By George Orfanakis / info@eurohoops.net
The new EuroLeague season is shaping up to be extremely competitive since the 16 teams have made some strong moves in the transfer market and, as a result, they have created some powerful rosters.
Several clubs, in fact, chose to invest in players from the other side of the Atlantic who are returning to Europe or trying their luck outside the USA for the first time.
Eurohoops looked for and presents here all those EuroLeague players who have at least one game in the NBA under their belts. They are more than what you might imagine…
Anadolu Efes (5 players, 868 games)
Shane Larkin: He is without a doubt the name that stands out in Anadolu Efes. The 25-year-old point guard is getting ready for his second stint in the EuroLeague, but at the same time, he has played in a total of 256 games in the NBA, averaging 5.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists (Nets, Knicks, Celtics, Mavericks).
Derrick Brown: The American power forward’s future in Efes is considered uncertain but it’s a given that the player will not have any trouble finding a team if he has to. Besides, Brown belongs at the top level and, in the past, he has played in the NBA in 171 games, in which he averaged 5.2 points and 2.4 rebounds (Hornets, Knicks).
Rodrigue Beaubois: The French guard is getting ready to get back with Shane Larkin again, as the two of them were teammates in Baskonia in the 2016-2017 season. Beaubois also has experience in the NBA as he played in the colors of the Mavericks in 182 games with decent averages of 7.1 points and 2.1 assists.
James Anderson: The 29-year-old scorer is one of Anadolu Efes’s most important additions this summer. He has proven what he can offer on the court, both in the EuroLeague and the NBA, where he counted 247 appearances with the Spurs, the Sixers, the Kings and the Rockets. The standout season was with Philadelphia when he averaged 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 80 appearances.
Tibor Pleiss: The German center made the decision to play on the other side of the Atlantic but his stint is not considered successful since he played in the colors of the Jazz for just 12 games and averaged 2 points and 1.2 rebounds. Now, he returns to Turkey and it’s certain that he will provide important solutions for Efes.
AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan (3 players, 129 games)
Mike James: The American guard will continue his career in Italy and will undoubtedly be one of Armani Milan’s key players. Besides, Mike James proved with the Suns that he’s a player who can shine even at the top level. In a total of 36 appearances in Phoenix and New Orleans, he averaged 9.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
Nemanja Nedovic: Yet another rocket-propelled guard in Milan! Nedovic decided to leave Malaga and continue in Italy while, in the past, he has played with the Warriors in 24 games, without being especially productive. In Europe, however, he belongs on the top-shelf and is ready to make the difference.
Mindaugas Kuzminskas: The Lithuanian’s rookie season in New York was pretty good with 6.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1 assist on average. After just 69 games, however, Kuzminskas decided to leave the NBA and reinforce Armani Milan in their effort to return to successes outside of Italy.
Buducnost (2 players, 264 games)
Earl Clark: Buducnost are getting ready to make their debut in the EuroLeague and Earl Clark was one of the club’s strongest summer signings. The American has considerable experience on the courts of the NBA, with a total of 261 games and 4.4 points and 3.0 rebounds on average. He has played in the colors of the Magic, the Suns, the Lakers, the Cavaliers, the Nets and the Knicks.
Coty Clarke: Aside from the additional ‘e’ at the end of his name, what separates Coty from Earl is that the former only played in just 3 games in the NBA, and those were with the Boston Celtics.
CSKA Moscow (6 players, 577 games)
Nando De Colo: The NBAers could not be missing from a behemoth such as CSKA Moscow. In the past, Nando De Colo has played in the colors of the Spurs and the Raptors for a total of 119 games and averaged 3.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists.
Sergio Rodriguez: The Spanish playmaker is one of the players with the most extensive experience in the best league in the world. More specifically, Sergio has played in 353 games with the Sixers, the Blazers, the Kings and the Knicks, with 4.9 points and 3.9 assists on average.
Alec Peters: For the power forward position, Dimitrios Itoudis chose a player with a poisonous shot and a stint in the NBA. In his rookie season, Peters played in 20 games with the Suns and, in that time, he managed to get an impressive career high of 36 points!
Cory Higgins: When Michael Jordan in your godfather then you have to have played at least one game in the NBA. Higgins, of course, counts 44 appearances with the Charlotte Bobcats, but his averages (3.7 points) did not reflect his excellent skills.
Othello Hunter: Basketball fans may not know this, but the American center has played on the courts of the NBA. More specifically, he played in the colors of the Hawks from 2008 to 2010 for a total of 23 games, with only 1.4 points and 1.6 rebounds on average.
