By George Adamopoulos/ info@eurohoops.net
More than 30 years have passed since Drazen Petrovic and Detlef Schrempf were battling over who would have become the first European to compete in an All-Star Game.
Those were still the times when the existence of a European in the NBA was something sort of a dream. Of course, this has heavily changed, leaving very few top players for their whole careers in the old continent.
The NBA is constantly taking talent from Europe and, at the same time, most favorites for the MVP award are standout Europeans and international players. As we turn the page to a new year, Eurohoops ranked the best European players of 2023 with the majority of them thriving in the NBA and only one name spending the bulk of the season in the EuroLeague before moving to the USA.
Nikola Jokic: The double “crown” of “Joker”
The Serbian center of the Denver Nuggets was named NBA MVP in 2021 and 2022. Although many said he deserved to win it again last year, the award was handed to Joel Embiid. It turned out to be a simple formality… The Joker finished the 2022-23 season with almost a triple-double (24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 9.8 assists), but in the playoffs, he left no room for doubt.
He had 30 points, 13.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists. and 46.1% on three-pointers – in the regular season he had 38.3% – and led Denver to its maiden championship in its history. Jokic won the coveted ring and, at the same time, reminded the entire basketball world that right now he is the best player in the globe.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Career season, but an early exit…
Expectations were clearly high, largely due to his career-high offensive season. The Greek Freak finished 2022-23 with an average of 31.1 points, the top performance of his NBA career while the Milwaukee Bucks had the best record in the NBA. Yet his team was eliminated in the first round by eighth-seeded (and later finalists) Miami Heat. In the aftermath of the series, Giannis made a statement about the real meaning of failure, sparking a debate on the matter.
Antetokounmpo did not compete in the World Cup this summer, he signed a new contract in Milwaukee and, despite the arrival of Damian Lillard, he has not slowed down. In this year’s regular season, he already has 3 0.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, with an outstanding 63.9% on two-pointers.
Luka Doncic: No ceiling
Last year, at the age of 24, he registered a career record in the NBA with 32.4 points per game. A number that has already been surpassed this season, with 33.5 points, along with 9.4 assists and 8.5 rebounds with the Mavs! “Luka-Magic” is back in the MVP discussion and much will be determined by how far the Dallas Mavericks will go.
It may be that in the World Cup he didn’t have that kind of international success (like Slovenia’s gold in the 2017 Eurobasket) since Slovenia finished seventh after getting the 4th spot in the 2021 Olympics. Still, he was the top scorer of the event and in the first World Cup, he became one of 11 players to have surpassed 200 points in just one tournament.
Dennis Schroeder: “MVP-MVP”
A stable value in the NBA, with its ups and downs and without the “sparkle” of other European stars. The 30-year-old guard, now a journeyman after his tenure in Atlanta, Oklahoma City, Lakers (twice), Boston, and Houston, joined the Raptors after accumulating 14.0 points and 4.8 assists in the regular season over 10 years in the league.
His “masterpiece” in 2023, of course, took place in the World Cup. Schröder led Germany – after last year’s bronze medal in EuroBasket – to winning the title, with 19.1 points and 6.1 assists per game! He cored 30 in the 1st round against Australia and although he was held at 9 points with 4/26 shooting in the quarterfinal match vs. Latvia, he had 17 points in the semifinal win over Team USA and 28 points in the championship game triumph over Serbia.
Franz Wagner: The future is now
His rise in the NBA is considered a given. As a rookie with the Magic in 2021-22, he averaged 15.2 points and showed that Orlando can bet a lot on him. In the second season, he recorded 18.6 points and this year he is even better, with 20.3 points and tremendous confidence in his game.
Winning the World Cup with Germany contributed to this. After an injury in the first game of the tournament vs. Japan, the 22-year-old forward was absent from the next four matches, but returned in the knockouts and scored 16 points in the quarterfinal with Latvia, 22 points in the semifinal victory over Team USA, and another 19 points in the final with Serbia.
Sasha Vezenkov: From “King” to the Kings (but without a “crown”)
He would have been the absolute protagonist of European basketball for 2023 if Sergio Llull missed his big shot in the Kaunas final that handed the EuroLeague trophy to Real Madrid. The Bulgarian forward had his best season with Olympiakos in 2022-23 and was named MVP of the Euroleague, with a. 17.6 points, 7 rebounds, 65.8% on two-pointers and 39.8% on three-pointers. He did not combine his amazing season with the trophy, but the Sacramento Kings convinced him to take the step for the NBA.
Vezenkov was selected at No. 57 in the 2017 draft by the Nets, his rights were traded to the Kings and he decided to sign a three-year contract with them. However, he still hasn’t found the rhythm he’d like in Sacramento (5.6 points in 13.4 minutes).
Domantas Sabonis: Not just the son of Arvydas anymore
Last year, his first full season in Sacramento exceeded all expectations. The Lithuanian was named All-Star for the third time in his career, was a member of the third All-NBA team, and together with D’Aaron Fox led the Kings to the playoffs for the first time in 16 years.
Sabonis had averaged 19.1 points, was the league’s leading rebounder with 12.3 boards, and had career highs in assists (7.4) and field goal shooting (61.5%). In July 2023, he signed a five-year extension with the Kings for $217 million, the biggest contract ever for a Lithuanian athlete.
Alperen Sengun: Baby Jokic!
Even the Rockets themselves did not expect such a rapid development for the MVP of the Turkish league in 2021, with Besiktas. Houston offered two future 1st-round picks to the Thunder for the Alperen Sengun, who was selected at No. 16 by OKC. The Turkish big man had a tame rookie season averaging 9.6 points and 5.5 rebounds, but after last year’s 14.8 points and 9 rebounds this year he has “rocketed” to 20.4 points, with 9.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists and many believe that he deserves either the Most Improved Player award or a selection in the All-Star Game.
It may seem like an exaggeration but you will often hear many people calling him “Baby Jokic” for his complex game. Last October, the Rockers activated the fourth-year option on his contract, and on November 1, he became the youngest player to surpass 500 assists in the NBA, at the age of 21 years and 99 days, breaking Jokic’s record.
Victor Wembanyama: The ET from France
His every move is in a live broadcast. NBA TV had paid for the rights to the Metropolitan games in France. The hype was compared to that of LeBron James 20 years earlier and Zion Williamson. The 19-year-old Frenchman was called upon to shoulder that burden. Numbers-wise, the results are impressive so far, with 18.5 points, 10.7 rebounds. and 3.0 blocks.
The No. 1 draft pick, however, is slightly overshadowed by both the bad season of the Spurs and the presence of Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren. His talent is clearly abundant but San Antonio does have a losing record. On the 8th of December, he had 21 points and 20 rebounds in the loss to Chicago, but became the NBA’s youngest “20-20” player at 19 years and 338 days, surpassing Dwight Howard.
Lauri Markkanen: His (more) improved self
What he always needed was stability. Picked at No. 7 in the 2017 draft by Minnesota, he was dealt the same night to Chicago, along with Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn in exchange of Jimmy Butler. Some injury woes kept him from ever playing more than 68 games, but with the Bulls, he had a 15.6 points in four seasons. In 2021 he was in Cleveland and in 2022 in Utah, where he shines.
Last year he recorded 25.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 39.1% on three-pointers while being named the NBA’s Most Improved Player. He was selected for the first time in his career in the All-Star Game, while on 5/1/23 he achieved a career record with 49 points. His presence became that huge that this year’s 23.7 points pale in comparison. He may change environments again, as the Jazz seem willing to deal him to a more competitive team.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images