By M. Bahadır Akgün / info@eurohoops.net
Another Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season is in the books, and as the domestic leagues are also coming to an end in the coming weeks, the fun begins for the supporters of the competition and it’s none other than the free agency!
Teams will roll up their sleeves to prepare for the new season with more hope and will try to sign the best possible players for their respective teams.
Just like every year, Eurohoops is bringing its readers a series of the Top 10 free agents in every position, and the shooting guards are up next. You can check the Top 10 point guards, Top 10 shooting guards and Top 10 small forwards in the free agency.
Note 1: Players who have an option in their current contracts are not included on the list.
Note 2: The list has been formed in random order.
Note 3: Players who have fled Russian clubs and signed with non-Euroleague clubs are included.
Trey Thompkins (Real Madrid)
Age / Country: 32 / USA
EuroLeague career: 8 season – 188 games
Statistics: 13 games, 5.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 3.8 EFF
Top performance: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 13 EFF vs ALBA Berlin (Round 22)
Trey Thompkins fell short of performing this season like he did in 2020-21 and completed his eighth year in EuroLeague with career-low averages.
The problems that Thompkins experienced with the team throughout the season had an effect on this and he was removed from Real Madrid‘s rotation by coach Pablo Laso, following the game against Panathinaikos for Round 33 of the regular season. His team made the EuroLeague championship game but wasn’t a part of the 12-man squad.
Thompkins, who was also injured at the beginning of the season, shot 50.0 percent on 3-pointers, attempting 2.2 from beyond the arc over 13 games.
His Real Madrid‘s story seems to have come at an end but based on what he can bring on the floor, it’s possible that he may continue in EuroLeague.
John Brown (UNICS Kazan)
Age / Country: 30 / USA
EuroLeague career: 1 season- 25 games
Statistics: 25 games, 10.3 points, 4.8 rebonds, 1.2 assists, 12.5 EFF
Top performance: 20 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steal, 28 EFF vs Anadolu Efes (Round 18)
After making the EuroCup Finals of 2021 with Unics Kazan, John Brown got the opportunity to play in EuroLeague with the Russian side and had an impressive first-time experience in the competition.
His season was actually fantastic as EuroLeague rookie, who had previously spent his entire professional career before Unics in Italy after dropping out of college in 2015-16.
Brown’s contribution in defense is remarkable and had a EuroLeague competition-high 2.8 steals before Unics (as all Russian teams) was expelled from the competition. There an obvious disadvantage in his game due to the lack of outside shot (something important in modern basketball) but he provides a huge boost with his defense and rebounding.
Rolands Smits (Barcelona)
Age / Country: 26 / Latvia
EuroLeague career: 4 seasons – 107 games
Statistics: 36 games, 4.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 4.8 EFF
Top performance: 12 points, 5 rebounds 2 assists, 17 EFF vs Bayern Münich (Game 3 of the playoffs)
26-year-old Rolands Smits already carried the experience of four seasons in EuroLeague, all of them with Barcelona.
The Latvian player, whose role and minutes saw an increase over the last two seasons, had difficulties in shooting the ball although he just attempted 1.5 3-pointers per game.
However, his impressive performance against Bayern Munich in Game 3 of the playoffs showed that he could do different things on a bigger role, saving Barcelona from getting to the brink of elimination.
Smits’ contract with the team expires this summer and if he wants to continue in the competition with another team, his experience can open many doors for him.
Alec Peters (Baskonia)
Age / Country: 27 / USA
EuroLeague career: 4 seasons – 108 games
Statistics: 12 games, 9.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 asists, 10.3 EFF
Top performance: 18 points, 7 rebounds,, 1 assist, 23 EFF vs Olympiakos (Round 25)
Unfortunately, we were able to see Alec Peters on the court in only 12 games this season but he put on some successful performances in a more active role with Baskonia after his stints with CSKA Moscow and Anadolu Efes.
He’s one of the players who attracted a lot of attention with his consistency after regaining his form following an injury this season. Peters played an important role in Baskonia‘s fight to make the playoffs in the last weeks of the regular season.
The fact that he shoots 39.0 percent on 3.5 attempts per game make him a very attractive weapon for teams that want to space the floor.
We’ll see this summer if Peters, who has shown that he can adapt to different roles in different systems, will go to the fourth EuroLeague team in his career or continue with Baskonia.
