By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Eurohoops presents the Top 100 EuroLeague Players ahead of the 2019-2020 season. A list of players compiled with some specific criteria with the purpose of tracing and ranking those hoopers that are expected to define the upcoming EuroLeague season.
While there are some objective and factual elements/data that were taken into consideration when choosing the 100 players and then ranking them, the final result is, inevitably, subjective.
As always, there was a calculated risk with EuroLeague newcomers, especially those who are completely unfamiliar with European basketball. Hence why some players who will now take their first steps in EuroLeague have been omitted from the list or where placed in lower positions in comparison with “rookies” that already have considerable experience at a competitive level of European basketball. Experience in this level and type of game matters since we’ve seen no few quality players, even established NBAers, immensely struggle in their new surroundings simply because of their unfamiliarity with everything that European basketball encompasses.
What should be noted is that a player of a team that is a title or Final Four contender automatically got a relative priority over another with possibly similar or equal, maybe even superior individual strengths. This is why you will find that there is an increased number of players from well-known powerhouses. Of course, there’s also the fact that these teams usually sign a lot of top talent.
It goes without saying that injuries also played a part in picking and ranking the players.
This year there is a slight change in the usual Eurohoops Top 100 Players ranking criteria. Past achievements (individual awards/team titles) are no longer considered or taken into account with the same gravity they used to carry in previous Top 100 features.
It should also be noted that the place an “x player” gets in the list doesn’t necessarily mean that he is overall “better” than another player since there’s a multitude of factors that determine the ranking.
The most important ones are the following:
1) The individual quality of each player in combination with the prospect he carries for 2019-2020, plus the role and playing time we anticipate he will get with his team.
2) The strength of the club the player belongs to. The players of the teams that are usually playoff staples and are considered among the title contenders always have the edge because they combine individual quality with the club’s high aspirations.
3) Prior experience in EuroLeague/European basketball.
4) How the player performed in 2018-2019 and his contribution to his team reaching its goals.
Here are the 100-91 picks.
90. Peyton Siva (Alba Berlin)
Year of birth: 1990
Position: Guard
Height: 1.83 m
2018-2019 stats: 15.2 points, 7.9 assists, 2.4 rebounds in 27:12 minutes over 14 EuroCup games with Alba Berlin.
Peyton Siva had appeared in a couple of “Best EuroCup players not in EuroLeague” conversations ever since he established himself with Alba Berlin. The talk isn’t just theory anymore since the former Louisville guard will bring his game to the continent’s top competition next season.
What does this game include? Why, everything you might need from your starting point guard: Creative playmaking that combines brilliant court vision with some serious passing skill, lightning-fast first step, highly active attitude on defense plus leadership qualities.
It will be intriguing to watch how Siva will put these talents to use in his first EuroLeague run.
89. Marcus Eriksson (Alba Berlin)
Year of birth: 1993
Position: Forward
Height: 2.01 m
2018-2019 stats: 10.4 points, 1.3 rebounds in 18:38 minutes over 29 EuroLeague games with Gran Canaria.
While Marcus Eriksson didn’t reproduce that brilliant (given the diversity of his shot selection) 49.45% accuracy on threes he arrived at the 2018-2019 EuroLeague with, his shooting action throughout the season was often a spectacle to behold.
Eriksson finished his third EuroLeague campaign with 41.5% on 5.0 attempts from beyond the arc per game and putting on display his full rich shooting spectrum. He mostly came off the bench to deliver instant sniping that could change a game’s momentum to the favor of his team and didn’t hesitate to let the ball fly (successfully) even from a range well beyond the NBA’s 3-point line.
On Alba Berlin, Eriksson meets a point guard in the face of Peyton Siva able to find him when he’s open, anywhere on the floor.
88. Zach LeDay (Zalgiris Kaunas)
Year of birth: 1994
Position: Forward/Center
Height: 2.02
2018-2019 stats: 9.7 points, 4.0 rebounds in 17:06 minutes over 30 EuroLeague games with Olympiacos.
While Zach LeDay was originally signed by Olympiacos to share the “5” with Nikola Milutinov, the more the season progressed, the more obvious it became that he excels more as a power forward.
It’s not that LeDay didn’t produce when he was used as a center. He just looked more natural and comfortable when playing as a “4′”. “I’m a 4 man,” he said to Eurohoops after setting a club PIR record with Olympiacos.
LeDay showcased a notable aptitude for scoring, sometimes with ridiculous ease when he got his rhythm going. If he improves his defensive discipline, he will be a valuable asset for Sarunas Jasikevicius.
87. Nihad Djedovic (Bayern Munich)
Year of birth: 1990
Position: Guard
Height: 1.99
2018-2019 stats: 9.9 points, 2.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds in 23:00 minutes over 30 EuroLeague games with Bayern Munich.
Bayern Munich came one win away from the EuroLeague postseason and one of the reasons was Nihad Djedovic’s (not Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s, honestly) performances.
Djedovic clicked with every other guard that coach Dejan Radonjic paired with him since he didn’t need the ball in his hands a lot to contribute. He was quick to take the decision, whether that was attacking the basket, shoot mid-ranger jumper or the 3-pointer off the dribble or send an assist to one of his teammates.
