By George Orfanakis / info@eurohoops.net
n recent years, European basketball has seen many top-shelf athletes making the big leap and trying their luck in the NBA.
However, more than a few players have followed the opposite route, leaving the USA to shine on the courts of Europe’s top competition.
With the help of certain criteria, Eurohoops presents this season’s Top 10 American players in the EuroLeague. The criteria that were used are the following:
Individual performance
Player’s skills/ quality
Role and contribution in the team’s game
Team’s course
As is readily understood, the subjective aspect always influences these kinds of features. Besides, the competition was huge and many big names, such as James Gist, Anthony Randolph, Bryant Dunston and Jamel McLean, were left out of the Top 10.
10. Norris Cole (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
Stats: 12.6 points, 3.8 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 11.1 PIR
Appearances: 28 games
Norris Cole is a top-class player! Besides, who can forget the time he won two Championship rings in the NBA (2012, 2013) alongside LeBron James and, in fact, with an important role in the rotation of the Miami Heat?
The American’s arrival caused a lot of enthusiasm for Maccabi Tel Aviv’s fans, but the team’s course didn’t live up to the expectations. Cole played very well, averaging 12.6 points and 3.8 assists in 28 games, but the coveted qualification for the playoffs of the EuroLeague did not come.
This particular development took a few points off Cole, who was thus placed 10th in the Top 10 American players…