By Dionysis Aravantinos/ info@eurohoops.net
Without the players, though, we would not have experienced anything. In first place after the first rounds of basketball, we have four teams, while there have already been some surprises and disappointments this season.
Many players, like Nick Calathes, Nando De Colo, Georgios Printezis, Sergio Rodriguez and Nikos Pappas, Vladimir Stimac have had a good start to the season for their respective teams. However, there are five players who have started off this season incredibly well, leading their teams to wins but also coming up with great numbers so far, across the board.
Eurohoops brings you the five most impressive players so far in the opening weeks of the EuroLeague.
Erick Green / Valencia Basket
– Stats: 15.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG
– Team Record: 3-3
From early on this season, in the first couple of games in Spain, Erick Green showed his intentions. Last season, with runners-up Olympiacos Piraeus, he had a more limited role, scoring 9.9 points per game. This season, the 26-year-old guard has improved his percentages and scoring numbers, he has freed himself, and he has emerged as Valencia Basket’s leader. He’s scoring 15.3 points per game while shooting an efficient 43.1% from the field and 90% from the free throw line, which makes him an exciting and impressive player, even though he has some tough nights like the last one at Moscow against CSKA.
Green can knock down long three-point shots, finish at the rim, but also find ways to get to the free throw line, which can be crucial in the final minutes of a game. This year he seems to have emerged as a leader, a pure scorer who understands his role in this Valencia team and who does everything, night after night, to help the Spanish team reach their goal.
Alexey Shved / Khimki Moscow Region
– Stats: 19.2 PPG, 4.6 APG
– Team Record: 4-1
So far, Khimki Moscow Region has been one of the surprises of the season. Under coach Georgios Bartzokas, the Russian team has managed to start incredibly well, losing just one game away from home, in Greece against Olympiacos. Alexey Shved has been a big part in this. His scoring and assists – not to mention coming up big in late shot-clock situations – have helped this team a lot in these five EuroLeague games. The 28-year-old is scoring 19.2 points per game, which puts him in second place in the entire competition, but he’s also averaging 4.6 assists, helping his teammates in this way.
Shved’s goal from the start of the season was to become a leader for Khimki, on and off the court, and, so far, he has accomplished this. Although his shooting percentages are low (34.1% 3P), he impacts the game in a variety of ways, including transition basketball, getting easy steals, but also breaking down a defense with his handle. Even though he’s not shooting particularly well, he’s still second in scoring, his team is winning, and he’s evolving as a leader.
Taylor Rochestie / Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade
– Stats: 17.8 PPG, 5.4 APG
– Team Record: 2-3
Even though his team has a losing record so far in the competition (2-3), he has been one of the most impressive players, as his impact on the game is huge. He could not have been left out of this list. As of Round 5, Taylor Rochestie ranks number one in made field goals (35), number three in points (89) and number five in assists (27), making him one of the most impressive and best players in the first games of the season.
As he’s averaging almost 18 points and 5.4 assists per game, he’s not only helping his team by scoring but also by making everyone else around him better with his playmaking abilities. The 32-year-old guard uses his experience, his ability to make tough shots down the stretch and his mental attitude to help his team get the win. He’s shooting an efficient 50% from the field and has been incredible in the fourth quarter as well.
Will Clyburn / CSKA Moscow
– Stats: 14.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG
– Team Record: 5-1
Will Clyburn is perhaps the best player coming off the bench in the entire EuroLeague this season. CSKA Moscow has had a great start, winning five games and losing just one, to Real Madrid in Spain. The 27-year-old is averaging 14.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, making a significant impact on the game in the almost 30 minutes he plays every night.
Clyburn can stretch the floor and make three-point shots since, so far this season, he has been pretty active from beyond the arc, averaging 47.1% on 3.4 attempts per game. His best game came against Zalgiris Kaunas, where he scored 26 points and was critical in CSKA’s 94-91 win. Back in 2013, he was listed as one of the top NBA draft prospects, but he went undrafted. This season in Moscow has been the best so far in his career.
Luka Doncic – Real Madrid
– Stats: 21.2 PPG, 6.7 RPG
– Team Record: 4-2
In his first six games in the EuroLeague, Luka Doncic has been the best player in the competition. He has led his team to four wins while the team’s best player, Sergio Lull, is out injured, and is coming up with incredible numbers across the board, which makes the 18-year-old wonder kid even more successful and extraordinary at what he does.
The Slovenian guard is averaging 21.2 points (leading the competition), 6.7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting an impressive 47.9% from the field. The way he can finish over smaller defenders, use his height and speed on the fastbreaks, rebound the basketball and run in transition, but also make his teammates better with his perfect all-around game and playmaking abilities, make the 18-year-old a rare and unique talent. Madrid is relying on him to become the team’s leader this season and, at just 18 years of age, the EuroBasket champ has responded incredibly well.