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.
Ricky Ledo (Anadolu Efes)
Stats: 7.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.7 PIR
Appearances: 13
Anadolu Efes started out the season with high expectations and one of the reasons was the presence of Ricky Ledo. The American’s offensive talent is a given, however, in the time he played for the Turkish team he lacked consistency.
There were nights when he was excellent, like for example against Barcelona (21 points), but also nights when he made a mess from the perimeter. Efes‘s poor course brought on the replacement of Velimir Perasovic and the arrival of Ergin Ataman drove Ledo out of the team.
In the 13 games, he got to play, the 25-year-old player scored an average of 7.9 points but with the very low 33.8% in two-point shooting and the even worse 26.4% in three-point shooting. Efes essentially was a bad interval in Ledo’s career, even if the sample of games is small.
Cory Jefferson (AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan)
Stats: 3.5 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.6 PIR
Appearances: 13
Cory Jefferson’s collaboration with Armani Milan ended prematurely and this was a development that brought relief for both sides. Essentially, the American only played in the EuroLeague in the first phase of the regular season, counting an average of 3.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in a total of 13 appearances.
The Italians’ disappointing course did not leave the player unaffected and he wasn’t able to help as much as he would’ve liked. The pressure from the sizeable investments that were made in the summer was big, Milan had won just 4 of the first 15 games in the competition and one of the moves that were made was Cory Jefferson’s termination.
Subsequently, the 27-year-old forward played in the G-League in the colors of the Texas Legends, putting up much better numbers (12.6 points, 5.4 rebounds). As in Ledo‘s case, the sample of games is small and so a second stint for Jefferson on a European team would be interesting to watch.
Matt Lojeski (Panathinaikos Superfoods)
Stats: 5.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.6 PIR
Appearances: 27
Matt Lojeski is one of the more special cases of this particular article. His move from Olympiacos to Panathinaikos caused great reactions and filled the Greens’ fans with excitement, as they saw the American leave the “eternal rivals” behind for their favorite team.
Of course, the final judge is the court itself and that’s where Lojeski could have been better. His offensive outbreaks were few, there were games where he disappeared and, in general, he seemed more reluctant compared to the years he spent in Olympiacos. It’s true that the Greens’ fans didn’t get to see the “killer” they were expecting.
At this point, however, we have to acknowledge two redeeming factors. Once again, injuries (foot, calf) got in his way, while the many good shooters that Panathinaikos have didn’t allow him to get the same number of attempts he got before.
In any case, the Greek championship will be decided in the coming weeks and that’s where Lojeski can provide some answers. His percentage in three-point shooting is very high (45.5%) and Pascual included him in the Greek league roster, so he still has the chance to shine.