By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
There are those who may have been destined for this role, some who are just getting used to it, while others seized the chance to stand out. Yet all of them played key roles.
DANILO ANDJUSIC
AS Monaco | Guard | 22 April 1991 | Serbia
13,5 pts | 55,6% 2PT | 57,1% 3PT | 71,4% FT
Some might not remember, but Danilo Andjusic is not a EuroLeague rookie. His debut in the competition came on October 20, 2011, when he was still playing for Partizan Belgrade. Andjusic appeared in 25 more games (Partizan 2011-13, UNICS Kazan 2016-17) before joining Monaco. Now, however, he is making a buzz. Just like his new team.
Andjusic scored 17 points on 4-for-4 three-point shooting in the historic win against Panathinaikos (75-63) in the opener and he also had 10 points in the victory over UNICS Kazan (80-88 OT) in Round 2. With an average of 13.5 points per game, he is now Monaco’s top scorer, slightly ahead of Donta Hall (13 ppg.) and Mike James (12.5).
NIKOLA KALINIC
Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade | Forward | 8 November 1991 | Serbia
14 pts | 47,1% 2PT | 33,3% 3PT | 100% FT
Nikola Kalinic needs no introduction. If anything, he was one of the protagonists of Fenerbahce Istanbul’s historic EuroLeague title in 2017. To be exact, he was the leading scorer (14.5 ppg) at the Final Four. His return to Crvena Zvezda after six years (Fenerbahce 2015-20, Valencia 2020-21) is no less enthusiastic.
And even though Kalinic didn’t manage to “hurt” his former team (9 points in a 61-57 loss to Fener in the opener), he made a difference against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv with 19 points (75-63). Kalinic was a starter in both games, with the most time on the court (33:09).
JORDAN LOYD
Zenit St Petersburg | Guard | 27 July 1993 | USA
14,5 pts | 75% 2PT | 25% 3PT | 100% FT
Jordan Loyd was the third-best scorer in the EuroLeague last season (17.3 ppg.) and this only sounds fair for a player with such an ability to put the ball to the basket. It’s only unfair for the opposing teams defending him, be it in Valencia in the past (2019-20), Crvena Zvezda (2020-21) and now Zenit.
Loyd started the season with 10 points in a tough win over UNICS (70-69) and dropped 19 with 6-of-8 shooting from mid-range in the 70-64 win against Zalgiris Kaunas. He leads Zenit’s scorers ahead of Billy Baron (14 ppg.) and is currently seventh in two-point efficiency.
DESHAUN THOMAS
FC Bayern Munich | Forward | 29 August 1999 | USA
14,5 pts | 71,4% 2PT | 40% 3PT | 75% FT
DeShaun Thomas picked up things where he left at in his previous career-high presence in the EuroLeague with Panathinaikos (13.9 ppg), now as a Bayern player. It seems as though he was never gone from the competition.
Thomas scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field in a dramatic loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv (69-68) in the season opener and had 14 points in Bayern’s defeat against Barcelona (72-80). With an average of 14.5 points, he is the top scorer on his team and with a 71.4% two-point shooting efficiency, eighth overall in the league.
MARIO HEZONJA
UNICS Kazan | Forward | 25 February 1995 | Croatia
15,5 pts | 44,4% 2PT | 33,3 3PT | 75% FT
After a short appearance with Panathinaikos upon his EuroLeague return last season (2012-15, 2021-now), Mario Hezonja landed in Kazan to reinforce the team for its return to the competition for the first time since 2017. His transfer was among the most buzz-worthy of the offseason.
With an average of 15.5 points, Hezonja leads UNICS in scoring ahead of Isaiah Canaan (14 ppg.). UNICS suffered a tough loss in the opener against Zenit St. Petersburg (70-69) and fell to Monaco in overtime (88-80). Well, bad luck doesn’t last forever.
JANIS STRELNIEKS
Zalgiris Kaunas | Guard | 1 September 1989 | Latvia
17,5 pts | 80% 2PT | 63,6% 3PT | 85,4% FT
Janis Strelnieks moved to Kaunas from Moscow to bring seven years of EuroLeague experience to Zalgiris. And he has done exactly that, plus more. It’s no wonder he was a starter in the first two games of the season with the second-longest time on the court, even if his efforts weren’t enough to hand Zalgiris the win in either game.
Strelnieks tried, with 21 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting against ASVEL (88-76) and 14 points against Zenit (70-64). With an average of 17.5 ppg, he is the only scorer currently in double digits on the team (Luka Lekavicius follows with 9 ppg.).
CHRIS JONES
LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne | Guard | 10 April 1993 | USA
19 pts | 66,7% 2PT | 50% 3PT | 60% FT
Chris Jones introduced himself to the EuroLeague crowd last season and now he’s on a mission to create his very own fan club. There’s no other way to explain his drastic shift from 7 points per game across 34 games with Maccabi to 19 points in two contests with ASVEL.
Jones debuted with 14 points against Zalgiris (88-76) and scored 24 in the win over ALBA Berlin (71-67). Not only is he the top scorer on his new team, but he is also the third-best scorer in EuroLeague, while the fact that he shoots with 60% efficiency makes his season so far even more special.
Photo credit: EuroLeague, Monaco Basketball