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.
10. Nicolo Melli (Olimpia Milano)
Year of birth: 1991
Position: Forward
Height: 2.05 m.
2020-21 stats: 3.0 points, 2.7 rebounds in 12.6 minutes over 45 NBA regular season games with the New Orleans Pelicans and the Dallas Mavericks
A fine, brand new Red Shoe: Nicolo Melli is back in EuroLeague after two uneventful seasons in the NBA where he couldn’t find a satisfactory role or playing time despite his high quality characteristics. Milano made a big effort to acquire him and then also named him co-captain (together with Sergio Rodriguez) to basically unofficially “christen” him the team’s leader. It doesn’t matter what took place in the NBA because Melli is a certified beast of a player in EuroLeague, a forward who can impact the game in so many ways and a guy thirsty and ambitious to win his first EuroLeague championship. His drive is also shared by the rest of Milano players who will want to take the next step and go all the way to the top after making the Final Four last season.
9. Cory Higgins (Barcelona)
Year of birth: 1989
Position: Forward
Height: 1.95 m.
2020-21 stats: 13.1 points, 2.4 assists, 2.2 rebounds in 26:35 minutes over 39 EuroLeague games with Barcelona
The definition of clutch: After creating an iconic EuroLeague moment by hitting the game-winner against Olimpia Milano in the semifinal (his own version of The Shot), Cory Higgins was ready to close the case in the final. He proceeded to deliver one of his top performances of the season in the championship game but the Blaugrana fell to Anadolu Efes. It was not surprising at all that Barca went on to sign him to an early contract extension this summer in order to secure his services for three more years since he’s simply an invaluable part of the team’s core and he has the “right stuff” that can lead the club to the promised land. Higgins’ offensive prowess, commitment in defense, validated clutch gene and championship pedigree are all essential for his team in its pursuit for the much coveted EuroLeague crown.
8. Will Clyburn (CSKA Moscow)
Year of birth: 1990
Position: Forward
Height: 2.01 m.
2020-21 stats: 14.0 points, 3.8 rebounds in 26:15 minutes over 31 EuroLeague games with CSKA Moscow
A powerful re-entry: Not only did Will Clyburn come back strong from a torn ACL but actually scored more (and rather efficiently: 52.0 percent on 2-pointers, 36.4 on 3-pointers) than ever before in his EuroLeague career, despite having to go through an injury halfway through the season. He stepped up big time in the playoffs and particularly in Game 3 when he went berserk with a career-high 34 points as CSKA made it to yet another Final Four. Clyburn was basically once again a player of vital importance for CSKA and a main reason that his team tied with Barcelona for the best record in EuroLeague despite certain departures (Mike James) and numerous other problems.
7. Edy Tavares (Real Madrid)
Year of birth: 1992
Position: Center
Height: 2.20 m.
2020-21 stats: 11.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.8 blocks in 26:01 minutes over 36 EuroLeague games with Real Madrid
More dominant than ever: Edy Tavares won his second straight EuroLeague Defensive Player of the Year to the surprise of no one. Hey, it would’ve been the third straight if the previous season wasn’t canceled due to COVID-19. Tavares’ absolute domination over his opponents on the defensive end was, more or less, a given. What was interesting to see in the previous season was how the Cape Verdean big man excelled when he was called to assume more scoring responsibilities. With Anthony Randolph (Real’s top scorer for two years in a row) done for the season and Facu Campazzo now enjoying the mountains of Colorado, Pablo Laso just had to make Tavares the focal point on offense, which yielded results. He took more attempts than ever and made the most out of them, emerging as the leading scorer for a team that had to fight against several injury issues and, of course, losing two Argentinians (yep, Gabriel Deck left too) core players to the NBA in the same season (how often does that happen?).
6. Jan Vesely (Fenerbahe Beko)
Year of birth: 1990
Position: Forward/Center
Height: 2.13 m.
2020-21 stats: 13.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists in 28:08 minutes over 31 EuroLeague games with Fenerbahce
A cornerstone for Fener once more: There were moments throughout 2020-21 when Jan Vesely‘s performances were compared to his EuroLeague MVP season of 2019. Well, honestly, he sometimes played even better than that. Vesely turned the switch on around December and proceeded to deliver flawless, near-perfect, all-around performances while Fenerbahce was moving from a nightmare beginning back to playoff mode. His absence in the first two games of the quarterfinals against CSKA was a major blow for the Turkish side since his presence could’ve been a series-changing factor. That’s history now of course and Fener will looking to bounce back with some interesting summer additions and Vesely possibly in the most mature phase of his career.
5. Nando De Colo (Fenerbahce Beko)
Year of birth: 1987
Position: Guard
Height: 1.96 m.
2020-21 stats: 15.8 points, 3.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds in 27:30 minutes over 32 EuroLeague games with Fenerbahce
Without a single sweat: In an interview with Eurohoops (nice job Bugra Uzar), Fenerbahce newcomer Pierria Henry praised Nando De Colo for scoring 30 (it was actually 27) against him last year in a performance that was “as if he wasn’t struggling at all.” Well, it’s true Pierria. De Colo can still make it look so ridiculously easy while it isn’t, can finish a game with 30 points and the opposing defense will be baffled as to what hit them so hard and how or when it happened. There’s probably no other player in EuroLeague that has been consistently combining high production rates with notable efficiency over many years and the French superstar did exactly that last season to help Fener escape a 5-10 hole and rise in the standings.
4. Mike James (AS Monaco)
Year of birth: 1990
Position: Guard
Height: 1.85 m.
2020-21 stats: 19.3 points, 5.7 assists, 3.1 rebounds in 31:10 minutes over 27 EuroLeague games with CSKA Moscow
One big “What if?”: Before his breakup with CSKA Moscow, Mike James was riding full speed on a highway that led directly to the EuroLeague MVP award. He had the fat numbers, the huge performances, the unreal clutch moments and the crazy game-winners, he was the lifeblood of CSKA’s offense and his team naturally looked Final Four-bound. We’ll never know how that script would play out for him or CSKA if he stayed. What we do know is that just two weeks before the launch of the EuroLeague regular season, Monaco hit the jackpot (casino pun intended) and got a guy that automatically elevates them to a whole different level. Just making the playoffs will be considered a success in Monaco’s maiden EuroLeague trip and anything is possible with a baller like James in the house. For now, mark October 29 on your basketball calendar.