By Mustafa Kocatürk / info@eurohoops.net
Having lifted the Eurocup trophy for the first time in Turkish basketball history, Galatasaray returns to the biggest stage of European basketball. Reigning EuroCup champs have come into this off-season with the intention of maintaining the top-notch pieces of their roster, however, things seem to have not gone the way they expected. So far and “Cimbom” will have four new foreigners – Austin Daye, Nenad Krstic, Alex Tyus and Jon Diebler – suited up for the upcoming season.
Jon Diebler, who is about to experience his second Euroleague season, is well-known to many Turkish basketball fans, mainly due to his great three seasons under the guidance of Ufuk Sarica, when he wore the Pinar Karsiyaka jersey.
Biography
Taking a glance at Jon Diebler’s early basketball career, one needs to start reading notes from his high-school years. The American sniper presented his gifted sharpshooting game during the high-school period, when he broke the scoring record in the whole State of Ohio, where he grew up. He would later will continue his college basketball career in Ohio State Buckeyes for which he played four years. During this period, he made a havoc with his college’s three-point shooting records. Having a solid basketball background and showing it in NCAA, he got drafted in 2011. Like many rookies of the 2011 class, his NBA chances got hurt by the lockout process. Diebler then draw a course for Europe where he signed his first pro contract with Panionios in Greece. He shot the ball with 45% from downtown and averaged more than 10 points per game in his first overseas season, eventually drawing the attention of Turkish power in the making, Pinar Karsiyaka.
What followed was nothing short of three years of greatness in Pinar Karsiyaka for him. A Eurochallenge final during his first season, Turkish Cup title in the second year, and the most superior one, Turkish League title alongside the Presidential Cup in the third. He never fell under the rate of 42% in his shooting from behind the arc and never averaged less than 10 points per game. Diebler, a Karsiyaka fan favorite, left the far-west coast of Turkey to join the Anadolu Efes Istanbul forces last summer driven by high ambitions. But he didn’t manage to live up to the expectations, mainly because of some injury problems and the shaky rotation of Efes.
What he can offer
It is certainly not underappreciated but to just put it more simply: He is a great shooter. However, being a great shooter is a concept which requires more than simply… throwing the ball in when you are wide open. Jon Diebler is a great shooter because he has a quick release, he has the ability to avoid screens, come off the screens quickly and knows how to position himself behind the arc as a weak side punisher. What is underappreciated is that he has also developed into a player who can play with the ball, create for his teammates or finish the play with jump shot when running pick and roll. His assist/turnover ratio is higher than 1 which proves him as a valuable offensive weapon, even without considering his shooting assets.
Jon Diebler is a non-athletic player but he is well-aware of his environment on defense. A smart defender, he can chase down cuts, while opponents who will want to post him up, might find out that he is not as soft as they think.
However, he has his own weaknesses as well. He is not really capable of creating his own shot and not much interested in cutting the lanes. Not a great one-on-one defensive player, he sometimes suffers from being easily passed by dribble.
Him as a Galatasaray player
Although Galatasaray have not finished the final touches on the roster – missing two guards right now -, Jon Diebler has the potential of contributing to every style of play for them.
Having a shooter like Jon Diebler provides Galatasaray a great opportunity to sharpen its pick and roll plays which teams heavily rely upon when the opposing defense is set. Diebler can punish weak side angles on a high note and can be a big threat to help defenses in case his opponents are willing to overhelp in order to cover the pick and roll offense.
When Galatasaray decides to run a fast-paced transition game, it would be something that Jon Diebler is pretty familiar of. His bright intellect allows him to position himself behind the arc on transition, something that has been among his most shining aspects in his Karsiyaka years. He will be the one who Galatasaray guards should look for when the court is open to run.
Galatasaray would be better off preserving him from athletic and quick players on defense.
Cimbom’s newest addition Jon Diebler hopes to bring his unique shooting game and leave his mark on Euroleague this time.