By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
Entering the last part of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, Eurohoops presents the fifth edition of the MVP Ladder.
We rated the players on a scale of 1 to 10 in five different areas to reveal the competitive value of each so far this season.
Honorable mentions: Vasilije Micic (Anadolu Efes Istanbul), Will Clyburn (CSKA Moscow), Lorenzo Brown (UNICS Kazan)
#5 SHANE LARKIN (previous rank: tied 2nd)
Anadolu Efes Istanbul| Guard | October 2, 1992 | USA
14.3 pts | 3.1 reb | 5.3 ast | 1.3 stl | 0 blk | 2.5 tov | 30:36 min | 18.8 PIR | 27 G
Player performance: 8
Team’s course: 7
Role of the player: 9
Consistency: 7
Leadership: 9
Total: 40
Ups-and-downs have been a theme for both Anadolu Efes and Shane Larkin individually. Similar to the defending champions, he seeks consistency. The PIR of -6 in the recent loss to AS Monaco was a down-point.
Even under these circumstances, rival teams would prefer to avoid Efes in the Playoffs.
Larkin has the seventh-most points in the 2021-22 EuroLeague season, backed by the fourth-best free-throw percentage, 93.5%. Fourth in assists and third in PIR as well. And he is far from being at his best.
#3 MIKE JAMES (previous rank: re-entry)
AS Monaco | Guard | August 18, 1990 | USA
16.3 pts | 2.9 reb | 5.9 ast | 1.3 stl | 0.1 blk | 2.7 tov | 30:43 min | 17.4 PIR | 29 G
Player performance: 9
Team’s course: 7
Role of the player: 9
Consistency: 7
Leadership: 9
Total: 41
In the crunch time of its debut EuroLeague season, AS Monaco keeps collecting big wins. Credit goes most to Mike James.
The 2019 Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy winner has been in the zone for a while. His side has become a contender for a playoffs berth. It is not entirely up to Monaco, which is certainly not a favorable playoff opponent for any other team.
Everlasting James ranks third in points, second in assists, eighth in steals, and fifth in PIR.
#3 SASHA VEZENKOV (previous rank: re-entry)
Olympiacos Piraeus | Forward | August 6, 1995 | Greece
13.3 pts | 5.7 reb | 1.5 ast | 1.2 stl | 0.2 blk | 0.8 tov | 29:43 min | 17.3 PIR | 26 G
Player performance: 8
Team’s course: 8
Role of the player: 9
Consistency: 8
Leadership: 8
Total: 41
Despite lacking star power and dealing with restricted crowd support, Olympiacos has held on to one of the top four seeds for nearly the entire season. Sasha Vezenkov has been a powerful key in that success.
He has stepped up in a major way, starting midway through last season. Vezenkov being on the court has evolved into a necessity for Olympiacos, which is why he plays the sixth-most average minutes in the EuroLeague this season.
Vezenkov sits 18th in the scoring list with the eighth-best two-point percentage, 65.3%. In addition, he currently holds 11th place on the rebounds list and seventh on the PIR list.
#2 EDY TAVARES (previous rank: tied 2nd)
Real Madrid | Center | March 22, 1992 | Cape Verde
12.2 pts | 7.8 reb | 0.9 ast | 1 stl | 1.9 blk | 1.8 tov | 23:54 min | 20.3 PIR | 25 G
Player performance: 9
Team’s course: 9
Role of the player: 9
Consistency: 8
Leadership: 7
Total: 42
Real Madrid is dealing with a slump, but Edy Tavares is striving to improve. This is possible for such a consistent player and his role in the team.
He is not the go-to guy, but we extend our challenge to force him off the court.
His points scored are good enough for 26th overall in EuroLeague but are the most for Real. His 73.3% shooting from two-point range is unmatched in the EuroLeague, as are his rebounds and blocks. Among all players in our MVP Ladder, Tavares has logged the least playing time, yet he ranks first in PIR, too.
#1 NIKOLA MIROTIC (previous rank: 1st)
FC Barcelona | Forward | February 11, 1991 | Spain
16.9 pts | 5.4 reb | 1.3 ast | 0.7 stl | 0.3 blk | 2 tov | 24:37 min | 20.3 PIR | 26 G
Player performance: 9
Team’s course: 9
Role of the player: 9
Consistency: 8
Leadership: 9
Total: 44
Five out of five for Nikola Mirotic retaining top spot in the MVP Ladder. The best player of the leading team simply can’t fall off.
The approaching playoffs will bring much more important games, and from there potentially the Final Four. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Until then, he can be considered the clear front-runner for the MVP award.
Mirotic ranks second overall in PIR, points and three-point percentage, while standing 14th in the rebounds list. He has played less than 25 minutes per game.