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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. Here you can check 90-81 top Euroleague Rankings.
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=”80 Luka Mitrovic “]
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#80 Luka Mitrovic
1993 2m.04 F
Crvena Zvezda
A lot of credentials, strong personality and potential. Certainly with an even more enhanced role in this year’s version of Crvena Zvezda. At 22 years of age he can already contribute a lot at the level of the Euroleague, but he needs work in all areas, the most urgent being overall effectiveness and his three-point shooting percentages.
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[lptitle title=”79 Kyrylo Fesenko “]
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#79 Kyrylo Fesenko
1986 2m.16 C
Lokomotiv Kuban
One of those players that could have built a much better career based on their talent and potential. At 28 years of age, Fesenko makes his… debut in the Euroleague and if he’s in a good condition physically and mentally, it’s a given that he will be able to contribute a lot of things to his team. A lot is at stake for the Ukrainian this season.
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[lptitle title=”78 Victor Claver “]
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#78 Victor Claver
1988 2m.06 F
Lokomotiv Kuban
Same team, same case, but two years younger than Fesenko. He did not fulfill the expectations in Portland and didn’t really stand out in Khimki. It’s a given that he has gifts – he showed them at times in the EuroBasket – like his energy, his aptitude for rebounding, his finishes from up close. He has to prove that he won’t remain stagnant but will develop more elements in his game.
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[lptitle title=”77 Jamel McLean “]
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#77 Jamel McLean
1988 2m.03 F/C
Armani Milano
He caused a sensation in his first season in the Euroleague with Alba. A smart player, he has a good perception of the game and he finds a lot of ways to score from up close, without being a threat from mid- and long-distance. In the new season his exact status will be determined.
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[lptitle title=”76 Zoran Dragic “]
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#76 Zoran Dragic
1989 1m.96 G
Khimki
Excellent in every situation on the open court, he has improved his long-range shooting in the last couple of years. Speed remains his biggest asset but in order for him to develop into a top Euroleague player he has to work on his creativity and to make his game more prolific. It’s interesting to see how he will perform with three charismatic perimeter players by his side!
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[lptitle title=”75 Shane Lawal “]
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#75 Shane Lawal
1986 2m.08 C
Barcelona
Amazing rebounder – offensive rebounds, possibly the best in the league! At Sassari he learned how to read the game better and how to effectively use his natural skills in defense. He needs to work on his technique and his shooting. It’ll be interesting to see the kind of role and playing time he will get with Ante Tomic and Samuels coexisting with him in the frontline.
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