By Evaggelos Papadimitriou and John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The 2019 FIBA World Cup is in the books and Eurohoops picks out the best EuroLeague players of the global competition. Europe’s premier competition had its share of quality representatives at China, in total 63 players to be exact, but a selected few made the cut for our Top 10 EuroLeague players of the World Cup.
Sergio Llull (Spain)
World Cup stats: 10.5 pts, 3.8 ast, 1.3 reb
Spain went all the way to the top with Sergio Llull among the stars of its eight-game undefeated run. NBA players ran the show for the second World Cup gold medal, but EuroLeague stamped proceedings as well through the 31-year-old guard.
Real Madrid’s leader provided answers when his national team needed them, once again proved he is world class when the clock is winding down. His 10.5 points and 3.8 assists per game ranked him third for the Spaniards in both statistical categories, but his experience and devotion were his strongest attributes.
His outing in China displayed his return to top form after his serious injury which seemingly held him back in large chunks of the 2018-19 season.
Nando De Colo (France)
World Cup stats: 16.5 pts, 3.4 ast, 1.6 reb
Nando De Colo was a crucial factor for France. Fenerbahce Beko’s newcomer certainly was among the quality players of Vincent Collet’s squad.
He finished second in scoring pouring 16.5 points per contest getting in double-digits in seven out of the eight games. Only Evan Fournier put up more points per appearance for Les Bleus.
His contribution in the bronze medal game led the French back to third place. Aside the game versus Australia, De Colo made 35 out of his 39 free throw attempts helping France in other wins including the triumph against USA.
Facundo Campazzo (Argentina)
World Cup stats: 13.3 pts, 7.8 ast, 4.3 reb
Literally a world class showing from Facundo Campazzo in the World Cup. The 28-year-old point guard firmly placed himself among the top stars of Europe aiding Argentina capture the silver medals.
Standing at 5-foot-10, 1.78m, Campazzo was on a mission to prove that height is not a must in the World Cup. His dimes were permanently featured in daily Top Plays videos, but he definitely did not stop at making buckets for teammates.
The Real Madrid player complimented Luis Scola with 13.3 points, 7.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. He became the first Argentina player with a World Cup double-double.
Lukas Lekavicius (Lithuania)
World Cup stats: 13 pts, 1.8 ast, 1.6 reb
Lithuania fell short of its goals, but Lukas Lekavicius was among the side’s top players at China. He finished second in points per game behind Jonas Valanciunas and held the largest percentage of made two-pointers.
The Zalgiris Kaunas player was in double-digits in all of his five World Cup appearances proving able to help Lithuania in the upcoming FIBA tournaments.
Aside his impressive overall stats, Lekavicius was strongly featured down the stretch of crucial affairs.
Georgios Printezis (Greece)
World Cup stats: 12.2 pts, 2 ast, 2.2 reb
Greece also fell short of expectations, but Georgios Printezis once again displayed his offensive strength at China.
The Olympiacos player started off hot in the paint and beyond the arc. He made 7/14 threes through five games reserving himself a spot in the list of 19 players with over 50% in three-pointers.
Averaging 12.2 points per game, he pushed Greece. However, his 20 points with 4/5 threes against Brazil were not enough for the “W” in the crucial first round tilt.
Nick Calathes (Greece)
World Cup stats: 13.4 pts, 5.4 ast, 4.4 reb
Another Greek player in our Top 10 is Nick Calathes.
His impressive showing versus the Czech Republic translated to 27 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. He was not enough for Greece to advance to the quarterfinals, but added on his previous positive World Cup performances.
The Panathinaikos OPAP player notched 13.4 points landed him second place in Greece’s scoring list. His 5.4 assists per appearance were enough for first place in the list of Greek players with the most dimes in the global competition.
Gabriel Deck (Argentina)
World Cup stats: 13.9 pts, 0.9 ast, 3.1 reb
Gabriel Deck, 24, showed why Argentina can hold high hopes ahead of future FIBA tournaments. The young forward of Real Madrid finished the World Cup with 13.9 points per game including 24 in the final versus Spain.
His game-high in the final landed him second place among Argentina’s scorers in the competition. His 25 points against Venezuela helped as well while showcasing his all-around offensive effectiveness.
Rudy Fernandez (Spain)
World Cup stats: 7.8 pts, 3 ast, 3.6 reb
Rudy Fernandez’s stats might not pop out, but his contribution to Spain’s gold medal run allowed him to make our cut. Despite injuries in the bottom end of his career, at China he proved able to still star in the highest level of international basketball.
Spain’s captain had 11 points and 10 rebounds in the final to become the seventh player in history to post a double-double in the championship game of the World Cup.
He held the second-best percentage of made threes for the World Champions while holding himself under one turnover per game. His overall outing was more than enough for a spot in our Top 10.