1. What team made the most of January’s double-round week?

Theo Papaloukas

I believe the fair answer is Khimki Moscow Region. It managed to beat both Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade in Serbia and Olympiacos Piraeus in Moscow in an emphatic way in the past week and made a huge step towards qualifying for the playoffs. Now Khimki is in seventh place and three wins ahead of the teams that are out of the top eight. Within a few hours, they built a strong advantage for qualification.

David Carnicero

Khimki Moscow Region made the most of both games this week to get two very difficult wins, against Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and against Olympiacos at home, beating the Reds by 28 points in what was its best game this season. Shved and his teammates bounced back in time after registering three losses in the previous four games. Moreover, these two wins consolidate Khimki as a playoff team and give them a three-game gap over the ninth-ranked team.

Vladimir Stankovic

Those who won both games, of course. Khimki Moscow Region, Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul, CSKA Moscow and AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan. I believe that Milan is the most positive surprise between these five, especially because of its road win against Baskonia in Vitoria, at a difficult court like Fernando Buesa Arena. It proves that Milan is a talented team that is playing strong right now.

Drazen Kanazir

Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul showed impressive consistency the past couple of weeks and has won four games in a row for the second time this season. Zeljko Obradovic’s team got the win in Round 18 over Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens and also won the Istanbul derby against Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the very next round. The defending Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champions have gone from fifth to second place in the standings, just ahead of Olympiacos Piraeus, who have the same record with 13 wins and 6 losses.

Javier Gancedo

CSKA Moscow. Five teams won both games, but CSKA took a two-game gap in first place and managed to hand Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens its first home loss this season. The Russian powerhouse scored 110 points against Anadolu Efes Istanbul, its second-best mark ever in the competition by hitting 18 three-point shots, one shy of the all-time EuroLeague record. The worst news for everyone else is that there is plenty of room for improvement with Leo Westermann coming back.

2. What player has had the most impact so far to start 2018?

Theo Papaloukas

That’s a tough question. There are so many candidates. I’m going to go with Sergio Rodriguez for two reasons. The first is that CSKA Moscow has played four games so far in January and put up excellent performances in three of them. The second and most important reason is that he was the MVP in the win over Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens and he was the one that scored the most crucial basket. With that victory, CSKA gained a two-win lead ahead of their pursuers at the top and conquered a home court on which no other team has won this season.

David Carnicero

Edy Tavares. Real Madrid’s center has been critical to his team’s good results. Madrid started 2018 with three consecutive wins, in which the player from Cape Verde averaged 10.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks for a performance index rating average of 21. Those were the best three games of his EuroLeague career. In his last game in Malaga, Tavares had 6 points and 5 rebounds and Madrid lost. Real Madrid needs its big man.

Vladimir Stankovic

I believe that Alexey Shved was a dominant player in January. In four games, Khimki registered three wins and just one loss. He has scored 99 points, 24.8 per game, and hasn’t had a bad scoring night – 28, 23, 29 and 19 points. There was nobody like him in January!

Drazen Kanazir

Alexey Shved is the absolute go-to-guy for Khimki Moscow Region and the Russian scoring specialist is responsible for the team’s 11 wins so far this season, as well as their current seventh place. Shved led his team to victory over Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade in Serbia with 29 points, which is one the hardest things to do in the EuroLeague. This performance also earned him the MVP honors in Round 18 and the league’s leading scorer with an average of 22.1 points per game was not done. Khimki’s No. 1 also put up 19 points in a huge 82-54 win against Vassilis Spanoulis and company.

Javier Gancedo

Cory Higgins of CSKA Moscow. His season is going quite unnoticed, but he has been instrumental in CSKA’s great run. He is averaging 14 points off the bench in January with excellent, even off-the-charts shooting percentages (77.8% 2FG, 55.6% 3FG, 92.9% FT). Higgins has been unstoppable all season, averaging a career-high 13.8 points per game. He is the only player to average over 60% inside the arc (63.4%), over 45% from downtown (47.9%) and over 80% from the foul line (83.6%). A tremendous sixth man as important as anyone at mighty CSKA.

3. If we see the EuroLeague’s first triple-double in a decade this season, which player is most likely to get it?

Theo Papaloukas

Aside from skill, the triple-double also often depends on the circumstances and the night a player will have. The two players with the most chances, the ones who have come the closest to getting it, are Luka Doncic and Nick Calathes. Do I have to choose one? It’s like flipping a coin! I’ll say Calathes, because he almost did it twice, but was 1 assist and 1 rebound short. If Doncic doesn’t get it before Sergio Llull’s return, it’s going to be even harder to do after he’s back.

David Carnicero

Luka Doncic is the chosen one. He is the Wonder Boy and the triple-double will be the next chapter of a season to remember. Doncic scores, assists and rebounds because it is his nature, without forcing things. Due to his instinct and physical skills, it is not strange at all to see him get 10 rebounds any given night. He has enough points in his hands and assists always depend on his teammates. Seeing which teammates he has around him, it is just a matter of time for him to get his name next to Nikola Vujcic in the triple-double club.

Vladimir Stankovic

Some players have already been close to getting that elusive triple-double. The last one to come really close was Taylor Rochestie of Crvena Zvezda against Khimki – 27 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. I believe that Rochestie, Luka Doncic and Nick Calathes are the top candidates to get a triple-double.

Drazen Kanazir

The EuroLeague’s wonder kid, Luka Doncic, has had an amazing season so far and has filled the gap in the absence of Sergio Llull without any hesitation. The EuroBasket champion has averaged 17.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, and had six games where he could have had finished with a triple-double. With 11 rounds left in the regular season and Real Madrid ranked fourth in the competition, the 18-year-old guard will have plenty of opportunities to register double digits in three different categories.

Javier Gancedo

I have to go with Nick Calathes. He was one rebound shy – 29 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists – against Anadolu Efes Istanbul this season and one assist away – 13 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists – against Brose Bamberg last season. EuroLeague players have reached 10 assists or more 24 times this season. Calathes owns seven of those 24 performances. It is just a matter of time before he gets a well-deserved triple-double as he is one of the most well-rounded players in EuroLeague history.

Source: EuroLeague Basketball

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