By Nikos Varlas / info@eurohoops.net
Let’s get started for another season! A concept established in Europe by Eurohoops.net regarding the top league and which is, by nature, subjective! It can generate disagreements, objections, agreements, and, above all… interest!
In recent seasons, the choices are becoming even harder and more torturous to make! Because all the good players are packed in 16 teams and the top clubs in Europe have greater depth in their rosters in order to manage the new format of the EuroLeague and the levels of energy it requires. Which makes the ranking very difficult and leaves out of the list of the EuroLeague’s Top 100 players, athletes that could have easily been among our choices.
As we wrote last season, there are at least 50 players who could have been objective and subjective choices, especially between 100 and 80, and we ask for your understanding because, unfortunately, there is not enough room for everyone.
However, we promise that after the first 15 rounds, when we will have a substantial sample by the end of the first phase, we will rank the Top 100 players based on their performance up to that point, and so, any possible mistake will be rectified! You are familiar with our criteria from previous seasons. The only footnote is that, some players who are coming back from a long absence due to injury (for example, Zoran Dragic) were not ranked and that this will happen during the season. With the exception of Sergio Lull, who is in a category of his own!
Criteria
1. The individual quality of the player IN COMBINATION with the role and playing time we anticipate he will get in his team.
2. The strength of the club he plays for. The players of the teams that are in the Top 8 and that are title contenders every season always have an edge because they combine individual quality with their club’s high aspirations.
3. What each player has achieved in his career in the EuroLeague combined with the prospects he has for the 2017-18 season.
#5 Brad Wanamaker (Fenerbahce)
Year of birth: 1989
Height: 1.93m
Position: G
Even higher this season and deservedly so! With Darussafaka, he tallied 16.7 points, 4.6 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals and a PIR of 17.6. A multifaceted guard who scores and creates at a very high level both in set plays as well as on the open court, while at the same time he impacts every area of the game. A full package that combines athletic qualities and rare physical strength, for a guard. This season is the ultimate challenge since, under the instructions of the ever demanding Obradovic, he’s called to take over a leadership role and protect the achievements of his new team: the title!
#4 Sergio Llull (Real Madrid)
Year of birth: 1987
Height: 1.90m
Position: G
We won’t hide that, if he started the season healthy he would quite possibly have been No. 1 on our list! An amazing season on an individual level last year, with 16.5 points, 5.9 assists, a lot of amazing performances and even more amazing shots on target, especially under time pressure! A rocket-fueled guard, a big scorer, an inspired creator and a strong leadership figure. He’s now placed 4th due to his serious injury. We expect him to be back sometime in spring and because he’s Llull, we believe that he has the ability to make the difference as soon as he’s had a few games! We wish him a perfect recovery and a swift return to the courts of the EuroLeague!
#3 Sergio Rodriguez (CSKA Moscow)
Year of birth: 1989
Height: 1.86m
Position: G
Welcome back, “El Chacho”! An artiste of basketball who won’t just fill in the gap left by Milos Teodosic in CSKA, but will also fill in our own void that has been created in the absence of Milos in the most fun-to-watch players. For the first time outside of Spain, the first Spaniard in the history of CSKA Moscow! A charismatic floor manager, his trademark being speed, inspired creation in the pick-and-roll and shooting after a dribble. Our prediction is that he will have over 10 points and 6 assists on average by the end of the season! Players of Rodriguez’s range in a club like CSKA, though, are judged mainly from their performance in the games that determine the title!
#2 Vassilis Spanoulis (Olympiacos)
Year of birth: 1982
Height: 1.93m
Position: G
Successful and wanted like no other player in the league’s modern history! The king, as we saw him in the competition’s promo video for this season. In a season with injuries last year, he tallied 12.7 points and 6.1 assists on average, but mainly he once again found the way to lead his team to yet another final (the fourth in his time in Olympiacos) and only stop at Fenerbahce, who had the home court advantage. A great scorer, a great creator, a clutch player like few others, he makes his teammates and his team better. One of the greatest players in the history of the competition, if he stays healthy and is in form in the spring, he will automatically make Olympiacos capable of anything.