The 2023/24 NBA season has drawn to a close and in the end, the Finals weren’t the drama-filled contest that we were hoping for. The Boston Celtics were the best team in the entire league last season and by some distance, finishing seven wins clear of anybody throughout the regular season before obliterating their opponents in the playoffs. Many hoped that the Dallas Mavierkcs would be able to stand up to the onslaught, but in the end, they were ultimately overawed and simply outmuscled.
The heavyweight duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been dominant throughout the campaign and that continued into the championship series. They were on song as the TD Garden side raced into a 3-0 series lead, and not even a demolition job by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in game four could derail their charge toward the Larry O’Brien. Boston duly wrapped things up in game five, taking the crown back to Beantown for the first time in 16 years and making them the most successful franchise of all time in the process.
However, the recently concluded campaign wasn’t just a blockbuster one for the eventual champions, it was also a stellar one from players from the other side of the pond. Here are the five European players who stole the show in the NBA over the last year.
Nikola Jokic
Serbian behemoth Nikola Jokic had another sensational campaign with the Denver Nuggets, ending with his third career MVP award but unfortunately for him, he was unable to help his side defend the Larry O’Brien. the 2023 champions were ultimately eliminated in the Conference Semifinals at the hands of the Timberwolves, despite the Joker’s best efforts. This time around, the support from Kyler Murray and Co. wasn’t as strong as last year, and the Colorado outfit had to concede their title.
Jokic was top five in the entire league when it comes to both rebounds and assists, sitting in fourth and third place respectively. His points per game average was nothing to be scoffed at either, bagging 28.7, good enough for seventh in the entire league and bringing him close to averaging a triple-double for the season. His pinpoint passes and scoring efficiency made it difficult for any defense to contain him and was a key reason why the Nuggets finished as second seeds on the West Coast.
Next season, however, they will be among to return to championship contention, and the latest odds on basketball betting at Bovada certainly give them a chance. The popular site has made Denver a +700 second favorite for the crown next term, and they will need Jokic firing on all cylinders once more if they are to live up to the billing.
Luka Doncic
It’s scarcely believable that Luka Doncic is still just 25 years of age. Ever since he was drafted with the third overall pick of the 2018 Draft, he has gone on to become one of the finest players in the NBA, and last season was without a doubt his finest yet. He highest the average amount of points per game of anyone in the entire league with a whopping 33.9, 3.5 points more than his nearest competitor. That was helped by the highest individual total in Dallas Mavericks history – and the fourth highest in NBA history – when he dropped 73 on the Atlanta Hawks back in January.
f that wasn’t enough, the Slovenian maestro then led the Mavs kicking and screaming to the Finals for the first time in 13 years. His partnership with Kyrie Irving developed into one of the finest double acts in the league, and the duo combined beautifully in the playoffs to dispatch the star-studded Los Angeles Clippers, the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, and the upstart Minnesota Timberwolves to reach the showpiece series. There, ultimately the Celtics would have too much for them to handle but no one can deny the sensation that Doncic has become, and he is arguably not just the best European player in the league, but perhaps the best player in the entire NBA.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
For years, the Greek Freak has been the jewel in the European crown. Last term was perhaps his weakest in recent memory and he is lucky to come in third place on our list, with Frenchman Victor Wembanyama and Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis both unlucky to miss out. But despite Giaanns and his Bucks coming nowhere close to the championship, their powerhouse still managed an impressive personal campaign.
The 29-year-old finished second in the league in terms of points, averaging 30.4 per game, second only behind the aforementioned Doncic. However, an untimely injury towards the end of the campaign all but ended the Bucks‘ championship hopes before a postseason game was played, with the sixth-seed Indiana Pacers unceremoniously dumping them out in the very first round of the playoffs.