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.