By Giorgos 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.
Take a look back at the selections for the All-EuroLeague Second Team
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 First Team.
Alexey Shved is absent due to limited appearances
Kostas Sloukas
Stats: 11.4 points, 4.8 assists, 48.7% in three-point field goals, 15.6 PIR
How could he be missing? Kostas Sloukas has taken root in Turkey and is now clearly Fenerbahce Beko’s leader who enjoys the trust of Zeljko Obradovic and is impeccably guiding his team at the top of the standings and towards securing the home court advantage.
The Greek guard is having the best season of his career, which translates into 11.4 points and 4.8 assists, while he’s showing a great appetite in defense and is executing with a percentage that reaches 50% in three-point field goals. What makes Sloukas so special? His cool-headed decisions at crucial moments and his excellent collaboration with the team’s big men (mainly Jan Vesely) are what elevate his teammates and the entire team.
At 28 years of age, Sloukas is more mature than ever and is among the top point guards in the competition. His goal, of course, is to win his 4th (!) European title and, as the years go by, become the absolute record holder.
Cory Higgins
Stats: 15.6 points, 1.9 assists, 56.3% in three-point field goals, 15 PIR
Alexey Shved’s injury didn’t allow the EuroLeague’s big scorer to take part in more than 8 games and, as a result, he was left out of the First Team at the last minute.
His place was taken by a player who has just as much quality and is just as useful. We’re talking about Cory Higgins, who, for yet another season, is outdoing himself as he proves that he’s one of the biggest “killers” of European courts, with 15.6 points on average and the outrageously high 56.3% from outside the three-point line.
CSKA Moscow’s roster is well known. Among others, it includes Nando De Colo and Will Clyburn, but none of them is the team’s top scorer. This particular title belongs to Cory Higgins, who’s a pain in the neck for rival coaches every night and who gives basketball fans thrilling moments on the court.
Will Clyburn
Stats: 14.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals, 20.4 PIR
A player who had his place locked in from early on. Will Clyburn is without a doubt the best player in the EuroLeague in the 3 position and his selection to the All-EuroLeague First Team is the minimum recognition he deserves for his amazing improvement over the years.
The American forward does everything on the court. He scores, passes, plays defense, is the first to run on the counter, fights for every loose ball, plucks rebounds like… daisies and is a threat from any kind of range and in every way.
Of course, Dimitris Itoudis is well aware of all this and this is why he uses Clyburn more than any other player and rewards him for his contribution with 28.37 minutes in every game. Is there a greater badge of honor than being the most useful player on a team that is a championship contender?