By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
It’s hard to explain why “lefty” means “good player” in most cases, but Keith Langford‘s attempt to explain it to Eurohoops is a good start.
“Lefties become very good players and are hard to guard because most players are right-handed and so, when you’re playing defense against a lefty, it’s a bit uncomfortable,” he says. “And if a lefty finds the way to make use of this advantage, it makes things very hard for the right-handed player because all his senses and everything he knows about basketball are turned upside down.”
Eurohoops looked at all the lefties in this season’s EuroLeague and presents the Top 10, in alphabetical order:
MARKO GUDURIC
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Guard | March 8, 1995 | Serbia
9 pts | 2 reb | 2.3 ast | 1 stl | 0.1 blk | 1.6 tov | 20:54 min | 10.1 PIR
In 2017, before winning the trophy, Fenerbahce only managed to qualify for the playoffs in Round 27. Last season, it was Round 25. This season, they had to wait for other teams to catch up, and Marko Guduric is one of the reasons that the qualification arrived as early as Round 23. The Serbian guard is having a breakout season as one of five Fenerbahce with double-digit performance index ratings. Zeljko Obradovic relies on him, and when the best coach ever believes in you…
DANIEL HACKETT
CSKA Moscow | Guard | December 19, 1987 | Italy
6.5 pts | 1.8 reb | 1.6 ast | 0.5 stl | 0 blk | 0.9 tov | 16:22 min | 7.5 PIR
These numbers are not the best of his career. And yet, he stands out in a team full of stars like CSKA, much more after having stepped up in a major way the last three months. Daniel Hackett never balked at a challenge, and he hasn’t done so this season either. The Italian guard is a familiar pain in the neck, both on offense and defense, for any opponent. He has played a big part in CSKA’s current five-game win streak and in securing its playoffs qualification as early as Round 23.
DARRUN HILLIARD
KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz | Forward | April 13, 1993 | USA
9.3 pts | 2.7 reb | 1 ast | 0.7 stl | 0 blk | 1.3 tov | 19:21 min | 6.9 PIR
With the Final Four taking place in Vitoria-Gasteiz, it was a given that everyone on Baskonia had to step up, and Darrun Hilliard didn’t waste any time. Even though he’s a rookie in the EuroLeague, the American forward offers his team everything that was expected of him. They’re going hand in hand – his left, obviously – on the road to their dream. He ranks fourth in points for Baskonia, which despite many injuries is in eighth place and pressing for a permanent playoff position.
PAULIUS JANKUNAS
Zalgiris Kaunas | Forward | April 29, 1984 | Lithuania
6.4 pts | 3.2 reb | 0.9 ast | 0.2 stl | 0.3 blk | 0.9 tov | 16:35 min | 8.1 PIR
He ranks fourth all-time in points (2,962), second in rebounds (1,732), and third in appearances (313) over 16 EuroLeague seasons, all except one of them with Zalgiris. There’s no need for words when it comes to Paulius Jankunas. The Lithuanian forward and Zalgiris captain is one of those faces you know better than most others in the competition, almost as well as he knows how to do his job. You never grow tired of watching his shooting from mid-range. Except if you’re an opponent.
KEITH LANGFORD
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens | Guard | September 15, 1983 | USA
11.1 pts | 2.1 reb | 1 ast | 0.7 stl | 0.2 blk | 0.7 tov | 20:38 min | 10.7 PIR
Keith Langford needs no introduction. His two Alphonso Ford Top Scorer trophies, in 2014 and 2017 –only he and Igor Rakocevic have more than one – are more than enough to get the job done. The American guard is playing his eighth EuroLeague season and his first with Panathinaikos OPAP Athens, and has averaged double-digits in scoring in all of them. An injury set him back two months, but now he’s back to do what he knows better than most: unstoppable crossovers and killer jumpers.
KOSTAS PAPANIKOLAOU
Olympiacos Piraeus | Forward | July 31, 1990 | Greece
7.5 pts | 3.7 reb | 1.3 ast | 1.5 stl | 0.3 blk | 1.5 tov | 22:20 min | 8.2 PIR
He’s very close to becoming the 38th player ever with 200 EuroLeague appearances, and has experienced a lot in his first 198, spent mostly with Olympiacos apart from one season for FC Barcelona Lassa. His calling cards are back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 – in which he had a huge role as a big-play performer – and his Rising Star Trophy with the second of those. Kostas Papanikolaou has linked his name with Olympiacos. He has linked his name with passion, too.
ANTHONY RANDOLPH
Real Madrid | Forward | July 15, 1989 | USA
13.3 pts | 4.7 reb | 0.9 ast | 0.6 stl | 0.3 blk | 0.8 tov | 22:25 min | 15.4 PIR
Defending champion Madrid is back in the playoffs already and has been among the top four teams in the standings all season. Anthony Randolph has been a catalyst for that success since he won the MVP honor in Round 2. Madrid has few stars who, even while playing 100 percent for the team, stand out individually, as well. Randolph is one of them. He ranks 13th in the league in performance index rating and continues to contribute greatly to Madrid’s ongoing title defense.
KRUNOSLAV SIMON
Anadolu Efes Istanbul | Guard | June 24, 1985 | Croatia
9.7 pts | 3.3 reb | 2.7 ast | 1 stl | 0.2 blk | 1.4 tov | 23:45 min | 13 PIR
One of the secrets of success for a team is to be exactly that: a team. Anadolu Efes Istanbul meet these requirements and then some, and one major reason is Krunoslav Simon. As his stats – and his opponents – can confirm, the Croatian guard is playing perhaps the most substantial basketball of his career, which spans seven seasons in the EuroLeague. He creates for himself as well as his teammates, he plays defense and he plays for the team. This is how he got to be the MVP of Round 22.
KOSTAS SLOUKAS
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Guard | January 15, 1990 | Greece
10.9 pts | 1.9 reb | 4.7 ast | 0.9 stl | 0 blk | 1.6 tov | 26:53 min | 14.5 PIR
You may have seen him score big points and dish decisive assists, but you’ve definitely seen him. Kostas Sloukas knows how to command attention on the court. The Greek guard stands out for Fenerbahce, where he has been as successful through four seasons as he was at Olympiacos in his first five. Having won titles in 2012 and 2013 with Olympiacos and in 2017 with Fenerbahce, Sloukas could become the rare player to lift the EuroLeague trophy more than once with two clubs.
DESHAUN THOMAS
Panathinaikos OPAP Athens | Forward | August 29, 1991 | USA
9.5 pts | 3.7 reb | 0.8 ast | 0.7 stl | 0.1 blk | 1 tov | 20:46 min | 9.2 PIR
He’s one of the faces you’ve gotten used to seeing in the EuroLeague. This is his fifth season. And he’s one of the most likeable figures, unless you’re playing against him Consistency is Deshaun Thomas’ middle name (actually, it’s Leroy), and he continues to offer Panathinaikos everything that got him to this point, but mainly scoring and rebounding. In recent weeks he has elevated his performance sharply, gunning strongly for the playoffs berth that has eluded Panathinaikos in recent years.