By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
The EuroLeague is full of thrills and every new season becomes even more competitive and bright, and attracts larger masses of people in its basketball embrace! The best teams in Europe, the best athletes from all over the world who play in Europe, all together in an absolutely consuming league of 30 rounds. And all this before we even get to the battles of the playoffs and the climax of the Final Four!
There are many ways you can determine how good a league is. One of those is to look at the players who decide to continue their career in the EuroLeague.
The summer of 2017 was full of new arrivals of excellent players appearing now in the EuroLeague for the first time. Some are coming from a noteworthy career in the NBA, others are extremely talented with important experience in the NCAA, and still others young guys who have all the credentials to attract everyone’s attention in the coming years.
The newcomers who are worth keeping an eye on are truly many! Eurohoops chose to pick out 10 names and presents them to you here!
Ricky Ledo 1992 1m.97 Anadolu Efes Istanbul
A rookie with remarkable offensive talent, speed and athletic qualities. He was the revelation last season in the competitive Turkish League, where he emerged as the top scorer, with 21.2 points on average, while playing for Yesilgiresun Belediye. In two appearances so far for Efes, he has an average of 13 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3 assists. But he can play much better and improve his percentages and effectiveness. He needs to learn how to read the game better, make better decisions and get more experiences at the top level of the EuroLeague. He has the talent to deliver the goods, and after suffering a bad start with a 0-4 record, Efes needs him.
Jordan Theodore 1989 1m.83 AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan
The Seton Hall graduate is coming from a breakout season with Banvit BK Bandirma. After wandering around in several leagues in Europe and around the world, he managed to get to the top level! He’s had a great start to his first season in the EuroLeague (10.6 points, 5.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals) and he looks like he can contribute a lot to Simone Pianigiani’s team. He has creativity, scoring, a will to win, and also character at critical moments of games. His trajectory looks a little like Ali Muhammed’s at Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul, and it remains to be seen how far he can go!
Errick McCollum 1988 1m.98 Anadolu Efes
Yet another notable scorer who, despite being known for his work on European courts, has made his debut in the EuroLeague just this season! Twice the top scorer in the Chinese League, in 2016 McCollum became the MVP and champion of the 7DAYS EuroCup in the colors of Galatasaray Istanbul! He’s had a very strong start, scoring 26 points against Real Madrid and 20 against Valencia Basket, but then didn’t continue accordingly when he went up against Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul and CSKA Moscow. Without a doubt, he’s one of those players who can have great nights on offense, but those need to be combined with positive results for Efes, which is having problems at the start of the season.
Hollis Thompson 1991 2m.03 Olympiacos Piraeus
Yet another EuroLeague rookie with years of experience in the NBA. The American can deliver both as a guard and as a small forward. The first signs he has shown are excellent. He has clicked harmoniously with Olympiacos’s system, he contributes in every area of the game. What’s most impressive is that he approaches the game with a purely European mindset. He lets the game come to him, without forcing situations and plays. In 4 games so far he counts 9.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2 assists on average. He’s already an honorary member of the very good chemistry that the Reds seem to have for yet another season.
Dorell Wright 1985 2m.06 Brose Bamberg
In his EuroLeague debut with Bamberg, without even really knowing the names of his teammates yet, he had a considerable impact in the win over Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz, with 13 points and 5 rebounds! A player with a considerable service of over 10 years in the NBA (straight out of high school), with big records in scoring and three-point shooting (as a player for the Golden State Warriors, where he had an average of 16.4 points in the 2010-11 season) and the youngest player on the roster of 2006 champions, Miami Heat! At 32 years of age, he’s still a high-quality forward who knows the game well and who can help Andrea Trinchieri’s team a great deal. Without a doubt, he deserves a spot among the newcomers you should keep an eye on!
Jason Thompson 1986 2m.11 Fenerbahce Dogus
An NBA veteran who has the difficult task of filling Ekpe Udoh’s shoes, he was selected with a high pick, 12th overall, in the 2008 draft of 2008 by the Sacramento Kings, where he played for most of his years in the USA, and this summer Zeljko Obradovic trusted him. A center who can contribute in all areas, he finishes well close to the basket and has a very reliable midrange shot. Obradovic surely wants a bigger impact from him on defense and rebounding, but time will work in his favor. A quality addition to the frontline for the team that wants to defend its title this season!
Thomas Robinson 1991 2m.08 Khimki Moscow Region
Another addition to the list of players who have great quality and a long track record that chose to continue their career in the EuroLeague this season! At 26 years of age, Robinson joined Khimki in order to offer some emphatic reinforcement in the paint! Even from his first games, without needing adjustment time, he’s been scoring with great consistency (13.8 points) and getting rebounds (6.8) with ease. He’s a big man of known value who was chosen with the No. 5 pick in the 2012 draft by the Sacramento Kings and who makes Khimki’s roster even more talented and promising for the future!
Norris Cole 1988 1m.88 Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv
Another NBA champion – two times with the Miami Heat, in 2012 and 2013 – join forces with the EuroLeague and dreams of conquering it! With a great college career at Cleveland State (where his jersey number 30 was retired last year) and a seven-year stint in his country’s league, he can develop into a go-to guy for Maccabi. He is a guard who can do everything on the court. A good scorer (13.2 points and 4.6 assists in his first 5 games) and creator, a capable defender and, above all, he has the character, the experience and the leadership skills to take over a major role in Maccabi.
Jordan McRae 1991 1m.98 Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz
A true scorer from whom we haven’t seen anything yet! He suffered an injury before the start of the season and made his debut in the EuroLeague against Brose Bamberg. A graduate of the University of Tennessee, throughout his career so far he’s is proving to be a player with strong attacking instincts who, when he gets into a rhythm, becomes a pain in the neck for any defense. His scoring record in the D-League in the USA is 61 points, while as a player for the Cleveland Cavaliers he registered his record in the NBA with 36 points in a game against the Detroit Pistons! Baskonia hasn’t had a good start to the season, McRae was injured, but there are many games ahead for him to prove that he’s a player worth watching!
Thanasis Antetokounmpo 1992 2m.01 Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens
A different kind of player than the others, but a very interesting one! The Greek Freak’s brother, after last year’s experience in the ACB league with BC Andorra, is in his rookie season with Panathinaikos. He’s a player who has a lot of room for improvement in all areas and who, in the future, can evolve into an extremely useful small forward. At the same time, he’s a highlight-producing machine, thanks to his rare athletic qualities! An excellent defender, he’s dynamite in the open court. Even though his current role with the Greens is complementary, he has found the way to contribute 3.5 points and 2 rebounds in an average of just 8 minutes and to function as a game-changer with the energy he produces on the court.