Βy Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
After the presentation of the top ten players of the Euroleague this season, Eurohoops singles out the strongest candidates for the MVP award, evaluates and lets the fans decide.
Immediately after highlighting the top ten according to Eurohoops’ criteria, we present you with the players with the best chance of receiving the MVP award in this year’s Euroleague. From the top ten, we chose the six most dominant, explaining the reason why each of them should receive this distinction.
The substantiation is done purely according to basketball criteria and not based on stats. Readers can choose their own select three from all the players we have chosen to include in the top ten.
Here are the winners of the MVP award of the regular season in previous years:
| Season | Player | Team |
| 2004-05 | Anthony Parker | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2005-06 | Anthony Parker | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2006-07 | Theodoros Papaloukas | CSKA Moscow |
| 2007-08 | Ramunas Siskauskas | CSKA Moscow |
| 2008-09 | Juan Carlos Navarro | Barcelona |
| 2009-10 | Milos Teodosic | Olympiacos |
| 2010-11 | Dimitris Diamantidis | Panathinaikos |
| 2011-12 | Andrei Kirilenko | CSKA Moscow |
| 2012-13 | Vassilis Spanoulis | Olympiacos |
| 2013-14 | Sergio Reodriguez | Real Madrid |
| 2014-15 | Nemanja Bjelica | Fenerbahce |
Laboral Kutxa
Height: 2,10m.
DOB: 17/11/1983
Country: Greece
Why he should be voted the MVP: Ioannis Bourousis is having a dream season that no one could have expected when he was signing with Laboral Kutxa shortly before the start of the season. The Greek center is in the best condition of his 14-year term in the Euroleague in the first season where he feels and is the leader of a team. Perasovic has built the whole team around the experienced center, a rare occurrence in European basketball in the last decade, and has been thoroughly vindicated thanks to Bourousis’s excellent performances throughout the entire season. Not only did he score and get rebounds, he passed really well, creating plays for his teammates. In a team that had a low ceiling when the season was getting under way and inexperienced teammates at this level, Bourousis became the reason that Laboral is going to be in the Final Four in Berlin and this definitely gives him a strong advantage for the MVP award.
Height: 1,95m.
DOB: 23/6/1987
Country: France
Why he should be voted MVP: Nando De Colo wants to become the first player in the history of the competition to win the ‘Alphonso Ford’ award as the top scorer as well as the MVP award. The French guard demonstrated remarkable consistency, led CSKA Moscow throughout the entire season, shot with excellent percentages and dished 4,9 assists in every game. De Colo “read” the game excellently and adapted to every opponent, having the ability to execute either with a drive or from long distance. Furthermore, very often he converted into a streaky shooter, clearing many games for the Russian team. His candidacy for the MVP award is perhaps the strongest, even though the supporting cast that he had is certainly the best compared to the rest of the contenders.
Lokomotiv Kuban
Height: 1,91m.
DOB: 11/3/1989
Country: USA
Why he should be voted MVP: Malcolm Delaney is the best American guard in this year’s Euroleague based on numbers, mentality, impact on the game and leader’s personality. Lokomotiv Kuban’s guard has the third highest average in evaluation points, he’s the fourth best scorer and sixth best passer. However, his candidacy for the Euroleague’s MVP award is reinforced by the fact that he led to the Final Four a team with no tradition in the competition and with teammates without any experience in big Euroleague games. For the entire duration of his European career he was his teams’ top scorer and he stood out for his skills in execution. However, in Lokomotiv he proved that he could function excellently as a creator as well, while in every game he tried to bring out his teammates first and then show what he himself could do.
Height: 1,95m.
DOB: 19/3/1987
Country: Serbia
Why he should be voted MVP: Milos Teodosic won the MVP award in the 2009-10 season, the year his career really took off. Since then he has flirted with the repeat several times but he hasn’t succeeded. In terms of numbers, this season is by far the most productive for the Serbian guard in the Euroleague, while he also has the highest percentage in terms of accuracy in three-point shooting. However, the biggest change in this season for Teodosic is that now he plays much more maturely, works exceptionally well with Nando De Colo, and often works for the team leaving aside his personal distinction. This year’s CSKA relies more on the “we” and less on the “I” and Milos Teodosic’s image points to precisely this shift. His numbers are less impressive than his teammate’s, Nando De Colo, but for so many years CSKA’s guard stood out for his stats and not for his contribution to the group. This year the opposite is true.
Height: 1,97m.
DOB: 18/8/1992
Country: Serbia
Why he should be voted MVP: Bogdan Bogdanovic did not have the highest point average, or the highest ranking. However, he was the definition of the clutch player and the one that decided Fenerbahce’s big games with three excellent performances in the playoff games against Real Madrid. The Serbian guard showed great maturity and improvement in his game throughout the entire season, contributing as much as possible to his team’s balanced game, while also providing significant help defensively as well. In previous years, every one of his appearances was accompanied by the motto “a star is born.” Now, though, the “star is shining and has a leading role”!
Height: 2,08m.
DOB: 20/5/1987
Country: USA
Why he should be voted MVP: Ekpe Udoh is the personification of the player who is the team’s “adhesive,” showcasing excellent performances in defense and offense at the same time. The American center has the highest average in the playoffs, where his role was even more important because of Jan Vesely’s injury. Udoh is one of the best mobile big men in the Euroleague, he made the difference in defense with his athleticism and explosiveness, and in offense he was the ideal partner of Fenerbahce’s guards.