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By Nikos Varlas / varlas@eurohoops.net
The season gets under way in a few days and the time has come for the top 100 Euroleague Rankings. A difficult concept, subjective, one that – by nature – creates differing opinions and disagreements!
Eurohoops begins the presentation from the bottom up and the main thing that has to be made clear is that our Rankings are not made based on those that are published about NBA players in the USA. It’s true that the individual element is very important, but we equally evaluate the team’s dynamics and potential.
Criteria
1. PLAYER’S VALUE: The overall competitive evaluation of players. The characteristics of their game, their worth, their leadership skills, their quality as a unit independent of the team they play for.
2. PLAYER’S ROLE: The importance of a player for their team as we evaluate and predict it for the new season.
3. TEAM’S WORTH: The team the player we choose plays for, its apparent value in the league in the long term and the potential it has. How far the player’s team that is chosen for the new Euroleague season can go.
4. INDIVIDUAL POTENTIAL: The individual potential of the player, exclusively. The extent to which they can grow and improve, how high they can go based on their value, talent and age.
5. THE NUMBERS: The statistics we speculate the player can tally on average, when their team’s run in the Euroleague is completed. This is definitely an important criterion but the last priority for our choices, since it depends directly on the quality of the team they play for and their role in the team.
These are the 5 criteria that we factor in in order to reach an overall assessment of every player individually and from that point to draw the Top 100 Ranks. If you consider that around 360 players are registered on the rosters of the Euroleague, you will comprehend how hard and tortuous it was to make these selections!
So many players of value that we respect infinitely for whom there was not enough space and, really, from a total of 150 players, the list of the 100 was drawn up with great difficulty. Especially in the bottom 20 slots, there could be any name from the 50 that were necessarily not included and we ask for your understanding for this in advance.
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[lptitle title=”100 Bradley Wanamaker “]
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#100 Bradley Wanamaker 1989 1m.93 G Bamberg
He introduces himself this year at the Euroleague level and we believe that he’s a newcomer that is going to create a stir. He “interned” in Italy and France, he was excellent last year in the Eurocup and we like his prolific style. He plays defense in 3 positions, he’s creative, very strong physically and each year he develops his offensive game as well.
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[lptitle title=”99 Juan Palacios “]
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#99 Juan Palacios 1985 2m.03 F Karsiyaka
A major contributor in his team’s magical run to reach the TBL title last year with some amazing appearances, he found a spot on the list due to the key role he will have in Ufuk Sarica’s team. If we exclude the long-distance shooting, he can do everything well on the court, produces some impressive energy and is an example of how a player can systematically contribute to the whole without this necessarily being reflected in the numbers.
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[lptitle title=”98 Nihad Djedovic “]
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#98 Nihad Djedovic 1990 1m.96 G Bayern Munich
A player with a lot of potential who, on a good day, can score in many ways, produce energy on the court and contribute in all aspects of the game. The experience he acquired from last season in the Euroleague and the BBL places him at a higher starting point compared to some of his young teammates. His weakness is the big ups and downs in his performance.
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[lptitle title=”97 K.C. Rivers“]
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#97 K.C. Rivers 1987 1.96m. G Bayern Munich
He won everything with Real Madrid last season and his experience combined with his quality specially in shooting, can help him deliver in Munich and have a great season. We expect him to have a key role in the back court of the team, not only as the designated shooter, but also as a creator for his teammates.
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[lptitle title=”96 Alex Renfroe “]
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#96 Alex Renfroe 1986 1m.91 G Bayern Munich
After several years of wandering around in Europe, he had his breakout season last year with Alba. He scored with good percentages, he was a consistent creator and he proved to be an excellent rebounder despite his height and body structure! He was late to make the explosion but it seems like he’s coming into the peak of his career and this is why Svetislav Pesic trusted him.
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[lptitle title=”95 Jamon Gordon “]
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#95 Jamon Gordon 1984 1m.92 G Darussafaka
He returns for his sixth season in the Euroleague following last year’s absence and we expect that this will rejuvenate him and that he’ll present his good, multi-dimensional profile on the court. A good defender and rebounder, he knows how to read the game and run offensive plays. A multi-tool that can contribute in more than one position.
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[lptitle title=”94 Luke Harangody “]
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#94 Luke Harangody 1988 2m.03 F Darussafaka
He can support many of the modern requirements of the ‘4’ position. Pretty tough, he puts his body on the line in defense, he gets rebounds and he can be a threat from close- as well as long-range. His most important element for the top level? He is a consistent threat – despite his awkward style – from the three-point line. In this way, he helps the offense maintain good distances and supports the guards’ facilitating.
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