By George Orfanakis/ info@eurohoops.net
The 2018-2019 season is in full swing and after the completion of the first rounds there are certain teams and athletes that have stood out.
With the help of 5 specific criteria, Eurohoops presents for the third time the race for the MVP award as it currently stands. Take another look at the rankings in the second MVP Ladder of the season.
The criteria that were used are the following:
Player’s performance: The individual performance in combination with the demands that existed before the start of the season greatly affects the decision as to who is the MVP. Certain players exceeded initial expectations and others confirmed they belong in the elite of European basketball.
Team’s course: Basketball is a team sport and if someone cannot convert their individual performances into wins for their team, then they automatically lose points in the race for the MVP.
Player’s role: How would each team perform if we automatically removed the MVP candidate from the squad? There are players who are the alpha and omega of their squad, with their key presence providing an advantage on the MVP Ladder.
Consistency: The performance of certain star players varies in big games. Some play consistently at… full throttle, without fluctuations. There are also players who specialize in making their teammates better in every game, even if they themselves don’t put up good numbers. As the season progresses, however, their value peaks.
Leadership: The biggest names in the EuroLeague have to step up when their team needs them. Their contribution in those moments – both in defense as well as in offense – can be as important as their overall numbers. This element, along with other leadership characteristics, adds points and is seriously taken into account when drafting the MVP Ladder.
We’ve reached Round 17 of the regular season and the candidates for the MVP award are limited to eight. This means that certain big names, including the injured Alexey Shved, were left out for now. The next few weeks will be decisive for most of the players…
8. Arturas Gudaitis
Player’s performance: 10
Team’s course: 7
Player’s role: 8
Consistency: 9
Leadership: 7
Total: 41
One look at Arturas Gudaitis’s stats is enough to make you dizzy. The Lithuanian center is having, by far, the best season of his career. In the roughly 24 minutes he’s on the court for AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan, he does everything.
What does this mean? Gudaitis offers his team 13 points on average and he does it with an excellent 66.3% on two-point field goals and 81% on free throws, the latter of which is especially high for a center. At the same time, he’s the second-best rebounder in the entire EuroLeague with 7.5 on average and he provides a lot of help in defense with 1 steal and 1 block per game.
Simone Pianigiani knows that he has a safe solution close to the basket, one that has scored double-digit points in 15 of 16 games so far. Gudaitis is one of the best players in the competition based on the performance index rating system and a candidate – even though an outsider – for the MVP award. Of course, everything will depend on Milan’s progress.
7. Derrick Williams
Player’s performance: 9
Team’s course: 8
Player’s role: 8
Consistency: 8
Leadership: 8
Total: 41
Derrick Williams makes his appearance on the EuroLeague’s MVP Ladder for the first time and it’s the minimum reward for everything he has achieved on the court in the last few rounds. The American forward put up some dream performances that led FC Bayern Munich to great results and a spot in the top eight positions that ultimately lead to the playoffs.
The second overall pick of the 2011 NBA draft came to Europe for the first time with the aim of taking the Germans to a higher level, and he’s doing splendidly. Williams’s presence on the court gives a boost to his teammates and, with 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 40% from behind the three-point line, he contributes greatly the 80-plus points per game scored by Dejan Radonjic’s squad.
It will be very interesting to see how the season will pan out for Bayern and how long Williams’s name will be among the candidates for the MVP award.
Player’s performance: 8
Team’s course: 10
Player’s role: 8
Consistency: 8
Leadership: 9
Total: 43
On the one hand, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, who looks like it has no rivals in the regular season, and on the other, Kostas Sloukas, who is consistently one of the Turkish team’s best players. How could the Greek guard’s name be missing from the third MVP Ladder of the season?
The 28-year-old player is having the best season of his career, which translates into excellent stats in execution (11.5 points, 52.4% in three-point field goals), creation (4.9 assists) and a limited number of turnovers, only 1.6 per game. Sloukas’s presence on the court makes Fenerbahce‘s big men better and offers Zeljko Obradovic peace of mind and security. The Serbian coach has said repeatedly that Sloukas is the leader of this team, and that is a great honor.
The last month went pretty well for Sloukas, while Fenerbahce proved that, even without him, they can prevail in big games, like the one against Real Madrid. As we get closer to the end of the regular season, Sloukas will get better and better, aiming for the fourth EuroLeague trophy of his career…