By Dionysis Aravantinos / info@eurohoops.net
This has been a record year for Europeans in the NBA since some of the continent’s best players are taking the league by storm. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Kristaps Porzingis (before his injury) and many others are having exceptional years. What also stood out this year is that many players have shown impressive improvement compared to the previous season.
Moreover, Eurohoops presents the five most improved European players who have made a serious leap in their performance this season, have assumed a more significant role and bring bigger impact on their respective teams.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece / Milwaukee Bucks)
Giannis Antetokounmpo is having an incredible season so far, scoring 27.6 points and grabbing 10.3 rebounds per game. He has made a huge jump forward from being an All-Star last season to an MVP candidate this year. His impact on the game is impressive, as he has also shown his abilities in close matches down the stretch, delivering in the clutch while also scoring game-winners. The sky is the limit for the ‘Greek Freak’ who turned 23 years old in December.
The Bucks currently sit at the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference with a 33-26 record and are just 1.5 games back of Washington and the fourth spot. According to ESPN’s FiveThirtyEight, Milwaukee is projected to finish the season with a 46-36 record which is better than last year’s record (42-40). As Giannis himself said to Eurohoops, his ultimate goal is to bring a title to the city of Milwaukee.
The table below shows Antetokounmpo’s improvement the last year.
| Antetokounmpo | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | FT% | PER |
| 2016-2017 | 22.9 | 8.8 | 5.4 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 52.1 | 77.0 | 26.13 |
| 2017-2018 | 27.6 | 10.3 | 4.9 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 53.5 | 75.6 | 28.49 |
Clint Capela (Switzerland / Houston Rockets)
Clint Capela is turning into one of the most dominant and efficient centers in the league. With the help of James Harden and Chris Paul, Houston has a unique ‘Big 3’ which currently leads the team to the number one seed in the West, ahead of the Golden State Warriors. Coach D’Antoni’s offensive system has helped the three players to a large extent and has made the team a legit threat to the defending champions.
Capela has had two 20/20 game this season as he posted 24 points and 20 rebounds against the Utah Jazz, showing his impressive improvement. He also reached a unique feat against the Denver Nuggets. In the PER he is placed eighth with 25.30 points and is currently surpassing Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, and Damian Lillard. He has also worked enough on his free-throws to go from a 53% last season to 59% this year. What is also significant to note is that he is shooting (65.7%) better than any other player in the NBA as of today.
The table below shows how Capela is making a case for the 2017-2018 most improved player award.
| Capela | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | FT% | PER |
| 2016-2017 | 12.6 | 8.1 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 64.3 | 53.1 | 21.48 |
| 2017-2018 | 14.5 | 11.0 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 65.7 | 59.0 | 25.30 |
Domantas Sabonis (Lithuania / Indiana Pacers)
Another player who is certainly in the running for the MIP award is Domantas Sabonis. In his new team, the Indiana Pacers, Sabonis is playing more, while also having a bigger responsibility and impact on the court. Sabonis was in the Rising Stars game, in his second year in the league. The 21-year-old has improved in every statistical category and has made a huge step forward in becoming a really good player in this league.
In his second season, he is scoring double the points, grabbing double the rebounds and handing out double the assists compared to his rookie year, while is also shooting much better from the field and the free-throw line. In addition, the Lithuanian is also providing us with highlight plays, flashy moves, and dunks in the paint. Indiana’s team is currently fifth in the Eastern Conference standings and as it looks right now, the team will make the playoffs.
| Sabonis | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | FT% | PER |
| 2016-2017 | 5.9 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 39.9 | 65.7 | 6.9 |
| 2017-2018 | 12.3 | 8.3 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 53.0 | 73.1 | 18.3 |
Nikola Mirotic (Spain / New Orleans Pelicans)
Even though Nikola Mirotic is playing his best basketball since coming to the NBA, he has had some ups and downs this season. Back with the Chicago Bulls, he broke two bones after getting punched by Bobby Portis, missing the first six weeks of action. When he came back, however, he could not stop scoring and affecting the game positively for the Bulls. Last season he was scoring 10.6 points, while this year he has an average of 16.3 points and 7.0 rebounds.
The 27-year-old forward was eventually traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, as he admitted it was emotionally and physically hard for him in Chicago with Portis’ incident. Next, to Anthony Davis he continues having an impact, scoring 14.6 points in these first eight games. The goal for his team is to make the playoffs and so far the Pelicans are in the postseason picture with a 33-26 record.
The table below shows his improvement this past year in every statistical category.
| Mirotic | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | FT% | PER |
| 2016-2017 | 10.6 | 5.5 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 41.3 | 77.3 | 14.5 |
| 2017-2018 | 16.3 | 7.0 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 45.2 | 79.6 | 19.7 |