By Antonis Stroggylakis / astroggylakis@eurohoops.net
After 12 Rounds of the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season, there are several rookies in the competition who are playing, in one way or another, important roles on their teams.
Some are showing star potential and are already making a bid for the All-EuroLeague Team, while others with plenty of promise are still working on successfully adapting to this level.
Eurohoops chose 10 notable newcomers to evaluate their progress so far in this campaign.
Johnathan Motley (Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul)
Season averages: 14.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 16.6 PIR in 21:37 minutes
It didn’t take long for center Johnathan Motley to not only establish himself as one of the top, most reliable and steadiest contributors for Fenerbahce but also to emerge as one of the most unstoppable big men in the EuroLeague. While having to work his way through the rich and sometimes complex systems of a demanding coach like Dimitris Itoudis, Motley has become one of the main reasons behind his team’s competition-best 10-2 record.
Already the leading scorer and rebounder of Fenerbahce, Motley is also averaging the highest PIR among EuroLeague rookies. It seems that his standout 2021-22 7DAYS EuroCup run with Lokomotiv Kuban was a true sign of greater things to come.
Darius Thompson (Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz)
Season averages: 12.0 points, 5.6 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 15.1 PIR in 25:23 minutes
Adjustment to the EuroLeague is often extra-tricky for a point guard, especially someone who’s brought in to become the main floor general of a team that aspires to the playoffs. That hasn’t been the case for Darius Thompson, though; quite the contrary.
Thompson, in a similar manner to his former Lokomotiv teammate Motley, looks like he’s been playing in the EuroLeague for ages. Thanks to his playmaking leadership, Baskonia began the season as the highest-scoring squad in the competition and still prides itself on having the league’s third-most productive offense.
Even though Thompson’s duties saw a decrease after the return of fan-favorite Pierria Henry to Vitoria, he’s the seventh-best assist-maker in the EuroLeague and by far the leading one among newcomers.
Markus Howard (Baskonia)
Season averages: 14.9 points, 1.4 assists, 1.2 rebounds, 10.2 PIR in 20:38 minutes
The leading scorer among EuroLeague rookies serves as another example that Baskonia really knows how to pick guards and assimilate them successfully. Fresh into his European journey, Markus Howard began the season with a rare blast of consecutive 30+ games in wins over Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Crvena Zvezda NIS Belgrade. Although he was a bit inconsistent and out of form over the last couple of weeks, he has plenty of ways to improve, considering that he’s just 23.
So far this season, Howard is the only EuroLeague player averaging more than 3.0 triples per game, with 3.1, while shooting a more-than-solid 45.1% from the perimeter.
Semi Ojeleye (Virtus Segafredo Bologna)
Season averages: 9.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 10.0 PIR in 22:48 minutes
Right when he was beginning to build some strong personal momentum, Semi Ojeleye was sidelined with an illness and then got injured very early in a road game vs. Olympiacos Piraeus. Before these mishaps, he averaged 16.0 points (on 9-for-14 three-point accuracy) plus 4.0 rebounds through the blowout win over Valencia Basket and two really close defeats at Panathinaikos Athens and vs. Anadolu Efes Istanbul.
Ojeleye has shown that he has a powerful 3&D potential in the EuroLeague and the tools to provide Virtus Bologna with some reliable shooting (48.1% from the three-point line), rebounding, and defense.
Jasiel Rivero (Valencia Basket)
Season averages: 10.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 9.4 PIR in 20:04 minutes
It’s safe to assume that Jasiel Rivero would have a couple of games to remember in his maiden EuroLeague campaign if not for some injury problems. His top performance was definitely a memorable one: 22 points and 6 rebounds to push Valencia to a 96-100 overtime win at Partizan in an unwelcoming atmosphere.
Another 7DAYS EuroCup alumnus to keep an eye on, Rivero carries the necessary elements to become a steady “muscle” for Valencia inside the paint as long as he remains healthy.
Naz Mitrou-Long (EA7 Emporio Armani Milan)
Season averages: 12.4 points, 3.1 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 7.9 PIR in 23:30 minutes
Milan has come up short so far in the 2022-23 EuroLeague and stands at the bottom of the standings, but that’s not for lack of trying by several players of the Italian side, including Naz Mitrou-Long.
In a first-ever season not only in EuroLeague but in continental competition in general, and while playing for a strict coach such as Ettore Messina, Mitrou-Long has managed to be relatively productive in an otherwise quite problematic Milan offense. He’s contributing in various areas of the game and taking advantage of extra opportunities in light of several backcourt absences (Kevin Pangos, Shavon Shields).
“[Mitrou-Long] gave us a little bit of hope that we have found a legit EuroLeague player,” Messina said after a loss to Zalgiris Kaunas.
Maik Kotsar (Baskonia)
Season averages: 10.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 12.1 PIR in 20:18 minutes
If there’s one person who’s probably most appreciative of Darius Thompson’s assists, that’s Maik Kotsar. Happily receiving plenty of basketballs from his point guard, the Estonian center showed some rather angry intentions early that he has come to stay in EuroLeague, with a superb debut of 21 points, nine rebounds, and 31 PIR (all game-highs) in a road win over Valencia.
Since then, Kotsar scored in double figures in four other games, including having 18 points in a victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv while shooting 69.1% from the field. It’s more than a positive run overall, save for his troubles at the foul line (11 for 32).
Carsen Edwards (Fenerbahce Beko)
Season averages: 7.9 points, 1.7 assists, 5.7 PIR in 20:18 minutes
Expectations were rather high for Carsen Edwards since his arrival at Fenerbahce, but if he picks up from where he left it in his latest game, then he may fulfill them and then some. The American guard ignited the Fener engines in Berlin against ALBA with 13 points plus 8 assists, showing his capacity to influence his team’s offense in winning ways.
While still visibly trying to figure out his way in a new environment and despite some lackluster outings, Edwards’ energy and effort are undeniable, and he’ll surely get more opportunities to prove if he can consistently deliver for league-leader Fener.