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: Vladimir Lucic (FC Bayern Munich), Jan Vesely (Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul), Kevin Pangos (Zenit St Petersburg), Marius Grigonis (Zalgiris Kaunas)
#5 WALTER TAVARES (previous rank: 3rd)
Real Madrid | Center | 22 March 1992 | Cabo Verde
11,3 pts | 7,9 reb | 0,9 ast | 1 stl | 1,8 blk | 1,9 tov | 26:03 min | 18,5 PIR | 26 G
Player’s performance: 8
Team’s course: 8
Player’s role: 9
Consistency: 7
Leadership: 7
Total: 39
Walter Tavares is a benchmark of Real Madrid’s game and perhaps the only player in the EuroLeague with such a big impact on both ends of the court. Often unbeatable in offense, he truly dominates the paint on defense. This season, however, he has been either all up or all down, something that has affected his team (5-5 in 2021), to the extent that they’re in danger of losing their place in the top four of the standings.
At the individual level, he’s still ranked second in rebounds and blocks, but he’s now out of the Top 10 in two-point field goals (12th) and out of the top 30 in points (31st). Despite that, he’s still high up in average PIR (4th), being one of only three players (Nikola Mirotic and Alexey Shved are the others) with a presence in the top five of three main statistical categories.
#4 NANDO DE COLO (previous rank: re-entry)
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Guard | 23 June 1987 | France
14,9 pts | 3 reb | 4,1 ast | 1,4 stl | 0 blk | 3 tov | 25:29 min | 18,1 PIR | 21 G
Player’s performance: 8
Team’s course: 7
Player’s role: 9
Consistency: 8
Leadership: 9
Total: 41
After a long hiatus due to an injury and being out of form, Nando De Colo has begun to look like the MVP of the 2017 season and is one of the reasons Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul has began to look like the team that made five consecutive appearances in the Final Four in recent years. His stats skyrocketed in the team’s recent 10-0 streak, and were were high even in defeat in last week’s Turkish Derby won by Anadolu Efes Istanbul (74-106).
Take note: He’s back in the Top 10 in points (9th), he has climbed up to 14th in assists, while his contribution extends to defense too, as he’s fifth in steals. Add all of it up and you’ll find him rounding out the top five in PIR.
#3 VASILIJE MICIC (previous rank: new entry)
Anadolu Efes Istanbul | Guard | 13 January 1994 | Serbia
16,1 pts | 2,3 reb | 5 ast | 1,1 stl | 0 blk | 3,1 tov | 30:28 min | 15,8 PIR | 21 G
Player’s performance: 9
Team’s course: 7
Player’s role: 9
Consistency: 8
Leadership: 8
Total: 41
Its 2-5 record in December is a thing of the past for Efes, whose record in 2021 is 1-7. Not only is Efes back in the playoff positions, but it also sits one win away from the Top 4, with a game in hand. If you’re wondering how, Vasilije Micic can answer that for you, as he has stepped up and is leading the team from victory to victory.
The last of those marked the end of an impressive streak (74-106 to end Fenerbahce’s 10 wins in a row). Micic finished that game with a career-high in points (37) and PIR (44). He has climbed up to fifth place in scoring while he’s also seventh in assists. If he had managed to limit his turnovers, he’d be much higher than 13th in PIR.