By Utkan Şahin / info@eurohoops.net
After the conclusion of the 2020-21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season with the Final Four held at Cologne, the focus turns to the players set to become free agents this summer. Our first look was on the playmakers who’ve entered free agency, and now it’s time to shift focus to the shooting guards available on the market.
Strong entries in the free agency, including some of the big protagonists of the 2020-21 EuroLeague season, with many suitors looking after them. Let’s take a closer look!
Note 1: Players with options in their contracts are also included.
Note 2: At the end of the list, you will find all the shooting guards that will be released at the end of the current season.
10 – Errick McCollum (Khimki Moscow)
Age / Country: 33 / USA
EuroLeague Career: 2 seasons – 57 games
Stats: 28 games, 11.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 11.3 EFF
Best Game: 29 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 33 EFF vs Crvena Zvezda
We realize that we are starting the list with a controversial name at number 10.
After all, among the shooting guards expected to be released this summer are EuroLeague legends such as Vassilis Spanoulis and Jaycee Carroll. It may seem like a strange choice to leave them out and choose McCollum, but it is very difficult for them to leave their teams at this point, with their name engraved in Olympiacos and Real Madrid history. Therefore, even if Carroll and Spanoulis are released this summer, they will not be a choice for other teams.
Back to McCollum, it’s been an awfully painful season for Khimki. As many players abandoned the “ship” during the season, the Russian team sank to the bottom of the standings. In such a chaotic environment, of course, the performance and values of the players on the court decreased.
The American guard, who doesn’t need his teammates in the scoring part, scored 11.6 points with good percentages in 28 games he played. Frankly, it’s not a surprise when we consider his past ventures throughout his career.
Teams looking for guards who can come from the sidelines and produce their own score the way McCollum does will surely have him on their radars.
9 – KC Rivers (Zenit St. Petersburg)
Age / Country: 34 / USA
EuroLeague Career: 7 seasons – 200 games
Stats: 37 games, 6.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 4.5 EFF
Best Game: 23 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 26 EFF vs Crvena Zvezda
Looking for an experienced shooting guard who has proven himself time and again? Then KC Rivers might be the name you’ve been looking for.
Rivers, who turned into a big-time role player with Real Madrid, while scoring more purely at the beginning of his career, as you know, found himself outside the EuroLeague two seasons ago.
However, EuroLeague teams quickly woke up from this mistake and made him part of Europe’s best league again. The 34-year-old shooter’s performances in Zalgiris and Zenit proved that he deserved this chance.
Maybe his averages this season weren’t all that impressive, but whenever his team needed shooting and experience, he took the stage. On top of that, experienced American players who know what it means to win such a championship in Europe are not easy to find.