By Giorgos Orfanakis / info@eurohoops.net
Everything’s ready and the wait for the EuroLeague Fantasy was well worth it as the new platform has changed and is more improved than ever.
As is the case every season, this season Eurohoops has created its own league, called “EurohoopsLeague”, in which anyone can take part with a total of three or fewer teams. After presenting the main changes, it’s time for some real action with Eurohoops’ choices for the first round!
Important tips for choosing players
At this point, we should mention that the overall weekly ranking of each team will be aggregated from the evaluation system of the 8 starters. This means that each player that scores a lot isn’t necessarily better than another who might score less but do a lot of things on the court.
In short, there is a preference for players who ideally score, get rebounds, dish assists, avoid fouling/turnovers and who do everything in hand to raise their ranking in every game.
At the same time, the user should look at each player’s next opponent. For example, Bamberg’s Maodo Lo clearly has more chances of earning points in the opening home game against Maccabi compared to the very difficult away game that will follow.
Finally, we have to keep in mind that, in the first rounds, gathering points is not as important as increasing the total budget. For this reason, as you will see below, we recommend certain players that are not very expensive but that have increased chances of raising their price.
The players that are “worth” considering in every position
Eurohoops will attempt to make a first prediction about the players who are going to stand out in every position, dividing them into three groups (0-700k, 700-1m, 1m+) depending on their market value.
For the first time this season, with the new platform we see point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards and centers separately, as opposed to previous years where there was a more general division into guards – forwards – centers.
Point guards (PG)
From 0 to 700 thousand euros: It makes sense that the options in this particular category are limited. However, there are bargains, with Maodo Lo (Bamberg), Sam Van Rossom (Valencia) and Vasilije Micic (Zalgiris Kaunas) standing out.
From 700k to 1m: A tricky category with several available players. The consistent Nikos Zisis is available for anyone who wants a sure thing, Jayson Granger has a difficult task in Greece but is a high-quality player, and Kevin Pangos is looking pretty good in Zalgiris. Erick Green, Norris Cole and Taylor Rochestie are a risk that might pay off handsomely.
From 1m and over: This is where we come across the biggest names in the competition. Nick Calathes and Kostas Sloukas seem like excellent options, while it’s better to avoid very expensive players like De Colo or Shved. In general, this category includes options that look like sure bets but it has two drawbacks. The user is forced to spend a big chunk of the budget and it’s necessary for the player who will be chosen to get a very high ranking or else his price will drop.
Shooting Guards (SG)
From 0 to 700 thousand euros: Jaycee Carroll is rather inexpensive for what he can offer! At the same time, it’s better to avoid Guler and Roll since, even though low-priced, we don’t know the playing time they will get in Fenerbahce and Maccabi respectively.
From 700k to 1m: Kevin Pangos is offered as a… double (PG/SG), which means he can be used as a shooting guard as well. Erick Green, like we said, is a risk that might pay off if he has a good night offensively, while Krunoslav Simon is a player who suits fantasy since he helps in many areas. Vladimir Micov is a question mark on CSKA’s difficult home court…
From 1m and over: Kostas Sloukas is also offered as a PG/SG, so he can be combined with the options that have already been suggested. For those who want to spend a little extra, Luka Doncic is a player who contributes in many areas and who usually raises his ranking.
Small Forwards (SF)
From 0 to 700 thousand euros: There is no small forward that is worth spending less than 700k on.
From 700k to 1m: The predominant choice for the SF position is Edgaras Ulanovas, followed by Hollis Thompson and Krunoslav Simon. However, the Lithuanian forward has a clear advantage compared to the other two.
From 1m and over: After his amazing EuroBasket, Janis Timma is getting ready for his debut in the EuroLeague. The game which will be played in Crete due to Olympiacos’ punishment, will not be easy but the 1.1 mil is worth being spent on the Latvian. Another player who suits fantasy is, of course, Tyler Honeycutt since he scores, gets a lot of rebounds and he usually got high rankings with Efes as well.
Power Forwards (PF)
From 0 to 700 thousand euros: If you want to spend a small amount of money on the power forward position then Leon Radosevic is your man!
From 700k to 1m: The names that stand out in this particular category are those of Brandon Davies, Anthony Gill, Luka Mitrovic, Jeff Brooks and of course, Thomas Robinson!
From 1m and over: The PFs that cost more than 1 million all belong to the top shelf! Fenerbahce’s Jason Thompson is coming off an excellent performance in the Turkish league, while Jankunas and Randolph also seem like very good options. At a slightly higher price, one comes across Printezis and Singleton, but since those mentioned before are cheaper, there’s no reason to spend so much money.
Centers (C)
From 0 to 700 thousand euros: Leon Radosevic is offered as a center as well and so, once again, he’s our main choice. Ilimane Diop has also had a good start to the season but the game against Olympiacos is considered very difficult and his choice is recommended only if there is no more money.
From 700k to 1m: For some inexplicable reason Nikola Milutinov costs only 770k! It goes without saying that he can be chosen not just as a member of the team but also as a captain, which means that his ranking will count double. Aside from that, Thomas Robinson and Othello Hunter are going to find points and rebounds to increase their ranking,
From 1m and over: Three centers, three choices in the same price range. We are going to favor Bojan Dubljevic, Jason Thompson and Artsiom Parakhouski, and we hope they will favor for us too…
The Eurohoops team for the 1st round of the EuroLeague
Taking under consideration all of the above, Eurohoops recommends the following team for the 1st round of the new season. Don’t forget to take part in the Eurohoops league called EurohoopsLeague!
Changes are allowed up to 1 minute before the first round’s jump ball. If there are any changes, you will be notified immediately with a new column by Thursday morning!