By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Well, it’s that time of the year again.
Eurohoops presents the Top 100 EuroLeague Players ahead of the 2018-2019 season. A list of players compiled with some specific criteria with the purpose of tracing and ranking those hoopers that are expected to define the upcoming EuroLeague season.
While there are some objective and factual elements that were taken into consideration when choosing the 100 players and then ranking them, the final result is, inevitably, subjective.
As always, there was a calculated risk with rookies, especially those who are completely unfamiliar with European basketball. Hence why some players who will now take their first steps in EuroLeague have been omitted from the list or where placed in lower positions in comparison with other players, or even EL rookies that have a considerable experience at a competitive level of European basketball. Experience in this level and type of game matters since we’ve seen no few quality players, even established NBAers, immensely struggle in their new surroundings simply because of their unfamiliarity with everything that European basketball encompasses.
What should be noted is that a player of a team that is a title or Final Four contender automatically got a relative priority over another with possibly similar or equal, maybe even superior individual strengths. This is why you will find that there is an increased number of players from well-known powerhouses. Of course, there’s also the fact that these teams usually sign a lot of top talent.
It goes without saying that injuries also played a part in picking and ranking the players.
Like every year, the Eurohoops Top 100 Players ranking is based on the following criteria (in this order):
1) The individual quality of each player in combination with the role and playing time we anticipate he will get with his team.
2) The strength of the club he plays for. The players of the teams that are usually playoff staples and are considered among the title contenders always have the edge because they combine individual quality with their club’s high aspirations.
3) What each player has achieved in his career in the EuroLeague, combined with the prospect he carries for the 2018-19 season.
The countdown continues with the spots from 50-41. Here are the, 60 – 51, 70 – 61, 80 – 71, 90 – 81, plus the 100 to 91 picks.
50. Janis Timma (Olympiacos)
Year of Birth: 1992
Position: Forward
Height: 2.01 m.
2017-2018 stats: 7.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists in 22:45 minutes per game with Baskonia in EuroLeague.
Although Janis Timma didn’t make the noise many anticipated him to make in his debut EuroLeague season after witnessing his scorching action in EuroCup, his stint with Baskonia was quite solid in the role he had as primarily a spot shooter.
Timma has now arrived in Olympiacos to mainly serve a similar purpose. With the squad being in great need for some spacing, the Reds’ transfer directive called for forwards who can “kill” from the perimeter. Timma can do that but also so much more. The Latvian player is highly capable of hitting 3-pointers but he also loves using his physical prowess to post up opponents, plus running the floor when the slightest opportunity arises. When he puts his mind in using his power as an athlete on defense, he can become efficient in that part of the game as well.
Either as the “3” (mainly) or “4”, Timma can provide a flexible solution to David Blatt in the upcoming season with the potential of emerging as a protagonist when he gets his streak going and, more importantly, stays focused.
49. Jeremy Pargo (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
Year of Birth: 1986
Position: Guard
Height: 1.88 m.
2017-2018 stats: 14.2 points, 4.6 assists, 2.6 rebounds in 24minutes per game with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli League regular season. 12.5 points, 8 assists, 2.8 rebounds in 29.7 minutes per game the playoffs.
There are some players that give you the impression that they are meant to be with a specific team and such is the case with Jeremy Pargo and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The Maccabi/Pargo affair seems to be a special one and not only because he had his breakthrough year with the Israeli club in 2011 when he earned All-EuroLeague Second Team honors. The American guard flourishes when playing for Maccabi and it’s no coincidence that he immediately made a splash upon his return to the “Yellows” for the 2018 Israeli League playoffs and proceeded to bring a major contribution in winning the title.
Pargo still carries the same flair and explosiveness that made him a fan favorite in Tel Aviv, plus the same aptitude for… aerial attacks. Add the lob party he can throw with Alex Tyus and Tarik Black and you get a recipe that can push Maccabi towards a playoffs return. For a start.
48. Jayson Granger (Baskonia)
Year of Birth: 1989
Position: Guard
Height: 1.89 m.
2017-2018 stats: 9.3 points, 5.1 assists, 1.9 rebounds in 21:39 minutes per game with Baskonia in EuroLeague.
Baskonia was perhaps the most fun-to-watch team in the previous season and one of the reasons was the way Jayson Granger dictated the offense.
Granger definitely put the element of “fun” but also substance in the demanding, high-tempo and quite effective offensive game of the Basques by having one of his top playmaking seasons ever in EuroLeague and finishing with a career-high average of 5.1 assists per game. In the meantime, the Uruguayan guard also shot with a personal best 40.5% on 116 attempts, displaying a quite improved shot selection in comparison to previous seasons.
Baskonia missed all that in the first two games of the playoffs vs. Fenerbahce that Granger had to sit out due to an ankle injury. Quarterfinals might’ve evolved differently for the Basques with their starting point guard on board and Granger will keep that in mind next season when his team will face a historic challenge: Qualifying to a Final Four that is held at its home court.
47. Johannes Voigtmann (Baskonia)
Year of Birth: 1992
Position: Forward/Center
Height: 2.16
2017-2018 stats: 8.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists in 21:17 minutes per game with Baskonia in EuroLeague.
