By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Eurohoops presents the Top 100 EuroLeague Players ahead of the 2021-22 season. It’s a list that was compiled with some specific criteria with the purpose of tracing and ranking those hoopers who are expected to define the upcoming EuroLeague season.
Editors from the international, Turkish, Greek and Spanish edition of Eurohoops selected the 100 players and ranked them after a certain procedure that included a lot of agreements and even more disagreements before a final consensus was reached. While there are some objective and factual elements/data that were taken into consideration when choosing the 100 players and then ranking them, the final result is, inevitably, subjective.
The list was compiled based on the rosters and moves as they were presented on the official EuroLeague website. Some cases, such as OJ Mayo, aren’t included as the list had been made before their official addition.
This year the primary criterion that determined the ranking was the momentum that a player may be carrying from the 2020-21 EuroLeague (or another European competition) as he’s heading into the new season. A decision was taken to focus on and reward a player’s individual performances, especially if his contribution lifted his team to certain EuroLeague heights.
In contrast, a player’s past achievements and overall legacy was taken in account far less than in our previous Top 100 features.
As always, there was a calculated risk with EuroLeague newcomers, 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 “rookies” that already have a certain 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.
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. The higher the team’s projection for the upcoming season, the more boost a player got when it comes to his ranking and 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 acquire top talent.
There are a few cases where a player’s overall value and proven capacity to deliver big, counterbalanced numbers and stats as well as age, that otherwise wouldn’t justify his position.
It should be noted that the place an “x player” gets on the list doesn’t necessarily mean that he is overall “better” than another player since there’s a multitude of factors – some that matter more than others – that determine the final ranking.
40. Dyshawn Pierre (Fenerbahce Beko)
Year of birth: 1993
Position: Guard/Forward
Height: 1.98 m.
2020-21 stats: 9.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists in 24:10 minutes over 36 EuroLeague games with Fenerbahce
A fan favorite: It’s not easy to gain the appreciation of Fenerbahce Beko fans, not to mention completely winning them over. Dyshawn Pierre managed to do so just a couple of months into his first season with the Turkish powerhouse by being an extremely dedicated hard-worker on both ends of the floor. A versatile, two-way contributor, Pierre is a multi-tool who can boost his team’s game in multiple ways and the kind of player who Sasha Djordjevic is probably really happy to have found on the team.
39. Sasha Vezenkov (Olympiacos Piraeus)
Year of birth: 1995
Position: Forward
Height: 2.06 m.
2020-21 stats: 11.5 points, 5.4 rebounds in 23:35 minutes over 31 EuroLeague games with Olympiacos
Gaining ground: We’ve mentioned that a player’s momentum ahead of the new season is the top (but not the only) factor that ranks him in this Top 100. Sasha Vezenkov simply oozes momentum after a strong 2020-21 finale and as the new EuroLeague season approaches. The Bulgarian forward shall be taking up the torch from Giorgos Printezis as Olympiacos‘ main pillar in the “4” position and be one of the main offensive weapons for the Reds, providing legit threat from all corners of the court.
38. Rokas Giedraitis (Baskonia)
Year of birth: 1992
Position: Forward
Height: 2.00 m.
2020-21 stats: 12.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists in 28:50 minutes over 34 EuroLeague games with Baskonia
Confirming his status: Rokas Giedraitis scored in double figures in the last 12 games of the regular season and when Baskonia was making the final push to make the playoffs. He actually averaged 15.8 points during that stretch, including some strong performances against Panathinaikos (a win) and Efes (an overtime loss), being one of the most reliable players of the Basque side in such a crucial period. The funny thing is that there’s still a lot more room for improvement for Giedraitis who can be an unstoppable scoring dynamo when he’s letting his talent flow.
37. Nemanja Nedovic (Panathinaikos Athens)
Year of birth: 1991
Position: Guard
Height: 1.92 m.
2020-21 stats: 16.0 points, 3.7 assists in 26:05 minutes over 25 EuroLeague games with Panathinaikos
“Healthy, I can achieve anything”: Nemanja Nedovic was extremely confident that he will be in top notch shape in his debut season with Panathinaikos and that he will return to form with the Greens. He did indeed since after warming up early in the season, he proceeded to deliver multiple scoring shows, bombard opposing baskets, and winning a couple of weekly MVPs when his performances were combined with victories. With a healthy Nedovic on board, Panathiniakos can also achieve many things and a much expected return to playoffs should be a good start.
