By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
“A basket makes one man happy while an assist makes two men happy.”
While the origin of the above quote seems to be a mystery (for obvious reasons, we like to think that Toni Kukoc was the first to say it), its point is quite clear. Ball movement that creates baskets as the product of teamwork and assists is highly praised by coaches, and not only them. It is the core of every well-structured offense. It can make underdogs defeat favorites. If done right, it can break the foundations of even the toughest defenses. And in these situations, passing centers in particular can affect the game in ways that are still being discovered in the ever-evolving world basketball. Their opponents must not only keep them from scoring, but also fear the moment when these centers decide to pass the ball. In the role of assist-maker, they are extra dangerous, highly effective and often game-changing.
Eurohoops.net loves passing centers…a lot! So we decided to present our choices for the Top 5, plus one, passing centers in Turkish Airlines Euroleague history, five big men who are distinguished by their rich passing skills and their notorious ability to provide assists.
NIKOLA PRKACIN (CIBONA ZAGREB, EFES PILSEN, PANATHINAIKOS ATHENS)
Who would have thought that a man whose physicality and game approach were reminiscent of a battering ram could also be so skilled and delicate when it came to his passing? Perhaps that is what impresses us most about the curious case of Nikola Prkacin. The Croatian center could use brute force in order to make quick work of his opponents, but when he decided to distribute the ball and give his teammates the chance to score, his moves combined quick thinking with great finesse.
Prkacin could easily monitor the moves of everyone on the court, both friend and foe, in order to find the right coordinates to dish his assists. He first made his passing skills quite obvious in the 2002-03 Euroleague season with Cibona Zagreb, when he averaged more than 2 assists for a total of 48. While he came close to that number only once again, in 2005-06 with Efes Pilsen, when he had 41 assists in 22 games,many of his passes had a “wow factor”.
His career high in assists came during one of his best Euroleague game, with Cibona on January 16, 2002 against Ural Great. Prkacin dished 7 assists that night despite while also attempting 15 (!) two-point shots, a prime example of how the Croatian center could neatly balance scoring with passing. He tied this number versus AEK Athens three weeks later.