By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
#10 CURTIS JERRELLS – 1.85
The American guard is in his seventh season in the EuroLeague and his second stint with AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan (2013-14, 2017-today), his fifth team in the competition and the only one with which he has spent more than one season. His best EuroLeague campaign to date was with Besiktas Istanbul in 2013, when he averaged 14.2 points and almost the same performance index rating (14.1) in 17 games.
#9 DOGUS BALBAY – 1.85
The Anadolu Efes Istanbul team captain seems to get better every season, and now he has established himself as a key rotation piece for Efes, for which he has been playing since 2011. This season is on pace to be the best of his eight in the EuroLeague, though the sample so far is small. His game-winning three-pointer in the Round 3 victory against Khimki Moscow Region in the Russian capital is one reason alongside his career highs of 8.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
#8 DERRICK WALTON JR – 1.85
After a dreamlike season last year that culminated in its return to the Final Four, Zalgiris Kaunas is aiming high this season too and that is why they have made sure to man their roster accordingly. Their latest addition answers to the name of Derrick Walton Jr. The guard will play outside of his native United States for the first time and he’s hoping to have an experience that he’ll be able to recount for years to come.
#7 MIKE JAMES – 1.85
In his fifth season in the EuroLeague, Milan’s American guard doesn’t need an introduction. He has already appeared once in the Final Four (with KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2016) and is hoping he will have a similar run in his first season with the Italian champs. James’s averages are already better than ever before; he’s on pace to set career highs in scoring (18.7 ppg.), assists (5.7 apg.) and index rating (18.7).
#6 JOHN DIBARTOLOMEO – 1.83
His second season with Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv is also the second in the EuroLeague for DiBartolomeo, who was named team captain during last season. A former Israeli League MVP, DiBartolomeo provided a spark off the bench for Maccabi in his debut in which the team faltered down the stretch and missed the playoffs. This season he and his team are looking for more.
#5 SHANE LARKIN – 1.82
The American guard came back from his home country for his second season in the EuroLeague with the hope of helping Efes fulfill their goals. Larkin’s first EuroLeague campaign was in 2016-17 with Baskonia, when he averaged 13.1 points, 5.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Based on what he showed then, Efes fans have lots of reasons for optimism with Larkin.
#4 LUKAS LEKAVICIUS – 1.81
The Lithuanian guard is in his second season with Panathinaikos OPAP Athens and has an upgraded role. His averages this season are not the best he’s had in his five seasons in the EuroLeague (Zalgiris 2014-17), but they are close. Lekavicius has already improved on last season’s numbers (7.3 points compared to 3.9, and 2.0 assists to 1.5) and he’s planning on getting even better.
#3 FACUNDO CAMPAZZO – 1.80
Campazzo has had experienced the biggest highs in the competition with Real Madrid (2014-15, 2017-today). He was a EuroLeague champion in his first campaign and a EuroLeague champion once again in his return last season. Now he’s hoping to make it three straight and Campazzo is already doing everything in his power to achieve that. He is on pace to set career highs in scoring (11.3 ppg.), rebounding (2.7 rpg.), assists (5.0 apg.) and PIR (16.7).
#2 CLEVIN HANNAH – 1.79
The American guard is a veteran of European competitions but, like Herbalife Gran Canaria, this is his first time in the EuroLeague. So far he’s been enjoying every minute of it as the team leader in assists (4.7 apg.), steals (2.0 spg.) and PIR (15.3) and ranked second in scoring (11.0 ppg.) among his teammates. His efforts are one of the reasons the team didn’t take long to celebrate its historic first win in the competition.
#1 ALI MUHAMMED – 1.78
The American guard is only 1.78 meters in height, but he knows how to stand tall as few others do. This is how he had a huge impact on the 2016 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game (17 points on 5-of-9 three-point shooting) and he erupted for 19 points in 12 minutes of the semifinals at last season’s Final Four, too. In between Muhammed celebrated his and the club’s first EuroLeague title in Istanbul in 2017. He’s now in his fourth season with Fenerbahce Istanbul after debuting in Europe’s premier basketball competition with ASVEL Villeurbanne in 2010. For his career, Muhammed has averaged 10.2 points per game and is on the verge of scoring his 1,000th career EuroLeague point!