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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.
You can surf on Eurohoops’ Trademark Section and check out all the previous choices of Top 100 list.
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=”40 Jason Granger “]
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#40 Jason Granger
1989 1μ.89 G
Efes Anadolu
Heurtel’s partner in Anadolu Efes. The main characteristics of his game are speed and explosiveness. He has an impressive first step and in his last couple of seasons in Malaga he improved noticeably in his reading of the game and in his facilitating. He’s good in defense but he can become even more effective and use his body more correctly. Strong in driving to the basket, he needs more work on his perimeter shooting. He’s still an unreliable and inconsistent three-point shooter with rather low percentages.
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[lptitle title=”39 Ekpe Udoh “]
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#39 Ekpe Udoh
1987 2m.08 C
Fenerbahce
Yet another investment from the NBA for Fenerbahce with a player who struggled but didn’t find a steady role and contract in the best championship in the world and so took the first step to Europe. He has speed and explosiveness and if he understands the demands of the center position in Europe and everything that Obradovic wants from him, he can establish himself. He’ll definitely tally some good numbers in rebounds and blocks, while he’s a player with good finishes close to the basket that can evolve into a great pick and roll finisher as well.
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[lptitle title=”38 Bobby Dixon “]
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#38 Bobby Dixon
1983 1μ.78 G
Fenerbahce
At 32 years of age he appears in the Euroleague again after 6 seasons and one appearance with Villeurbanne! The MVP of last year’s TBL with an amazing season and numbers in the championship as well as the Eurocup. An excellent scorer, he can threaten in every way, a good rebounder for his size and he proved beyond any doubt that he has improved his decision-making and his creative repertoire. A season – challenge for him, since he’ll have to unfold his talent for his team, Fenerbahce, and do it in harmony with the whole. He may need some time to adapt to the realities of the Euroleague.
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[lptitle title=”37 Derrick Brown “]
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#37 Derrick Brown
1987 2μ.01 F
Efes Anadolu
One of the most expensive signings of the summer. One of the most quality power forwards in the whole tournament. A charismatic scorer, he combines the threat from close to and far from the basket, with high percentages and his game facing – mostly – but also with his back against the basket. He has good athletic qualities, he collects rebounds, he knows how to see the court and pass the ball, while he has some remarkable numbers in steals. Never before has he expended so much energy in defense as he’ll be asked to do this year by coach Ivkovic in order to meet the demands of Efes’s system. His overall performance will be key and a barometer in this year’s quite ambitious – based on their roster – plan of the club.
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