By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
The 2019-20 Basketball Champions League will be completed with a Final Eight starting on September 30th in Athens and all clubs have been working on figuring out the best roster for the tournament as well as to continue straight after it into the next season.
“I think it will be a great start to the season and hopefully a great end to the last season’s Champions League. It’s gonna be awesome. It will be eight teams that want that championship and eight good teams at that. Everyone has added some pieces just to make a run at this title. It’s gonna be a very unique circumstance and all teams will come together for one common goal. That’s what’s gonna elevate the level of play for everyone,” Sam Dekker, who is one of Turk Telekom’s recent additions, said on Eurohoops’ Final Eight Countdown.
In fact, Turk Telekom might have been the team with the most fruitful action in the transfer market during the hiatus.
Aside from Sam Dekker, the Turkish team added Michael Eric, Tyler Ennis and Keifer Sykes while also keeping some key pieces including maybe the most important piece of all – Kyle Wiltjer.
Impressive work indeed and it becomes even more impressive considering that all of those players were also on the radar of other top European clubs.
It’s a good thing looking from that angle, however, making big changes to the roster, and in a short time at that, comes with a price. The squad usually needs more time to ‘click’, develop team chemistry and get on the same page with each other’s style of play as well as the coach’s game plan.
That will certainly be true for the Turk Telekom squad as they go into the BCL Final Eight after just a few preseason games but, although they haven’t been together for long, there are things that could help and speed up their efforts.
The new additions are all experienced players with the luxury of having played at the biggest basketball stages and some of them also have specifically experienced the BCL itself. Keifer Sykes, for example, set records in BCL back in the day with 43 points and 43 PIR as Sigidas Avellino player.
But even more than that, three former NBAers, who are also expected to lead the charge – are connected by their stints in the NBA with the Houston Rockets.
Dekker, Wiltjer and Ennis all played for the Rockets in the 2016-17 season and that experience might be crucial for Turk Telekom going forward, short as well as long term.
Kyle Wiltjer
Long before the coronavirus pandemic stopped basketball around the globe and pushed the season forward schedule-wise, Wiltjer was leading Turk Telekom to its rightful place among the title-contenders in BCL.
He was the main force behind the squad’s run to the top spot in Group A with an 11-3 record, getting past the likes of Sassari, Oostende, Lietkabelis, Manresa, Hapoel Holon, Strasbourg and Torun. After that, they had to overcome Besiktas in the Round of 16, and they did, with a 2-0 sweep.
The 28-year-old center logged averages of 17.9 points on mroe than 50% from the field, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists while also putting on three double-doubles and scoring 30+ points twice.
“Definitely one of my strongest games since I’ve been in Europe. For me, I’ve always been a good scorer, but this year, I’m trying to show my improvement as a rebounder,” he told Eurohoops after one such performance early in the season.
He has earned multiple Team of the Week honors and is undoubtedly in the race for the MVP trophy. Turk Telekom succeeded in no small task to keep him on the squad.
Prior to his first run in BCL and Turkey, Wiltjer played for Unicaja Malaga, Olympiacos and the Houston Rockets as well as the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Sam Dekker
The next ‘Ankara Rocket’ comes in form of Sam Dekker who, although younger, had a longer experience in the NBA.
The 26 years old forward was the 18th pick of the 2015 NBA draft after a stellar NCAA run with Wisconsin and went on to logging 200 NBA games with the Houston Rockets, LA Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Washington Wizards.
Last season was his first in Europe as he joined Lokomotiv Kuban, averaging 12 points and five boards. One of his best games actually came right before the hiatus with 26 points and 11 rebounds against Kalev in VTB League.
He is also aware of the challenge that comes with a brand new squad but believes they are doing well so far and are doing all in their power to be ready for the tournament in Athens.
“It always takes a little bit of time to mesh. I learned from the last year with Loko. We got bounced early on in EuroCup and then I think we won 10 out of 11 in VTB and some really tough games. It’s one of those things, it takes time to really come together. But we’re having an intensive training camp and trying to expedite the process,” Dekker noted.
Tyler Ennis
Last but not least, Tyler Ennis will be looking to impress in his return to Europe after a short 2018-19 stint with Fenerbahce that was cut short by a serious ankle injury. A broken one to be more precise.
Don’t let that worry you and doubt Ennis’ status and potential big performances as he has spent some time coming back. His return to the court after the injury came in the jersey of the Raptors 905 in the G League.
The 26-year-old guard started 42 games for the Raptors 905 averaging 17.2 points, 7.5 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals.
He also logged 11 double-doubles and flirted with a few triple-doubles while also scoring twice more than 30 points. Seems rather healthy, doesn’t he?
Ennis has garnered lots of NBA experience prior to his move to Europe as well, playing a total of 186 games with multiple teams – Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets, and LA Lakers.
Turk Telekom has certainly brought in some major pieces making them, without a doubt, one of the favorites for the BCL title.
However, time doesn’t wait and they will have to step up right from the start as they go against Dijon led by the explosive and clutch scorer in a ‘little guy’ named David Holston.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League