By Giorgos Orfanakis/ info@eurohoops.net
The 16 teams of the competition give their own battles each week in order to climb as high as possible in the rankings and get a step closer to their goals.
Of course, everything will be decided by the big protagonists: the players themselves! Some shine more than others, they are the contenders for the MVP award on a weekly basis and they skyrocket their value.
Eurohoops presents the Top 3 players in every position with the main criteria being each player’s individual performance and his contribution to the team’s progress…
The following players were left out of the list at the last minute: Krunoslav Simon and Vladimir Lucic.
Will Clyburn
Stats: 14.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 19.4 PIR
Will Clyburn is having an extremely good season! He’s the player who will do a bit of everything for CSKA Moscow and who will combine his unique energy in defense with easy points on the counter and an efficiency that reaches 62% in two-point field goals.
Dimitris Itoudis possesses a player that every coach dreams of. He’s not a star but he performs like one, while it’s not a cliché to say that he does the little things that don’t show up in the stats. He will fight for every ball, he will “wipe out” rival 3s, play defense above the rim and get offensive and defensive rebounds that are necessary for the fast basketball that CSKA want to play.
In a roster full of top individual units, Clyburn is on the court for longer than any other player and, based on the rating system, he’s by far the most valuable. Among other things, he’s a leading contender for the top spot in rebounds in the entire EuroLeague against all the centers. He’s one of those players who make the difference between a top team and a team that wins the trophy.
Stats: 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 10.4 PIR
Nikola Kalinic is a characteristic case of a player for whom it would be unfair to make a judgment based solely on his stats. His presence on the court is considered essential for Zeljko Obradovic, who uses the Serb more than any other player on his roster.
Yes, as unbelievable as it sounds, in a team that includes, among others, Kostas Sloukas, Jan Vesely and other top names, Kalinic is always there to function as the “glue guy.” He’s never the one who will shine, he will never be considered the best player, but he will always be valuable and help the others function in the best possible way.
Kalinic brings toughness to Fenerbahce Beko, he takes them to a higher level in defense and he’s always ready (39% in three-point field goals) when his teammates provide him with an open shot. As the years go by, people may not remember him as one of those that belonged to the elite, however, he will always be the answer to the question of managements when they wonder why they weren’t able to win the trophy. The proof for that is the 2017 quarterfinal series against Panathinaikos OPAP in the Final Four in Istanbul.
Vladimir Micov
Stats: 14.3 points, 41.3% in three-point field goals, 2.4 assists, 13.2 PIR
The slump that Vladimir Micov has been in in recent rounds, except for the game against FC Bayern Munich, wasn’t enough to deprive him of a spot on the list of best small forwards. Of course, the competition was very intense, with players like Krunoslav Simon and Vladimir Lucic being left out literally at the last minute.
AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan’s starting 3 is a constant threat for rival defenses and more productive than ever before in his career with an average of 14.3 points and a percentage that exceeds 40% in three-point field goals. Against those who thought that the Italian club would need… three basketballs in offense this season, the Serb has gelled with his teammates in an ideal way and is providing great solutions in offense without forcing his plays.
Despite the fact that he’s by nature an offensively minded player with a role mostly in execution, Micov’s performance in defense is pretty good. Based on the rating system, in fact, he’s the second best small forward in the EuroLeague, though the ranking is not the only criterion.