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.
30. Jalen Reynolds (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
Year of birth: 1992
Position: Forward/Center
Height: 2.07 m.
2020-21 stats: 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds in 21:06 minutes over 39 EuroLeague games with Bayern Munich
A different kind of comeback: Maccabi Tel Aviv probably didn’t have any cause to keep Jalen Reynolds after the end of the 2019-20 season but had all the reasons in the world to welcome him back with open arms and likely a very big hug now. And that’s because Reynolds is coming off his breakthrough year in EuroLeague, a fantastic, absolutely dominant run with Bayern Munich that included MVP performances at the home of powerhouses and him helping the club make its first ever playoffs appearance.
29. Kyle Hines (Olimpia Milano)
Year of birth: 1986
Position: Center
Height: 1.98 m.
2020-21 stats: 7.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists in 24:19 minutes over 40 EuroLeague games with Olimpia Milano
A category of his own: Numbers will never, ever do justice (heck, you could pretty much tear the stats sheet in his case) to how important Kyle Hines is for his team. And we are talking about the leadership on and off the court, the inspiration that he transmits to his teammates and, of course, the massive and masterful, defensive impact. He boosted Milano to become a winning team and it was his block that sealed the club’s return to the Final Four after 29 years. An achievement that also made him a Final Four recordman.
28. Marko Guduric (Fenerbahce Beko)
Year of birth: 1995
Position: Guard/Forward
Height: 1.96 m.
2020-21 stats: 12.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists in 25:46 minutes over 21 EuroLeague games with Fenerbahce
15-3: That was Fenerbahce’s record in the EuroLeague regular season with Marko Guduric on the floor. The Serbian player’s name became synonymous to “win” following his return to Fener since his presence was combined with an absolute transformation for the Turkish side that was at 5-10 and in actual danger of missing the playoffs before his arrival. Guduric provided another dimension to Fener‘s offensive game and is expected to carry on that role – maybe even expand it – next season.
27. Mario Hezonja (Unics Kazan)
Year of birth: 1995
Position: Guard/Forward
Height: 2.03 m.
2020-21 stats: 14.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals in 22:41 minutes over eight EuroLeague games with Panathinaikos
Still in “Green” but in Russia: Mario Hezonja will continue wearing his beloved green colors but not for Panathinaikos since the offseason saga ended with him being signed by EuroLeague returnee Unics Kazan. Hezonja certainly made a strong impression in his short EuroLeague run with PAO and now looks locked and loaded to become Unics’ undisputed leader. He’ll rain buckets and if his superstar talent and poise will also translate into results, then Unics will get a significant kick into possibly making it to the next level in the competition.
26. Sergio Rodriguez (Olimpia Milano)
Year of birth: 1986
Position: Guard
Height: 1.91 m.
2020-21 stats: 9.7 points, 4.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds in 19:56 minutes over 37 EuroLeague games with Olimpia Milano
A slight downgrade from last year: This was the first season since 2012-2013 that Sergio Rodriguez didn’t finish in double figures. That had less to do with him and more with the fact that Milano had plenty of people who took over scoring duties, letting Chacho take care more of the playmaking side of things and being the team’s conductor. Rodriguez’s role was never restricted to one thing of course and the Spanish guard will continue power Milano’s offense in every way imaginable.
25. Krunoslav Simon (Anadolu Efes)
Year of birth: 1985
Position: Guard/Forward
Height: 1.97 m.
2020-21 stats: 10.3 points, 3.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds in 26:36 over 35 EuroLeague games with Anadolu Efes
Like fine wine: Krunoslav Simon has been rewriting and elevating the definition of a “glue guy” year by year It’s not only that he has been so bloody good and consistent individually, but mostly how well everyone arounds him performs thanks also to his presence and how excellent he’s clicking with the power duo of Vasilije Micic and Shane Larkin. He won’t hesitate to step up when the ball is “hot” as he showed marvelously in Game 5 of the playoffs with an outstanding clutch shot that opened Efes‘ door to the Final Four. And we all know what happened there.
24. Achille Polonara (Fenerbahce Beko)
Year of birth: 1991
Position: Forward
Height: 2.02 m.
2020-21 stats: 12.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists in 29:47 minutes over 33 EuroLeague games with Baskonia
“If the EuroLeague MIP doesn’t exist, Polonara made it necessary to invent it”: Apologies to Voltaire for modifying his most famous quote a bit (a lot) but that’s how it is for Achille Polonara. The man was just so insanely improved in comparison with 2019-20 (his debut season in EuroLeague) that the competition could very well establish the award for his sake and to reward this outstanding metamorphosis. Polonara pretty much exemplified what the complete, near-perfect package of the power forward position looks like to attract the attention of Fenerbahce that brought him to Istanbul in one of the top offseason moves overall.
23. Marius Grigonis (CSKA Moscow)
Year of birth: 1994
Position: Guard/Forward
Height: 1.98 m.
2020-21 stats: 13.4 points, 3.3 assists, 2.1 rebounds in 27:38 minutes over 34 EuroLeague games with Zalgiris Kaunas
A superstar in the making: Without any injuries blocking his way (as it happened in 2019-20), Marius Grigonis was free to fully unleash his offensive charisma and amply display the scoring dynamo he is. There were few things that opposing defenses could do against Grigonis – one of the most difficult players to guard in EuroLeague – when he got his rhythm going, packed with an abundance of weapons in his arsenal and a clutch ability that he displayed time and again. His transfer to a contender like CSKA Moscow was simply a natural next step in the Lithuanian player’s career.
22. Malcolm Delaney (Olimpia Milano)
Year of birth: 1989
Position: Guard
Height: 1.91 m.
2020-21 stats: 11.6 points, 3.5 assists, 2.6 rebounds in 24:55 minutes over 32 EuroLeague games with Milano
“Playoff Delaney”: Olimpia Milano used that as a headline for one of its stories during the playoff series against Bayern Munich and for a good reason. Malcolm Delaney significantly raised the level of his game in the postseason and nearly finished the job for his team in Game 4 instead of 5. Either via his scoring, passing or game-winning plays, Delaney was a basic contributor in Milano’s best EuroLeague season in ages that marked the team’s return to the Final Four and re-entry to the group of powerhouses.
21. Brandon Davies (Barcelona)
Year of birth: 1991
Position: Center
Height: 2.08 m.
2020-21 stats: 12.0 points, 4.5 rebounds in 21:23 minutes over 35 EuroLeague games with Barcelona
A playoffs hero: Barcelona lost in Game 1 of the quarterfinal series against Zenit St. Petersburg and was facing the serious possibility of being eliminated. Enter Brandon Davies who went on to post 22 points and eight rebounds in the overtime win of Game 2 and exactly the same numbers (team-highs in both cases) in the Game 3 road victory that turned the series completely around for his team. But this isn’t not just about Davies’ playoff feats, since the American center overall improved his numbers and game to be a pillar for Barcelona on both ends and one of the main reasons the Blaugrana was the best defensive team in EuroLeague.