th in PIR.
#4 MARIUS GRIGONIS (previous rank: new entry)
Zalgiris Kaunas | Guard | 26 April, 1994 | Lithuania
14,5 pts | 2,3 reb | 3,1 ast | 0,6 stl | 0 blk | 2,2 tov | 27:01 min | 15,4 PIR | 21 G
Player’s performance: 8
Team’s course: 8
Player’s role: 8
Consistency: 8
Leadership: 8
Total: 40
Zalgiris Kaunas is the definition of a team, but even so, they still have players that stand out more than others. Marius Grigonis is the greatest proof of that, as he leads Zalgiris in points and is second-best in assists, but more so in the sense that he’s the player who will not hesitate to take the initiative in the decisive moments (game-winner vs. FC Bayern Munich). With the corresponding confidence, he has managed to achieve career-highs at every level.
He’s eighth in the EuroLeague in points and holds the all-time record in free throw accuracy (98.2%), while he also has the fifth-highest percentage in three-point shots (48.5%).
#3 WALTER TAVARES (previous rank: new entry)
Real Madrid | Center | 22 March, 1992 | Cabo Verde
12,3 pts | 7,8 reb | 0,8 ast | 0,9 stl | 1,9 blk | 1,6 tov | 26:18 min | 19,7 PIR | 21 G
Player’s performance: 9
Team’s course: 8
Player’s role: 9
Consistency: 8
Leadership: 7
Total: 41
Against the tradition that has seen Real Madrid produce MVPs in other positions on the court (Sergio Rodriguez in 2014, Sergio Llull in 2017, Luka Doncic in 2018) and going against the era of the undersized center, Walter Tavares makes the difference, all 220 centimeters of him. How could it be otherwise for one of the most impactful players on both ends of the court, who is unbeatable on offense and such a bulwark on defense?
He’s eighth in the EuroLeague in two-point field goals (70%), second in rebounds, and second in blocks, too. Those stats are fitting for a career-high season that has him in third place in PIR.