By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Plenty of stars coming in from Europe and highlighting the growing international presence in the NBA, they spread across the league to constantly increase difficulty in any kind of ranking lists.
The continent’s Big Three stretching from Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo to Luka Doncic, somewhat unconventionally linked to the term Big Three, anyway became unstable. Domantas Sabonis and Lauri Markkanen demanded more attention over the 2022-23 season.
Paolo Banchero is likely to soon emerge as an additional threat. On a possibly related note, let’s not start just yet with Victor Wembanyama, widely expected to be selected first overall in the 2023 draft and a likely candidate for future Top 10 lists.
With the Playoffs in full swing, Eurohoops brings back the Top 10 European players ranking according to player status combined with the W-L tally of respective teams. Scrolling down will present the selections.
1. Nikola Jokic (Serbia – Denver Nuggets)
Named MVP of the two previous seasons, the Joker is delivering yet another brilliant campaign leading the Denver Nuggets across all major stats.
Jokic, 28, might fall short of a third MVP in a row but seems even more comfortable on the court, nearly averaged a triple-double in the Regular Season, and mastered playing winning basketball. His side topped the Western Conference for many reasons, most attached to Serbia’s own generational talent. Much more can be noted but are not necessary in justifying starting the list from here.
On an additional note, the Nuggets are getting ready to face the Phoenix Suns in the Quarterfinals of the Playoffs.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece – Milwaukee Bucks)
The unexpected first-round exit of the Milwaukee Bucks is pretty fresh. Failure or not, the Freak must have expected a deeper run, and so did most fans. However, the extra rest can come in handy for Giannis and the Greek national team heading to the FIBA World Cup in late August.
Antetokounmpo, 28, averaged a career-best 31.1 points per game over 63 appearances in the Regular Season. Missing large chunks of the five games against the Miami Heat in the Playoffs slowed down the Bucks. Taking into account his overall contribution and the league-high 58 wins in the Regular Season, he can’t go lower than second in our Top 10.
What will happen next season? It really can’t get much worse, so look out for Giannis potentially climbing back up the list.