By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
As the pressure mounts in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Top 16, there are some players who have truly risen to the challenge. Eurohoops.net evaluated the players of the Top 16 to see which players had the greatest increase in production – based on average performance index ratings – between the regular season and the first half of the Top 16. The calculations were done based on percentages and excluded players who do not have a minimum index rating of 10 in the Top 16. Of the 29 players who meet that criteria, these are the 10 who have stepped up the most.
Bogdan Bogdanovic, Fenerbahce Istanbul
Country: Serbia
DOB: 18/8/1992
Position: Guard
Bogdanovic had many ups and downs during the regular season, but that completely changed in the Top 16. The Serbian guard has had just two top 16 games so far with less than 10 points or an index rating below 12. Overall he has compiled 11.7 points, 3.9 assists, 3.3 rebounds and an average index rating of 14.4, which is an of 43% compared to the regular season.
Semih Erden, Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul
Country: Turkey
DOB: 28/7/1986
Position: Center
The experienced center knows very well that as the year goes by, the games get more and more important and he has to be better and better. Erden’s outbreaks in the regular season were few and far between, but in the Top 16 he has been quite consistent, having scored in double figures in five games already. From his 6.9 points and 9.8 index rating in the regular season, Erden has increased his index rating by 53% to 15, while racking up 11.4 points per game.
Ekpe Udoh, Fenerbahce Istanbul
Country: USA
DOB: 20/5/1987
Position: Center
Udoh is in his debut Euroleague season and it didn’t take long for him to take off. The Fenerbahce center was very good in the regular season, but in the Top 16 he’s begun to dominate. Udoh is ranked fifth in the current stage with a performance index rating of 19.9 per game. He has also tallied 14.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game as one of the main reasons Fenerbahce still has a perfect record.
Othello Hunter, Olympiacos Piraeus
Country: USA
DOB: 28/5/1986
Position: Center
Hunter started out the season as Olympiacos’s back-up center behind Patric Young. However, an injury suffered by the latter opened the door to a starting role and Hunter has taken full advantage. Young was injured Round 3 of the regular season, but Hunter was slow in adjusting and improving his performance. He completed the regular season with 8.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and an average index rating of 8.4. Since the start of the Top 16, he has raised his performance by 65%! Hunter has scored in double figures in five of the first seven Top 16 rounds and has posted two double-doubles.
Justin Doellman, FC Barcelona Lassa
Country: USA
DOB: 3/2/1985
Position: Forward
Doellman has been Barcelona’s best player in the Top 16 by far and his improvement compared to the regular season has been impressive. The American forward is the top scorer (11.9 ppg.), first in index rating (14.7 per game) and steals (1.1 spg.) and second in playing time (24:52 mpg.) and rebounds (4.4 rpg.). Doellman was good in the first round of the regular season, but after that his performance dropped and accordingly his index rating dropped to an average of 9. His rise in the top 16 in an increase of 65.6%!
Pau Ribas, FC Barcelona Lassa
Country: Spain
DOB: 2/3/1987
Position: Guard
In his sixth season in the Euroleague with the fourth different team, Ribas is having the best season of his career. The Barcelona guard has adjusted to the Catalans’ game and averaged 23:36 minutes per game in the Top 16. He has the second best assist-to-turnover ratio in the Top 16 with 4.7 assists for every turnover he has committed. Ribas finished the regular season with an average index rating of 6.4, but that number is 11.6 for the Top 16, for a whopping 82% rise in production.
Tyrese Rice, Khimki Moscow Region
Country: USA
DOB: 15/4/1987
Position: Guard
Last season’s Eurocup MVP and the Euroleague Final Four MVP the season before, Rice is making his case for a three-peat. Rice took a little time to get acclimated in one of the most complete backcourts in the Euroleague, but now his performance recalls the player who wins MVP awards in crucial games. The guard had a 9.1 index during the regular season with many ups and downs in his performance. However, in the Top 16 he has boosted that by 88% to record 14 points, 7.9 assists and an index rating of 17.1; In the regular season he was 107th in index rating and in the Top 16 he is ninth!
Vassilis Spanoulis, Olympiacos Piraeus
Country: Greece
DOB: 7/8/1982
Position: Guard
The 2013 Euroleague MVP and the Final Four MVP in 2009, 2012 and 2013, Spanoulis started this season flying low. He dealt with several injuries and his performance during the regular season didn’t match his usual standards. He had averaged 9.3 points and 6.2 assists, but his index rating was 4.3 because of his poor shooting (25%) and many turnovers (3.3). However, in the Top 16, Olympiacos’s captain is a man transformed and in most games his performance has been at high levels. He has averaged 11 points and 4.4 assists per game and his average index rating is 10.3 for an increase of 139% compared to the regular season.
Edgaras Ulanovas, Zalgiris Kaunas
Country: Lithuania
DOB: 7/1/1992
Position: Guard
In his second season in the Euroleague, Ulanovas is constantly improving and in the Top 16 he has shown flashes of may be on tap. The Lithuanian guard has been a starter in Zalgiris all season and the coaching change didn’t affect him. However, during the the regular season he had an index rating of 5.1 with just 3.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. Since the start of the Top 16, his performance has skyrocketed by 182% for an index rating of 14.4 points with 9.9 points scored and 7 rebounds per game. Ulanovas is averaging a team-high 29:34 minutes per game.