By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Well, it’s that time of the year again.
Eurohoops presents the Top 100 EuroLeague Players ahead of the 2018-2019 season. A list of players compiled with some specific criteria with the purpose of tracing and ranking those hoopers that are expected to define the upcoming EuroLeague season.
While there are some objective and factual elements that were taken into consideration when choosing the 100 players and then ranking them, the final result is, inevitably, subjective.
As always, there was a calculated risk with rookies, especially those who are completely unfamiliar with European basketball. Hence why some players who will now take their first steps in EuroLeague have been omitted from the list or where placed in lower positions in comparison with EL rookies that already have a considerable experience at a competitive level of European basketball. Experience in this level and type of game matters since we’ve seen no few quality players, even established NBAers, immensely struggle in their new surroundings simply because of their unfamiliarity with everything that European basketball encompasses.
What should be noted is that a player of a team that is a title or Final Four contender automatically got a relative priority over another with possibly similar or equal, maybe even superior individual strengths. This is why you will find that there is an increased number of players from well-known powerhouses. Of course, there’s also the fact that these teams usually sign a lot of top talent.
It goes without saying that injuries also played a part in picking and ranking the players.
Like every year, the Eurohoops Top 100 Players ranking is based on the following criteria (in this order):
1) The individual quality of each player in combination with the role and playing time we anticipate he will get with his team.
2) The strength of the club he plays for. The players of the teams that are usually playoff staples and are considered among the title contenders always have the edge because they combine individual quality with their club’s high aspirations.
3) What each player has achieved in his career in the EuroLeague, combined with the prospect he carries for the 2018-19 season.
The countdown continues with the spots from 20-11. Here are the 30-21, 40-31, 50-41, 60 – 51, 70 – 61, 80 – 71, 90 – 81, plus the 100 to 91 picks.
20. Thomas Heurtel (Barcelona)
Year of birth: 1989
Position: Guard
Height: 1.89 m.
2017-2018 stats: 11.3 points, 6.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds in 23:38 minutes per game with Barcelona in EuroLeague.
There has never been any question regarding Thomas Heurtel’s dime-dropping skills. The French guard is one of the most prolific passers of the modern EuroLeague era since, at 29 years of age, he stands at the fourth spot at all-time assist leaders, and can easily be at the top in two seasons by now. His ability to unlock the opposing defense and find the open man is uncanny and a lot of his passes are pure highlight material. He has consistently been well above the “10 points/5 assists avg.” combination in EuroLeague, getting buckets as easily as he sends out assists.
What’s left then?
For his team to see some form of EuroLeague success. In this case, for Barcelona to return to the Final Four.
Heurtel displayed leadership with Barcelona in the previous season by propelling the team to the Copa Del Rey title and winning MVP. A result also of the “Pesic effect” that Heurtel has admitted it helped him not only in refining his playmaking but also put more effort in defense (which has always been his Achilles’ heel and an element that opposing teams have exploited). EuroLeague, however, is a different, more demanding scenario and Heurtel, together with newcomer Kevin Pangos have lots of job as the team’s masterminds in order to guide the Blaugrana back to the playoffs, for a start.
Heurtel is going to share the floor with the Canadian All-EuroLeague guard a lot and that’s one backcourt pair we can’t wait to see in 2018-2019.
19. Shane Larkin (Anadolu Efes)
Year of birth: 1992
Position: Guard
Height: 1.82 m.
2017-2018 stats: 4.3 points, 1.8 assists, 1.7 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game with the Boston Celtics in the NBA.
Shane Larkin’s season with Baskonia should be used as a blueprint for adjusting to EuroLeague basketball. The American guard had a phenomenal assimilation to a type of game previously completely unknown to him, finishing 2016-2017 with 13.1 points, 5.7 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game and making himself a coveted player in offseason. He earned an NBA return and, one year later, he’s back in EuroLeague with Anadolu Efes.
Honestly, this is one of the top moves that the Efes front office has done in recent years. Larkin has proven himself a highly competent floor-manager of a team of Final Four aspirations, and a super swift guard who can score and dish out assists with equally potent results. He could easily play in the starting 5 of a powerhouse and a title contender and while Efes is not there yet, his role is to get them back to at least EuroLeague’s Top 8.
Among those who will help him in achieving this is his Baskonia partner in crime Rodrigue Beaubois. Their successful cooperation shall be a major factor in Efes’ road towards a playoff return.