Joel Bolomboy: The most recent acquisition of CSKA Moscow had a brief NBA stint of 18 games with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Utah Jazz. At 25 years of age, Bolomboy arrived in Moscow to strengthen CSKA’s frontline.
Darussafaka (3 players, 518 games)
Ray McCallum: Ray McCallum is leaving Malaga for Darussafaka and he’s one more EuroLeague player who has competed on the courts of the NBA. The American guard has 154 appearances with the Kings, the Spurs and the Grizzlies, while his averages are 6 points, 2 rebounds and 2.4 assists.
Markel Brown: The American’s second stint in the EuroLeague is a fact! After 113 games (5.2 points, 2.1 rebounds) in the colors of the Nets and the Rockets, Brown is leaving the NBA once again, this time for Darussafaka.
Jeremy Evans: Darussafaka moves quickly to replace Cory Jefferson that parted ways with the team. It’s a transfer that is expected to significantly help the Turkish team since Evans carries an experience of 250 games in the NBA (with the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, Atlanta Hawks) and notable athleticism.
Barcelona (3 players, 651 games)
Kevin Seraphin: His injuries may not have allowed the French center to help Barcelona in his first season but his great skills are a fact. The fact that Seraphin has a total of 423 appearances in the NBA (Wizards, Pacers, Knicks) with 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds on average, is telling.
Chris Singleton: The Catalans made one of the biggest signings of the summer and Chris Singleton is heading to Barcelona to take the frontline to a different level. As for the NBA? His resume includes 148 games with the Wizards and an average of 4.1 points and 3.2 assists.
Victor Claver: Yet another Spaniard on Barcelona’s roster with experience in the magical world. Claver played for the Blazers from 2012 to 2015 in 80 games, with 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds on average.
Fenerbahce (4 players, 611 games)
Jan Vesely: In recent years, Jan Vesely has been a benchmark in Fenerbahce’s frontline while he can also boast that he has passed through the best league in the world. He did that from 2011 to 2014 with the Wizards and the Nuggets, while he averaged 3.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in a total of 162 appearances.
Luigi Datome: The Italian is an amazing shooter who has proven his talent both in Europe as well as the NBA. More specifically, he played in the colors of the Celtics and the Pistons and averaged 3.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 55 games.
Joffrey Lauvergne: One of Fenerbahce’s two signings this summer coming straight from the NBA. Joffrey Lauvergne gained considerable experience with the Nuggets, the Thunder, the Spurs and the Bulls, and after 208 games in the magical world, he returns to the EuroLeague, clearly improved.
Tyler Ennis: As in the case of Joffrey Lauvergne, Tyler Ennis made the decision to leave the NBA in order to play under the instructions of Zeljko Obradovic. The Canadian guard may only be 24 years of age, but he has already played in 186 games in the NBA (Lakers, Bucks, Rockets, Suns), with 4.2 points and 1.9 assists on average.
Gran Canaria (1 player, 33 games)
D. J. Strawberry: Many years have gone by and it makes sense that only a few will remember the American’s stint in the NBA. Yet D. J. Strawberry played in the colors of the Suns in 33 games, scoring an average of just 2.2 points. According to what we know so far in regards to Gran Canaria’s roster, he’s the only one who has played on the other side of the Atlantic.
Khimki (5 players, 422 games)
Alexey Shved: Khimki’s “heavy artillery” has had his own spell in the NBA and, in fact, it was a successful one. Alexey Shved played in the Knicks, the Rockets, the Sixers and the Timberwolves for a total of 182 games and his averages were 7.4 points, 2 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
Malcolm Thomas: Another one of Georgios Bartzokas’s players with experience competing on the other side of the Atlantic. Khimki’s center has played in the Spurs, the Warriors, the Jazz, the Bulls and the Sixers in a total of 40 games, with 1.9 points and 2.4 rebounds on average.
Charles Jenkins: One of the best defenders in the entire EuroLeague! The 29-year-old Jenkins has stepped on the courts of the NBA with the Warriors and the Sixers in a total of 110 games and his stats were 3.7 points and 1.9 assists on average.
Sergei Monia: Yet another European Khimki player with experience in the NBA. Armed with his excellent shooting ability, Sergei Monia played 26 times in the colors of the Blazers and the Kings, averaging 3 points and 2 rebounds.
Jordan Mickey: He’s one of the strongest signings of the summer for Khimki. Jordan Mickey leaves the NBA after three years and 64 games to try his luck in Europe, where he’s expected to play a leading role.