By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
In everyday life, it is the science that studies the composition and structure of matter as well as its properties. In team sports, it’s something that can’t be bought, but which everyone needs in order to succeed. Eurohoops counted how many years players have been present in their respective EuroLeague teams and found how much chemistry those teams have.
The survey concerns the teams that have been ever-present (FC Barcelona Lassa, KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Olympiacos Piraeus, Zalgiris Kaunas) or… almost ever-present (Anadolu Efes Istanbul 18 of 19 EuroLeague seasons, CSKA Moscow 18/19, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 18/19, Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv 18/19, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens 18/19, Real Madrid 17/19, AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan 13/19) in the modern era of the EuroLeague and their current players.
The order in which they are presented is based on their current standings:
FENERBAHCE BEKO ISTANBUL
You don’t change a winning team. With four consecutive appearances in the Final Four and one trophy, in Fenerbahce’s case, this is blatantly obvious. The latest qualification for the playoffs in just 22 rounds reinforces the argument even more. Seven players have been present for the entire journey and, in general, the additions to and subtractions from the roster of the Turkish champions are still few. And one of them was forced due to Tyler Ennis’s serious injury.
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1 |
Erick Green, Tyler Ennis, Tarik Biberovic, Joffrey Lauvergne |
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2 |
Ergi Tirpanci, Nicolo Melli, Marko Guduric, Sinan Guler |
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3+ |
Ahmet Duverioglu (3), Nikola Kalinic (4), Kostas Sloukas (4), Egehan Arna (4), Ali Muhammed (4), Luigi Datome (4), Jan Vesely (5), Melih Mahmutoglu (6) |
With 15 appearances in the Final Four and three titles in 18 seasons in the EuroLeague, CSKA has become a synonym for consistency. The way it plans out each season allows for nothing less. The few and well-thought-out changes in the roster give CSKA a considerable advantage over most opponents. There are no more than four new faces, while from the almost untouched main body, only three players are in their second season and the rest, with Andrey Vorontsevich leading the way (13), have more under their belt.
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1 |
Joel Bolomboy, Alec Peters, Ivan Ukhov, Daniel Hackett |
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2 |
Sergio Rodriguez, Will Clyburn, Othello Hunter |
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3+ |
Semen Antonov (3), Cory Higgins (4), Mikhail Kulagin (4), Nikita Kurbanov (3+3+4), Nando De Colo (5), Kyle Hines (6), Andrey Vorontsevich (13) |
Madrid has made six appearances in the Final Four and collected two trophies since 2011, but had none before that in the modern era of the EuroLeague. The wait was well worth it, as was its faith in a specific plan. Eight players, including Facundo Campazzo in his first stint with the team (2014-15), were present for the two trophies in 2015 and 2018. Of the remaining six, only two weren’t members of last season’s championship-winning squad.
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1 |
Gabriel Deck, Klemen Prepelic |
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2 |
Fabien Causeur, Facundo Campazzo (1+2), Walter Tavares, Ognjen Kuzmic |
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3+ |
Anthony Randolph (3), Trey Thompkins (4), Jeffery Taylor (4), Gustavo Ayon (5), Rudy Fernandez (8), Jaycee Carroll (8), Sergio Llull (13), Felipe Reyes (15) |
ANADOLU EFES ISTANBUL
In recent years, Efes has intensified its efforts to qualify for a Final Four, which would be the first in 18 seasons. This time, Efes looks more capable than ever, paradoxically at a time when there are plenty of new faces. It’s telling that only four players remain from last season and just two of them are back for a third season. This group of four players has had an active role in the team’s course so far.
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1 |
Shane Larkin, Rodrigue Beaubois, Metecan Birsen, Sertac Sanli, Adrien Moerman, Bugrahan Tuncer, Tibor Pleiss, Vasilije Micic, James Anderson |
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2 |
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3+ |
Bryant Dunston (4), Dogus Balbay (8) |