36. Vincent Poirier (Real Madrid)
Year of birth: 1993
Position: Center
Height: 2.13 m.
2020-21 stats: 8.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks in 20:25 minutes over 13 ACB games with Real Madrid
Another return from the NBA: The NBA experience didn’t really go as planned for Vincent Poirier and ended up with him being frustrated with the lack of playing time and opportunities. He will definitely get a lot of play and an chance to win titles with Real Madrid that brought him back in Europe and his familiar EuroLeague and ACB. His games in Spain have shown that he can resume the role he previously had as one of EuroLeague’s most imposing figures inside the paint and a true force of a center.
35. Nigel Williams-Goss (Real Madrid)
Year of birth: 1994
Position: Guard
Height: 1.91 m.
2020-21 stats: 17.9 points, 6.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 2.4 steals in 31:13 minutes over 13 VTB League games with Lokomotiv Kuban
Back in EuroLeague: And with the team against which he had his finest game in the competition. Nigel Williams-Goss capitalized on a highly productive run with Lokomotiv Kuban by earning one mighty promotion and signing with Real Madrid. Being more experienced in top-level European basketball than he was in his EuroLeague rookie year on Olympiacos and carrying the lessons from his Utah Jazz experience, Williams-Goss is up of the challenge that is being a floor general for a top EuroLeague contender.
34. Jordan Mickey (Zenit St. Petersburg)
Year of birth: 1994
Position: Forward/Center
Height: 2.03 m.
2020-21 stats: 15.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks in 28:52 minutes over 28 EuroLeague games with Khimki Moscow
In his natural position: It was important for Jordan Mickey to be part of a winning team this upcoming season and it also mattered a lot to him to spend more time as a “4”, a position he believes it is the ideal for him to best unfold his talent. He’s going to get both on Zenit St. Petersburg as one of the numerous new additions the club made over the summer and use his strong finishers and energetic defense to help his new team possibly make it to the next level in EuroLeague.
33. Jordan Loyd (Zenit St. Petersburg)
Year of birth: 1993
Position: Guard
Height: 1.93 m.
2020-21 stats: 17.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists in 27:20 minutes over 29 EuroLeague games with Crvena Zvezda
Climbing up: Jordan Loyd made one of the biggest leaps in this Top 100 since he was ranked 82nd in last year’s feature. He went on to become one of EuroLeague’s most lethal weapons and take over the top of the competition’s scoring board for months to ultimate finish the season with the third-best average in points despite some problems with COVID-19. It’ll be fun to see how Xavi Pascual will implement his game on Zenit’s system where Loyd may not have the protagonist’s role he had on Crvena Zvezda but will still be a pivotal aspect of the team’s offense.
32. Rodrigue Beaubois (Anadolu Efes)
Year of birth: 1988
Position: Guard
Height: 1.90 m.
2020-21 stats: 10.6 points, 1.8 assists in 21:24 minutes over 38 EuroLeague games with Anadolu Efes
More mature than ever: Rodrigue Beaubois was never as efficient and at the same time beneficial for his team throughout his EuroLeague career, as he was last season for Efes. While he registered new personal records in 3-pointers made (70) and shooting the ball better than he ever had (49.3 percent on 3-pointers), he paired his usual scoring prowess with some of the finest defense he’s ever displayed. He was a key of Efes‘ championship run and he’ll continue to be one in the next season.
31. Ioannis Papapetrou (Panathinaikos)
Year of birth: 1994
Position: Forward
Height: 2.03 m.
2020-21 stats: 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists in 30:39 minutes over 27 EuroLeague games with Panathinaikos
Established as leader: Several EuroLeague clubs (including Zenit St. Petersburg and Anadolu Efes) eyed Ioannis Papapetrou after the best season of his career. The Greek forward ultimately stayed with Panathinaikos, much to the rejoice of the team and its fans. Papapetrou is entering his fourth year with the Greens and he has fully embraced the role of the leader and being the core of the squad’s offense. The goal, and responsibility, is to push Panathinaikos out of the slump of the last couple of years and send the team back at the playoffs.