By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
AS Monaco superstar Mike James picked his most underrated and most overrated EuroLeague players throughout his career run, during his visit to Off the RECourt podcast, hosted by Anadolu Efes’ Shane Larkin and Elijah Bryant.
“Underrated? Chris Singleton,” James said. “I think what he did in Europe isn’t talked about enough. He was one of our leading scorers at Panathinaikos, did everything, played pick n’ rolls. Then he went here [Efes], took a lesser role and became a dude for the defensive switch. To do all things. He could also get you some buckets. Chris Singleton is nice.”
James spent two seasons with Singleton at Panathinaikos from 2016 to 2018 before his first-time move to the NBA for the Phoenix Suns. Singleton joined Efes in 2019 and was a key member of the back-to-back EuroLeague championship teams of 2021 and 2022.
“Overrated? That’s terrible, it will put me on the spot. I can tell you who I used to think he was overrated. Why I thought that and why I don’t think anymore. Scottie Wilbekin,” James later mentioned. I used to think he was overrated when he was with Darussafaka and then when he went to Maccabi, I felt he was like overrated. I felt people are putting him on the highest tier possible. I just didn’t feel he was there. Not that I don’t think he’s good. Now, I don’t think he’s overrated. I don’t think people put him on the highest tier now, people put him on the second tier and that’s perfect for him. He’s there and he’s earned it. He’s played some really good games and he played well against us in the playoffs.”
“Man, I remember one year one of them ratings got him rated higher than me. And I was so mad. I was 18 and I’m like there’s no way I’m lower than him,” James added. He was probably referring to Eurohoops’ Top 100 EuroLeague Players list of 2018, when he was in the 15th place and Wilbekin held No. 14.
Here’s what James, the reigning EuroLeague MVP, also said on:
The events that led to his unexpected departure from Milano in 2019 after finishing the season as the EuroLeague leading scorer:
“They sign [Ettore] Messina. As soon as they sign him, I ask for his number. The first thing we talked about is… I ask him if he wants me to be here. You’re new coach and maybe you want get everybody out of here. If that’s what it is, tell me and I can maneuver my way out. That’s in June. He’s like, ‘No, no’. He said I’m good, as long as I do what he asks me to do and play basketball.
The next time, he asks me what I think about Sergio Rodriguez and Michael Roll coming.
I had a girlfriend at that time. We go to Bora Bora for her birthday. I get an email. Her birthday in July 8. First I got a text from my agent. ‘Have you seen the email?”. I get to the email and it’s not even an email from him [Messina]. It’s an email from the general manager. And it says you’re not going to get any minutes this year. So you should look for another team. Zero minutes.
Basically, I’m like ‘damn’. For a week, I’m like I’m going back. It’s too late. Every team is filled. It’s almost August. I’m not leaving this team – this is the biggest paycheck I ever got. I play in TBT. And that’s what they said, that I played there so they wanted to void [my contract] it like that. But they signed Aaron White who was also on my TBT team.
After that, Kyle [Hines] tells me what do I think about coming to CSKA. And I’m thinking if Itoudis is going to like. I don’t know what I’m doing over here. And he’s like, ‘I’m going to get them call you.”
I won’t even talk to him now. I won’t even look at him right to his face now. I come from old school. If you have something to say to me, say it to my face. “
If someone will ever pass him as the EuroLeague all-time leading scorer:
I’m hoping they don’t change the format for a while. So by the time I’m off. They might add games and that gives people more chances. I hope they don’t do that for 15 years. So I’m good and retired and gone. When LeBron broke Kareem’s record, Kareem was like ‘You got it now, I had the record forever.”
What would’ve happened if reigning NBA champions Boston Celtics faced reigning EuroLeague champion Panathinaikos:
They [Celtics] would beat them by 30. OAKA and European rules? 30. It’d be nasty. It’s just a bad matchup. The thing Pana does good is they have guards. Celtics have the best guard defenders in the world. Jrue [Holiday] is amazing.
After we took care of that, we go to the ‘3’ position. Who’s guarding Tatum and Brown? Grigonis? Mitoglou guarding Porzingis?
I think their [Celtics] length in Europe would be crazy. Jrue is 6′ 4″ and he’s the shortest person. That’s the strongest team that I know.
Pana might get some wins against somebody else too. Good EuroLeague teams could get 20 wins in the NBA, with NBA rules. They would get wins just because they would play harder.
Check out the highly very interesting podcast episode: