By Giorgos Orfanakis / info@eurohoops.net
The sample from this season is now large enough: 15 rounds, 120 clashes and thousands of minutes of basketball, with the big protagonists often outdoing themselves.
Eurohoops follows up on a tradition that began last season and presents the Top 3 players in every position for the first half of the season. The criteria that shaped the final selection are the following:
- Performance: A player’s performance and presence on the court in at least 10 games! His contribution in the different statistical categories and the degree to which he met the demands in terms of what was expected of him.
- Role: How important is this player in the overall picture of the whole? How crucial is his role for the team, and to what extent can it remain at the same level without him?
- Team’s course: It’s not enough for a player to have played well. He has to have guided his team on a decent course, according to the expectations that existed before the start of the season.
- Quality: There are some players who belong to the so-called “top shelf,” with their value and quality seriously taken into account.
- Subjective view: As is always the case in such matters, the subjective element has the final say. Besides, what could be better than conversations and arguments about basketball?
It’s the shooting guards’ turn, with the Top 3 including some of the most charismatic scorers in the whole of Europe, who shine on the courts of the EuroLeague almost every week.
1. Nando De Colo
Team: CSKA Moscow
Stats: 16.2 points, 4.1 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 20 PIR
Age: 30
Nando De Colo has everything it takes to be at the top!
Beyond that, for the 4th consecutive season De Colo shows amazing consistency in his game, tallying an average of 16.2 points, 4.1 assists and the amazing PIR of 20. However, what makes the Frenchman stand out is his accuracy rates, as he remains the most accurate free throw shooter in history with 94.6%, while the 47.6% in three-point shooting does not allow rival defenses to forget about him.
There are times when Dimitris Itoudis chooses not to start De Colo, giving him the opportunity to read the game first. In this way, when he steps on the court with the so-called second unit, he helps CSKA from lagging behind.
If the 30-year-old continues like this, it’s very likely he will emerge as the EuroLeague’s MVP for the second time after the 2015-16 season.
New career high for Nando De Colo with a PIR of 37
2. Alexey Shved
Team: Khimki
Stats: 21.4 points, 4.3 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 19.2 PIR
Age: 29
Alexey Shved plays to score! Georgios Bartzokas has given his player the freedom he needs on the court and Khimki’s leader absolutely justifies this choice with 21.4 points per game, a performance that places him at the top of the list with the best scorers in the EuroLeague.
The Russian club is firmly in the top eight spots that lead to the playoffs, but this wouldn’t have been possible without Shved. He’s the one who steps up when things get tough, makes his teammates better and gives the team the “shine” it needs to make it in the competition.
Aside from the 21.4 points, of course, his 4.3 assists also deserve a special mention. Over the years, Shved has matured as a player, he started to see the court more and now he creates double “headaches” for opposing defenses who, if they want to win, have to hold him in check both in terms of his execution as well as his creation.
His only drawback is the 3.1 turnovers per game that come as a result of the… too many attacks that go through his hands.
Shved’s career high with 29 points against Milan