Βy George Orfanakis / info@eurohoops.net
Every summer, enhancing the team with new transfers is the most important topic of discussion among a team’s coaching staff and the management.
Each team tries to secure those additions that will take them to a higher level and American players are always in demand. Besides, the US market is huge and there is plenty of talent.
There are times, however, when things don’t go according to plan and those transfers don’t perform as expected. Lack of chemistry and difficulties in adjusting are two of the main causes for that.
Eurohoops presents 5 cases of American athletes who played in EuroLeague teams this season but weren’t able to satisfy with their performance…
Hollis Thompson (Olympiacos Piraeus)
Stats: 5.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.9 PIR
Appearances: 28
The arrival of Hollis Thompson at Olympiacos made the team’s fans happy, since they saw a former NBAer with 265 games worth of experience and an average of 7.7 points, choosing to play for the Reds.
At the same time, information from the other side of the Atlantic spoke of a very good shooter, especially from the three-point line, with the ability to drive and an aptitude for scoring.
The reality, however, was different, as the American never fit in Ioannis Sfairopoulos’s plans. Improvement didn’t come with time, and his playing time and stats gradually went down. It’s telling that, in the 2nd half of the season, Thompson wasn’t able to score a double-digit number of points, while he shot a very low 26.5% in the competition.
Now, Olympiacos will have to “axe” two foreign players for the upcoming Greek League playoffs and the American forward is one of them.
Phil Pressey (FC Barcelona Lassa)
Stats: 4.4 points, 2.1 assists, 4.3 PIR
Appearances: 18
Phil Pressey isn’t just some random player. On the contrary, he’s a very good unit that wasn’t able to acclimate in Barcelona and never got into a rhythm so that he could show what he’s capable of.
If you’re wondering what that is, it’s enough to know that in the D-League, the American point guard had an average of 18 points and 8.1 assists, while in the past he had 148 appearances in the NBA with the Celtics, the Sixers and the Suns.
His performances, body type and game style got him misidentified in the minds of many fans with Shane Larkin, but on the court, his presence was not as good. Pressey didn’t get a steady role, he played in 18 games in the EuroLeague and his 4.4 points and 2.1 assists in no way reflect his real talent.