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%!