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.