By Giorgos Orfanakis / info@eurohoops.net
In contrast with the NBA, the EuroLeague doesn’t include an All Star Game in its already heavy schedule, which means that the best players of the competition never had the chance to go up against each other.
However, every summer the teams try to create the ideal squad of European and American players in order to reach the top. But what would happen if Europeans and Americans split up into teams and played like there’s no tomorrow?
Eurohoops presents Team Europe and Team USA of the EuroLeague and asks its readers to vote for the team they believe would prevail! The presentation includes three parts (guards, forwards, centers) and each position consists of five players so, in the end, each team has a roster of 15 players in total.
We begin with the guard position, while there will be the presentation of the forwards and centers in articles to follow! Check out the players who make up Team Europe and Team USA and then cast your vote…
TEAM EUROPE (Guards)
Sergio Rodriguez (CSKA Moscow)
CSKA Moscow made the “loudest” signing of the summer by acquiring Sergio Rodriguez and the Spanish guard could not be missing from Team Europe.
Actually, Sergio gives Team Europe everything they need to prevail in the final battle. His organizational skills can make the difference, while he won’t hesitate to execute whenever the coach asks for it or the conditions of the game allow for it.
Fast, smart, experienced, with excellent ball handling skills and an average of 9.7 points and 4.6 assists in a total of 163 EuroLeague games, CSKA’s leader deservedly earns a spot in… Europe’s All Star Game.
Sergio Llull (Real Madrid)
Do we really need to explain why Sergio Llull is one of the main options for Team Europe? We are dealing with the absolute leader of Real Madrid, the one who rightly won the MVP award in last year’s EuroLeague and has turned down the Houston Rockets’ millions in order to stay in Europe.
The Spanish guard can execute at any time and from any range, he moves at an… NBA pace on the court, while he’s no slouch in the creative department either, something that is confirmed by the 5.9 assists (16.5 points) that he had in the 2016/2017 season. With Llull on the court, no defense can afford to relax…
Nando De Colo (CSKA Moscow)
After Sergio Rodriguez, CSKA Moscow is pleased to have a second representative in Team Europe and that is Nando De Colo.
The French guard has everything that is required to play in the NBA, but in the summer of 2014, he made the decision to return to the EuroLeague and, since then, he’s been playing in the Army Team with great success.
He might look thin but his strength on the court is great, something that helps him drive to the rival basket with ease. Of course, this is only one of the many ways he has of scoring, and as a result, he completed last season with the very impressive 19.1 points per game (42.6% in three-point shooting, 95.6% on free throws). Clearly a member of Team Europe and, in fact, a starter…
Vassilis Spanoulis (Olympiacos)
Vassilis Spanoulis, or else, the man who forgot to age, is rightly not just a key member but also the captain of the European team that is getting ready to confront the Americans.
Besides, we are dealing with the second best scorer in the history of the EuroLeague, with a total of 3400 points, and the second in assists with 1152, which means that next to the name of the Red-and-Whites’ captain, the word ‘respect’ is automatically inserted.
Spanoulis is the ideal teammate on and off the court, he makes everyone who plays alongside him better, and when the going gets tough… he takes action. In case the game against Team USA is decided by a point, we already know who will be taking the final shot!
Alexey Shved (Khimki)
The selection of the last guard was more than difficult, with the competition being particularly intense and Nick Calathes coming a breath away from the final line-up. Instead of Panathinaikos’s captain, however, we chose someone with greater skills in execution, like Alexey Shved, who is getting ready for his return to the EuroLeague in the colors of Khimki.
The Russian has the basketball “madness” that is needed to win a game on your own, while he has experience in the NBA, where he counted a total of 182 appearances with an average of 7.4 points, 2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.
Shved is a charismatic scorer and incredibly dangerous in the one-on-one, which means that his role in Team Europe is to fill the opponents’ basket with points! Right in his element, then…
TEAM USA (Guards)
Tyrese Rice (Barcelona)
Tyrese Rice made the entire basketball world in Europe to bow to his talent when he led Maccabi Tel Aviv to the conquest of the EuroLeague and, since then, he’s been considered as one of the best guards in the competition.
Barcelona might have had a disappointing season last year but Rice managed to survive the wreck by averaging 13 points and 4.9 assists in the 30 games in which he played.
His small stature (1.85m tall) doesn’t make things very easy for him in defense but at the same time, it gives him the ability to penetrate rival defenses thanks to his excellent ball handling skills but also the way he uses his body. Rice is the first choice for Team USA to contribute in the areas of creation and execution…
Phil Pressey (Barcelona)
During this summer’s transfer period, Barcelona tried to make Shane Larkin theirs but this was not possible and, as a result, they went ahead with plan B and acquired Phil Pressey.
The 26-year-old point guard might be leaving the USA to play in Europe for the first time, but the credentials that accompany him are enough to secure him a spot on Team USA.
Pressey played in the D-League with the Santa Cruz Warriors last year, where he shined with 18 points, 8.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds in 46 games. Like Rice, the American is very small (1.83m tall) but makes up for this particular disadvantage with the way he reads the game, his guts when he attacks the basket, and his enjoyable assists. We’re going to be seeing several of those on the courts of the EuroLeague…