By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
This week’s panel includes Theo Papaloukas, two-time EuroLeague champion and Euroleague Basketball Legend; David Carnicero, EuroLeague announcer for Movistar Plus in Spain; Vladimir Stankovic, veteran journalist and longtime EuroLeague.net collaborator; Drazen Kanazir, Author at Eurohoops.net; and Javier Gancedo, Senior Editorial Manager at EuroLeague.net. Check out their opinions on three questions after Round 17 of the regular season.
1. Who is your favorite EuroLeague rookie from Europe this season?
Theo Papaloukas
I have to confess that it is tough to bring a single player to mind. I am going to pick Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz’s Janis Timma. Aside from the fact that he has good numbers, I believe he is a player who can contribute in many areas. He is athletic, produces energy, gets rebounds, plays defense, can post up and has a very good three-point shot. From the image that I have of the Latvian national team and his great performance last season in the 7DAYS EuroCup with Zenit St. Petersburg, I think he can play even better!
David Carnicero
Vincent Poirier. The French center is another good decision by Baskonia and Mr. Alfredo Salazar, one of the best talent detectors in Europe (see: Luis Scola, Tiago Splitter, Jorge Garbajosa, just to name a few). Poirier is just 24 years old and it barely took him a couple of months to find his rhythm in the EuroLeague. In the last six games, not only he was the Round 12 MVP, but has averaged 11 points, 7.5 rebounds, almost two blocks and a PIR of 18. He intimidates on defense, reads the pick-and-roll well and is a devastating finisher around the rim.
Drazen Kanazir
Latvian forward Janis Timma needed no time to adjust to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and has started 16 of the 17 games for Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz. So far, Timma has averaged 8.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in his first season in the EuroLeague. In Round 11, the Baskonia forward had a career-high 24 points against Unicaja Malaga to lead his team to an 88-82 victory. He is one of the main reasons for their record of eight wins and nine losses, which lands them in ninth place in the standings. As the hunt for the playoffs continues, this rookie’s services will surely come in handy.
Vladimir Stankovic
Vincent Poirier of Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz. He has the numbers to be my favourite European rookie. He only steps on court 17 minutes per night, but averages 7.2 points (with some critical shots!) on 56.7% two-point shooting and 5.1 rebounds. Taking into account that he had only played in France before, he is having a great first experience outside his country. My second choice would be Dejan Davidovac of Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade.
Javier Gancedo
Mathias Lessort of Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade. He is young enough to be eligible for the EuroLeague Rising Star award, but has shown great maturity and self-confidence so far. Lessort is an outstanding offensive rebounder (3.0 rpg.), only trailing Vladimir Stimac of Anadolu Efes Istanbul this season, is shooting with solid percentages (56.1% 2FG) and leads Zvezda in PIR per 40 minutes (21.9). Lessort is a great competitor and a perfect complement for veterans Pero Antic and Milko Bjelica around the baskets.
2. Who is your favorite non-European rookie?
Theo Papaloukas
I am going to go with Norris Cole. Having a two-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat as a rookie on your team is a luxury! He is a quality guard who creates and scores at a good level, he has the ability to make decisions and it is no coincidence that when he plays well, Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv usually wins. I like the fact that he has adapted quickly to the European style of basketball and that he experiences the game with passion. I think that if he invests in his European career, we will see a lot more from Cole.
David Carnicero
Edy Tavares is the best non-European newcomer. Born in Cape Verde, Tavares knew the EuroCup and played it with Gran Canaria. He is showing great maturity in his first two months in the EuroLeague and became a determining factor for his team very quickly. Real Madrid keeps winning and Tavares has been decisive for head coach Pablo Laso in his team’s six-game winning streak. He has improved his PIR record in four consecutive rounds, one after another.
Drazen Kanazir
Dorell Wright is known for knocking down threes, but the 2006 NBA champion can do much more for Brose Bamberg. Since he joined the German champions, the 19th pick of the 2004 NBA draft has put on display his abilities in defense and offense for the fans in Freak City. The forward has scored 11.1 points and grabbed 6.1 boards on average. So far, Wright has attempted 64 three-pointers and made 35.9% of them. Brose was recently called ‘the comeback kids’ and the Los Angeles native has had a lot to do with that.
Vladimir Stankovic
Norris Cole of Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv. He is a great scorer (14.0 ppg.) with almost the same shooting percentages inside (43.8%) and outside the arc (40.5%). He is also averaging 4.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds. In other words, he is an all-around guard. He ranks second in scoring, assists, steals and performance index ranking on a very good Maccabi team, which is inside playoff territory right now.
Javier Gancedo
Norris Cole is still adjusting to a different type of basketball, but has quickly become Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv’s on-court leader. Despite coming off the bench in all the games he has played until now, Cole is averaging 14.0 points on 40.5% shooting from downtown, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 15 games. He has scored in double digits in each of his last six games, reaching 26 in his team’s home win against Zalgiris Kaunas. Cole will probably play even better in the second half of the season, now that he knows what to expect in the EuroLeague.
3. What current LONG-TERM injured player would improve his team the most (biggest positive impact) if he returned now?
Theo Papaloukas
It is true that, especially this season, there are a lot of guys with long-term injuries who will help their teams tremendously when they return. But when Sergio Llull is on this list, the choice is easy! We are talking about last season’s MVP, a guard with great leadership skills and one of the top players in Europe. Between us, Llull has had a positive impact on his team even while he is away, since thanks to his absence, Luka Doncic has made such a big breakout! I am sure that the Slovenian has learned a lot from Llull.
David Carnicero
Not saying Sergio Llull seems to be sacrilegious to me. He was the best player in all competitions he played last season, and he will improve Madrid’s playing level a lot when he returns to the court, no matter how well his team is playing and how high it ranks in the standings. The most decisive player in Europe is in the final stages of his recovery and once he is back, he will multiply Madrid’s chances.
Drazen Kanazir
Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul is the current EuroLeague champion and its greatest strength again this season is the depth of its roster. Nikola Kalinic is a major piece in the rotation of the Turkish powerhouse and he can be assigned the most difficult tasks in defense, but can also score when necessary. Kalinic put up 7.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game on the team’s road to the title at Sinan Erdem Dome last season. The 27-year-old Serb has only two games under his belt in the 2017-18 campaign, but his return would add one more weapon to the champs’ arsenal.
Vladimir Stankovic
I am not sure if he will be back for the final games of this EuroLeague season. If he manages to return to the courts on time, nobody will have a bigger impact than Sergio Llull. He is Real Madrid‘s natural leader, a player able to score a lot of points and hit a lot of critical shots with unlimited range. He can dish assists, grab rebounds and above all, Llull is a winner.
Javier Gancedo
I am going to do with Thomas Robinson of Khimki Moscow Region. He was just unstoppable before his injury, averaging 11.4 points and 7.8 rebounds in nine games despite seeing limited playing time – less than 20 minutes per night. He ranks fifth in PIR per 40 minutes (27.8) and Khimki won five of its opening games with him playing a big role for the team. Moreover, Robinson and Tyler Honeycutt have not played together yet, which can potentially give Khimki the power, athleticism and above-the-rim action it may need to reach the playoffs.
Source: EuroLeague Basketball