Augustine Rubit (Bayern Münih)
Age / Country: 32 / USA
EuroLeague career: 4 seasons – 123 games
Statistics: 36 games, 10.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 12.8 EFF
Top performance: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 27 EFF vs Barcelona (Game 3 of playoffs)
Augustine Rubit was one of the cornerstones of Andrea Trinchieri’s successful structure on Bayern Munich. He had many top performances with his team this season, including his games against Barcelona in the playoffs.
After Brose Bamberg, Olympiacos and Zalgiris Kaunas, Rubit made the playoffs in his fourth EuroLeague year in Germany. Now, he may prefer to stay with Bayern or move on to a different direction since his performances have likely made him attractive to other teams as well.
Derrick Williams (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
Age / Country: 31 / USA
EuroLeague career: 4 seasons – 126 games
Statistics: 35 games 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 9.1 EFF
Top performance: 21 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 26 EFF vs Baskonia (Round 8)
Recruiting Derrick Williams is a delicate matter for any EuroLeague team. But with that fine skillset, he’s a weapon who can be very dangerous to opponents.
We have seen both sides of the coin through Williams’ performances with Bayern Munich, Valencia and Fenerbahce Beko where he played before last season’s run with Maccabi Tel Aviv. He also had a similar kind of performance last season.
Williams, who is a threat from the perimeter and carries impressive athletic qualities, has had difficulties in defense from time to time. This makes it difficult to keep him on the court for extended periods.
Still, Williams uses his physical advantages very well and can excel at top EuroLeague level with the right team chemistry. Let’s see where the former No. 2 NBA Draft Pick will choose to continue his career.
DeShaun Thomas (Bayern Münih)
Age / Country: 30 / USA
EuroLeague career: 7 season- 197 games
Statistics: 36 games, 9.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 7.9 EFF
Top performance: 25 points 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 29 EFF vs Barcelona (Game 2 of playoffs)
While Bayern Munich had a run worthy of applause in last season’s EuroLeague, DeShaun Thomas’ contribution was undoubtedly great. While experiencing a second spring with the German side, the veteran forward had a big impact for his team.
Thomas, 30, was one of Bayern’s most important offensive options, shooting with 38.2 percent on 3-pointers. He had a particularly impressive performance in a Game 2 of the playoffs against Barcelona in the playoffs, to lead Bayern to win on the road.
After stints with Barcelona, Anadolu Efes, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Panathinaikos, Thomas’ performance was gradually declining until Bayern Munich arrived. We’ll see whether the American player will continue in Bavaria – where he found this second second spring – or open a new page for his career after his 2020-21 performances.
Adrien Moerman (Anadolu Efes)
Age / Country: 33 / France
EuroLeague career: 9 season – 223 games
Statistics: 40 games, 8.3 points 5.3 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 10.7 EFF
Top performance: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 22 EFF vs Real Madrid (Round 3ı)
Although he is sometimes the target of arrows of criticism, Adrien Moerman is now a star with two EuroLeague championship titles and, furthermore, a guy who had a significant share in these successes.
As a player who stands out with his scoring and rebounding contribution, Moerman can space the floor and benefit from having the ball in his hands, even if the Efes‘ system is guard-dominant.
Moerman, who contributed with his rebounds even though he didn’t score in the Final Four, was one of the names that carried Efes from time to time, especially during the team’s ups and downs.
The French player said farewell to Efes last summer only to return later and extend his contract. Let’s see what kind of story awaits us this summer.
Toko Shengelia (CSKA Moskova)
Age / Country: 30 / Georgia
EuroLeague career: 9 seasons – 199 games
Statistics: 15 games 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.5 asist, 14.1 EFF
Top performance 33 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 37 EFF vs Zenit St. Petersburg (Round 3)
Although he didn’t meet expectations while playing for CSKA Moscow, Toko Shengelia is one of the best power forwards in the continent when it comes to skills and he has shown it many times.
The Georgian player has quick feet, the ability to shoot the ball, a decent outside shot and a top-notch basketball IQ.
All these features combined make Shengelia one of the top players in EuroLeague and we can see this from the investment made by CSKA to recruit him a few years ago.
When Shengelia left the team after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he signed with Virtus Bologna and won the EuroCup championship title. The Italian team is back in EuroLeague now but it’s still uncertain if Shengelia will play in the competition with Virtus next season. It does seem unlikely that he will play for a team below EuroLeague level.