By George Orfanakis/ info@eurohoops.net
The EuroLeague is in full swing and every week the main protagonists give their best on the court in order to take their teams at the highest possible level.
Some are doing splendidly, some have outdone themselves and some others didn’t justify expectations and, as a result, were left out of the final selections.
With the main criteria being the player’s performance and his contribution to the team’s game, Eurohoops picked out and presents here this season’s All-EuroLeague Second Team.
Nick Calathes
Stats: 11.1 points, 8.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 12.9 PIR
Panathinaikos’s brain this season. Nick Calathes is the epitome of the modern point guard who will set the pace of a game, organize his team’s game and function as the driving force in every possession, with his primary concerns being facilitation and excellent defense.
The Greens’ leader is having another very good season, as he’s first in assists (8.1) and second in steals (1.7) in the entire EuroLeague. After a period of being out of form that lasted about 3 weeks, Calathes returned to his normal performance levels that automatically elevate the Greek team.
Despite the fact that his shooting percentages are not what he would have liked, the 29-year-old point guard scores 11.1 points on average and is the alpha and omega of Panathinaikos. If he continues to improve, it’s very likely that, by the end of the season, he’ll be in the All-EuroLeague First Team.
Vasilije Micic
Stats: 11.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 13.5 PIR
We are going to come across many players in the All-EuroLeague First and Second Teams. None of them has managed to outdo himself quite as Vasilije Micic has and, as a result, he’s the most important unit in this season’s Efes team, who are on course to get the home court advantage.
The Serbian guard has amazing consistency in his game and he combines scoring points (11.6), dishing assists (5.5) and amazing percentages in two-point (56.9%) and three-point field goals (43.5%). There were games where Micic was amazing and the only blemish in his stats are the 3.5 turnovers, which, to an extent, are justified as so many plays go through his hands.
It will be very interesting to see how the season will pan out for Micic since, if he continues at the same pace, he will keep being a contender for the most improved player award until the end of the season. No one was expecting that he’d be in the All-EuroLeague Second Team this season but it’s something he totally deserves.