At 30 years of age, Djedovic is entering the ninth Euroleague season in his career with Bayern possibly targeting the next step: making the playoffs.
86. Quino Colom (Valencia)
Year of birth: 1988
Position: Guard
Height: 1.88 m
2018-2019 stats: 15.5 points, 6.0 assists, 3.1 rebounds in 32 minutes over 27 Turkish League games with Bahcesehir.
It looked rather curious to many that Quino Colom spent the previous season on a team that didn’t participate in any continental championship. The Spanish guard played for BSL newcomer Bahcesehir and made headlines with the numbers he registered. Which resulted in wins for his team.
Honestly, if there was a season MVP award in the Turkish League, Colom would’ve been the frontrunner to win it since he led Bahcesehir one victory away from the playoffs.
Now Colom returns to Spain to put his savvy playmaking and pick n’ roll artistry to use for Valencia. During his 2016-2017 stint with Unics Kazan, his pick n’ roll pairing with Artsiom Parakhouski was a sight to behold and now the duo he will create with Bojan Dubljevic is expected to be fun as well.
85. DeShaun Thomas (Panathinaikos)
Year of birth: 1990
Position: Forward
Height: 1.99
2018-2019 stats: 10.5 points, 3.8 rebounds in 22:26 minutes over 32 games with Panathinaikos in EuroLeague.
Rick Pitino’s arrival to Panathinaikos halfway through the season changed a lot on the team. You can definitely include DeShaun Thomas’ performances among the improvements that happened when the Hall Of Fame coach took over.
Thomas averaged 14.3 points in the last 11 games of the regular season to help steer Panathinaikos towards a course that led to the playoffs with seven wins. He greatly improved his rebounding and found extra ways to be useful to his team.
Once again, Panathinaikos will mainly require from Thomas to provide a steady threat from the perimeter, something the team deeply lacked in 2018-2019.
84. Micheal Eric (Baskonia)
Year of birth: 1988
Position: Center
Height: 2.10 m.
2018-2019 stats: 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 0.9 blocks in 20:18 minutes over 29 EuroLeague games with Darussafaka Tekfen.
Although Micheal Eric’s maiden EuroLeague campaign didn’t exactly go as planned for his team (Dacka had the worst record in EuroLeague), he emerged as one of the most “fun-to-watch” big guys, especially regarding his action close to the rim. Oh and he also claimed a weekly MVP award.
A splendidly fast roller after the pick and an equally dynamic finisher (often with a slam), Eric will find plenty of guards to “feed” him on Baskonia, where he arrived as the “unofficial” replacement of Vincent Poirier.
Baskonia’s offense and the spaces its shooters create should really benefit his game as well.
83. Leo Westermann (Fenerbahce Beko)
Year of birth: 1992
Position: Guard
Height: 1.98 m.
2018-2019 stats: 6.4 points, 2.8 assists, 2.0 rebounds in 17:16 minutes over 27 EuroLeague games with Zalgiris Kaunas.
“He’s [Zeljko Obradovic] the only coach in Europe that I’ve always dreamed of practicing and playing for since childhood,” Leo Westermann said after signing with Fenerbahce Beko. His dream has come true.
At 27 years of age, Westermann is already a “veteran” of seven EuroLeague seasons. It will be however the second time he plays for a contender, following his 2017-2018 stint with CSKA Moscow.
Obradovic will expect from Westermann to provide a solid playmaking solution off the bench as a player who can change the pace of the game when needed.
82. Matt Janning (Baskonia)
Year of birth: 1988
Position: Guard
Height: 1.93 m
2018-2019 stats: 10.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists in 24:56 minutes over 28 EuroLeague games with Baskonia.
Baskonia’s high-tempo type of basketball has been a great fit for Matt Janning. The American sharpshooter comes off his most productive season ever in EuroLeague, the first in which he completed the season scoring in double figures.
Janning let it loose from beyond the arc in any way imaginable in 2018-2019, just like he’s always has been throughout his career. It’s his area of expertise after all and what has established him as one most reliable options a team can get for some important floor stretching.
A player who can drain triples in every kind of offensive situation, Janning is someone whose simple presence on the floor creates an extra riddle for opposing coaches.
81. Jeff Taylor (Real Madrid)
Year of birth: 1989
Position: Forward
Height: 2.01 m.
2018-2019 stats: 5.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists in 18:14 minutes over 34 EuroLeague games.
Quite possibly a definition of a “glue guy”, Jeff Taylor has been receiving praise by Pablo Laso for his ever-growing, ever-improving contribution to the team in everything he’s asked to do.
Being a lockdown defender tasked with guarding a dangerous opponent, wasn’t all there was to Taylor’s 2018-2019 season. The Swedish player showed some notable improvement in his 3-point shooting (44.8 percent on 67 attempts) to truly become a “3-and-D” warrior for Real. He was particularly effective in the playoffs against Panathinaikos when he shot 7/12 in three games to help his team sweep the series. The ace up on Laso’s sleeve.
Taylor remains one valuable asset for Real Madrid who, despite what numbers may imply, will find a way to help his team in more ways than one.