Johannes Voigtmann is definitely one impressive specimen of a big guy and he showed that for a second consecutive season with Baskonia.
Either as a “4” and paired with Vincent Poirier or a center when Tornike Shengelia was on the court, Voigtmann delivered the goods for the Baskonia offense with a plethoric fashion. Finishing plays with the pick n’ roll, posting up his opponents, draining his favorite jumpers from a spot position or by pick n’ pops, or even after running to follow a play transition.
While he saw his minutes and production getting a bit reduced in comparison with 2016-2017, Voigtmann catapulted his 3-point shot to a nearly “money” level of 5.7.7 percent on 52 attempts. All these by a player of considerable size who is rightfully hailed as one of the most special offensive forwards/centers in the competition.
46. Rodrigue Beaubois (Anadolu Efes)
Year of Birth: 1992
Position: Guard
Height: 1.95 m.
2017-2018 stats: 12.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists in 21:20 minutes per game with Baskonia in EuroLeague.
Rodrigue Beaubois comes off his most prolific EuroLeague season and that’s based not only on the numbers he produced but also on the fact that he shot the ball rather efficiently (57.2 percent, 40.2 percent on threes). Among other things, that was also a result of reading the game better, plus improving his shot selection to use his gift for scoring to greater effect.
Following this campaign, Beaubois signed with Anadolu Efes in order to… just be himself. A certified “bucket-getter” who can slay defenses and dispose of opponents thanks to his mean handles and deadly jumpers, the French guard has often been a one-man-show with the ball in his hands who looks nearly unstoppable when his engines work at full speed.
In Efes, Beaubois will be reunited with former Baskonia teammate Shane Larkin. If they get their chemistry going as they did in 2016-2017, they might be the key for Efes‘ return to the playoffs.
45. Nikola Kalinic (Fenerbahce)
Year of Birth: 1991
Position: Forward
Height: 2.02 m.
2017-2018 stats: 5.5 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists in 17:28 minutes per game with Fenerbahce in EuroLeague.
If this was a list of players compiled according to how impatient they are for the upcoming season, then Nikola Kalinic would probably feature in the Top 10. The Serbian forward missed most of the first half of the 2017 -2018 regular season due to a back injury that didn’t allow him to appear in the EuroBasket either, and just when he was returning to action he sprained his ankle and was sidelined for another month.
As a result, Kalinic didn’t manage to carry the glorious momentum he built in 2016-2017 which he completed as the X-factor of Fenerbahce in winning the first EuroLeague title in the history of the club. His numbers saw a major drop but his hustle and fighting attitude remained present as ever. He was once again a defensive anchor and an overall valuable player for the Turkish team en route to another Final Four tournament. Especially in the playoffs vs. Baskonia.
The 2017-2018 experience wasn’t pretty but in the long run, it might have a beneficial effect on Kalinic. And greatly pump up his motivation ahead of the new season.
44. Fabien Causeur (Real Madrid)
Year of Birth: 1987
Position: Guard
Height: 1.95
2017-2018 stats: 6.9 points, 1.9 assists, 1.6 rebounds in 17 minutes per game with Real Madrid in EuroLeague.
Last season’s finale was nothing less than dreamy for Fabien Causeur.
Following a season when he mostly served as a backup option, the Causeur as Real’s protagonist in the biggest game of the season: The EuroLeague Final. The French guard took over the point in the second half and laid waste to the defense of Fenerbahce by knocking down 3-pointers, beating his personal opponents in 1 vs. 1 to reach the hoop, win fouls, and create for his teammates. He finished with 17 points, two rebounds, two assists, was named MVP of the Final and stole a bit of the spotlight from Luka Doncic.
That game alone would’ve been reason alone to put him in the list but throughout the season, Causeur had already proven himself as a player who can bring a depth of quality to Real and, when he sees the opportunity, take over as one of the central figures in his team’s offense.
43. Bobby Dixon, a.k.a. “Ali Muhammad” (Fenerbahce)
Year of Birth: 1983
Position: Guard
Height: 1.83 m.
2017-2018 stats: 7 points, 1.2 assists, 1.1 rebounds in 11:19 minutes per game with Fenerbahce in EuroLeague.
The previous season was Bobby Dixon‘s first ever in EuroLeague where he didn’t finish with an average of double figures. He had to cope with an injury early in the campaign and then saw few minutes with Kostas Sloukas and Brad Wanamaker mainly handling point guard responsibilities.
Yet when duty called, the “Mini Mamba” responded. Dixon had one of his top games of the season in the EuroLeague semifinal vs. Zalgiris Kaunas when he scored a game-high 19 points in merely 11 minutes to help prevent an upset. Fenerbahce fell to Real Madrid in the Final, but Dixon had made his point: He can still bring it when the ball is “hot” and weighing a ton.
The backcourt of Fenerbahce is loaded for another season thus Dixon might once again see reduced playing time in comparison with his first two years with the team. Regardless of his role, he’ll be the one bring a spark to the offense of Fener with his rapid shooting and always rise up to the challenge when it matters.