By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
With Jordan Loyd returning to Monaco and Rokas Jokubaitis getting injured, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv had to get creative and put newly signed Saben Lee on the court after not even a full practice with the team.
The former NBA and Manisa player had an emphatic dunk for his first EuroLeague points and finished his debut as the top scorer in Maccabi‘s win over Anadolu Efes.
Lee scored 23 points on 8/10 from the field, just days after pouring in 43 during his second Basketball Champions League appearance with Manisa, interestingly, on the same court of Aleksandar Nikolic Hall in Belgrade.
“I’m grateful to be here with a good group of guys instilling confidence in me to play my game. This court is definitely showing me love, for sure,” Saben Lee said after his amazing EuroLeague debut.
Coach Oded Kattash mentioned they didn’t know what to expect from the US guard who had recently joined the team.
“We have to give him credit. In half a practice, he learned four or five plays and connected defensively. He’s really smart and talented; we are really happy to have him with us,” Kattash added.
However, Jaylen Hoard wasn’t surprised.
“I was telling my family when we signed him that if he can score in America, and drop 40 in BCL, it’s not an accident. What he did today was impressive, but I’m not surprised,” concluded Hoard, who followed Lee in Maccabi’s victory with 18 points.