By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
No Euroleague games this week. But don’t feel sad about it. We are going to keep your mood connected with what the top competition in Europe has to offer.
And in order to do that, we decided to present you our selection of the best players in the Top 16 so far in a slightly alternative way. How would it be if you took the 12 best performers of the Euroleague Top 16 and put them all together in one team? Exactly, you would create a squad made of dreamy material.
This is why we didn’t simply choose the players with the best numbers or the more victories for this list. Apart from their personal or team achievements, we took under serious consideration how their characteristics would be of perfect use in this “dream team”.
Our criteria on compiling the list had to do with three key factors:
A) The performance of each player.
B) How everyone would fit with each other and how all these amazing players would blend in together in terms of chemistry and effective team performance.
C) How well each individual’s team fares so far in the Top 16. We could not choose a player who scores… 20 points per game, but his team has only 1 or 2 victories, if you get what we mean.
So here it is… Eurohoops.net “Dream Squad” of the Euroleague Top 16.
NANDO DE COLO (CSKA MOSCOW)
It is rather special to get distinguished in this season’s CSKA where heavy teamwork oriented basketball is implemented. As a purveyor of scoring and passes (21 and 4.5 per game) Nando De Colo becomes the ultimate accelerator for what is already a powerful offensive machine. What is more, he is quite economical, being the top scorer in the Top 16 with a super 55% in his field goals. Very large for a combo guard.
Best Game in the Top 16:
Victory was a necessity against Real Madrid in Moscow for the second game of the Top 16. After all, CSKA had been defeated by Khimki, and would hate to start with a 0-2. Nando De Colo was the sharpest fang of the “Russian Bear” versus Real with 28 points and 7 assists.
Role in the “Dream Squad”:
Whether he would play for 15 or 35 minutes, either with or without the ball in his hands, De Colo would attract attention from the opposing defense, simply by standing on court. He will not only provide scoring by himself, but help his teammates do it in any possible way.
MALCOLM DELANEY (LOKOMOTIV KUBAN)
When the going gets tough, Malcolm Delaney’s basketball makes it smooth once more. In the second stage of Euroleague, the Baltimore born combo guard has increased his already highly noteworthy performance, averaging 19.3 points and 5.3 assists right now in the Top 16. The strongest pillar in Lokomotiv Kuban’s structure.
Best Game in the Top 16:
Against Cedevita in Zagreb he had the best game, at least in numbers, in his Euroleague career so far. Lokomotiv Kuban struggled quite a lot in the first half but things would have been worst if not for Malcolm Delaney’s magics. The basketball he provided, redefined the word “epic, even for his standards. By scoring 22 points in 13 minutes he kept his team close enough to then turn the tide and win the match. The American combo guard finished with 31 points and 41 in the evalution system, both personal records in Euroleague, while also having 8 assists.
Role in the “Dream Squad”:
Not simply a scorer, but also a play maker. Not just your “go to guy” in offense, but always there to help in defense as well. To put it simply: There is nothing that falls under a guard’s obligations and Delaney wouldn’t excel in for the sake of his team’s welfare. And if you needed someone to take that game winning shot, Malcolm would be the man for the job.
ALEXEY SHVED (KHIMKI MOSCOW)
Yet another player who does everything better in the Top 16. Shved is a top notch scorer for sure, but as an all around-er he becomes of vital importance for Khimki Moscow. His 18.3 points, 4.3 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game in the Top 16 testify on how his game influence expands in all areas that his team might need him . That’s what a leader has to do after all, isn’t that right?
Best Game in the Top 16:
To start the Top 16 with a win would mean so much for the more ambitious Khimki…. ever. Especially if that happened against CSKA Moscow, at home. Well Alexey Shved gunned down his opponents in that game, with 28 points, while also delivering 5 assists and winning no less than 9 fouls. Exactly what his team needed to enter the Top 16 in absolute style
Role in the “Dream Squad”:
While he is a lethal player with the ball in his hands, Shved doesn’t need that to become dangerous. He could mainly be a receiver of passes by his teammates, striking after movement without the ball. With his rich athletic skills he would utilize his speed to tire up everyone that would be called to guard him… and fly high enough to deliver some dunks after alley oop connections.
NICK CALATHES (PANATHINAIKOS)
A point guard who is literally everywhere for his team on court, with a strong enough mindset to be the”floor general” on offense and the qualifications that enable him to intensely guard his personal opponent. And not only. Being the fourth best passer (6.3 average) and first in steals (2.1 per game) in the Euroleague Top 16, shows only little of how valuable Nick Calathes is for Panathinaikos on both ends of court.
Best Game in the Top 16:
Cedevita had already defeated Anadolu Efes in Zagreb and waited to repeat that against Panathinaikos. It was a match that hid many dangers and one nearly with the character of “do or die” for the Greek club. If the Greens wanted to win they needed to make their point in the strongest possible way. Nick Calathes’ playmaking made things quite comfortable for his team. His 10 points and 10 assists also marked his first double/double in Euroleague.
Role in the “Dream Squad”:
Not only a mastermind of the team’s tactics, but also an agile defender with extra affinity for “dangerous operations”. Apart from setting up his teammates with assists and opening the transition game, he would apply strong pressure on the best guard of the opposing team… rather successfully.
DANIEL HACKETT (OLYMPIACOS)
Don’t be fooled by the fact that his numbers (10.6 points, 2 assists per game) are not exactly blinding. Daniel Hackett’s workload extends to all corners of court and most of it doesn’t make it to the statistics sheet. He has been one of Olympiacos‘ protagonists in the element that characterizes the Reds’ game, which no other than defense, but when his team needs scoring and passing, he happily provides both. Often, with big shots in key moments, a testament of his leadership skills.
Best Game in the Top 16:
Olympiacos played with the back against the wall against Khimki in Piraeus. At the third quarter the Greek team was behind in the score with 12 points and needed a total renovation in its game. Daniel Hackett transformed the way his team behaved from that moment and onward, covering huge amounts of space defensively and changing the rhythm on offense. He finished with 14 points and 3 assists, all in a timely manner for the successful comeback of the Reds.
Role in the “Dream Squad”:
Coming from the bench, Hackett would provide unique helps of all sorts, doing all the dirty work and being a good fit with any other guard in the list. His post up game can become a serious threat, with him either finishing each play with scoring or passing. He would guard everyone at the perimeter and then even move to the low post to make a necessary stop.