By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The list of past winners of the EuroLeague Rising Star Trophy is impressive and since the award was established back in the 2004-2005 season, those who have earned the award have lived up to the hype. Players like Luka Doncic, Rudy Fernandez, Danilo Gallinari, Ricky Rubio, Nikola Mirotic and Bogdan Bogdanovic have won it – to be exact Mirotic, Bogdanovic and Luka Doncic won it twice – and this season, of the 22 players who are eligible for the award, five stand out.
Of those five, three are centers with Goga Bitadze and Georgios Papagiannis the frontrunners. However, young talent in EuroLeague is not rare at all, even if this season, in particular, injuries were a factor in the race for the award.
The fans were deprived of the chance to see big performances by well-established prospects, like Buducnost VOLI Podgorica forward Aleksa Ilic who played just three games, and Zalgiris Kaunas center Laurynas Birutis. After all, those young players, even if they don’t win the award, have already made an important step in their basketball careers. They might be boys, but they are part of a grown man’s league.
GOGA BITADZE (Buducnost VOLI Podgorica)
He is the favorite to win it, even if a recent injury slowed him down a little. Bitadze is averaging 11.9 points 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in nine games as, without a doubt, the best young center in Europe. He is just 20 years old, so he can still improve, however, he is already more than good enough.
Bitadze had his defining EuroLeague game with 23 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks on the road against AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan. The Italian champs won 111-94, but the Georgian big man was more than impressive.
YOVEL ZOOSMAN (Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv)
He is the next great Israeli hope and he can be the face of Maccabi in the future. Born in 1998, Zoosman has played in all 25 EuroLeague games so far this season, which is more than anyone else on this list. And while his role is limited in the loaded Maccabi roster, he is making every minute on the court count.
He’s averaged just 2.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game but is shooting 57.6% on two-pointers, 39.1% on threes and 85.7% on free throws. Moreover, Zoosman was the best player for Maccabi with 15 points without missing a shot (4 of 4 2FG, 2 of 2 3FG) plus 6 rebounds in the impressive 93-76 road win at CSKA Moscow.
GEORGIOS PAPAGIANNIS (Panathinaikos OPAP Athens)
Papagiannis is already a well-known name around the basketball world. Born in 1997, this is the last year that he has a chance of winning the award, but he is one of the few candidates who is eligible after being drafted and returning from two seasons in the NBA.
Papagiannis is still trying to find himself on the court, still, you can’t deny his potential. There are very few players of his size (2.20 meters) who can move as he does on the floor. In his last two games, he had 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting and 5 rebounds on the road at Herbalife Gran Canaria and 14 points and a career-high 12 rebounds on the road at Darussafaka Tekfen Istanbul. Panathinaikos got crucial wins in both games, which marked a step forward for the Greek center, who is averaging 3.4 points and 2.3 rebounds over 18 games.
PETAR POPOVIC (Buducnost VOLI Podgorica)
Born September 13, 1996, he is just under the limit of being a candidate and while he has still not established himself, it’s obvious that Popovic can shoot. The Montenegrin guard had made 9 of his 17 three-point attempts over 17 games for an impressive 52.9% shooting efficiency.
He scored twice 12 points against Fenerbahce Bekko Istanbul and against AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan, so the talent is clearly there. Popovic may not win the award, but big things are expected from him in the future.
LAURYNAS BIRUTIS (Zalgiris Kaunas)
Born in 1997, Birutis is considered the best center of his generation in Lithuania and one of the best young big men around Europe. He returned to Zalgiris Kaunas this season after an impressive campaign in the local LKL league with Siauliai where he averaged 14.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks.
Birutis has suffered growing pains back in the EuroLeague. While his talent and size (2.17 meters) are obvious, he has averaged 2.7 points and 0.9 rebounds in a very limited role in 17 EuroLeague games. A season-ending injury stopped his progress and his best performance was registered against Herbalife Gran Canaria when he scored 8 points by making all four of his shots.