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 picks from 100 to 91, 90 to 81, 80 to 71, 70 to 61, 60 to 51, 50 to 41 and 40 to 31.
30. Vassilis Spanoulis (Olympiacos)
Year of birth: 1982
Position: Guard
Height: 1.93 m.
2018-2019 stats: 10.2 points, 5.1 assists, 1.8 rebounds in 22:04 minutes over 25 EuroLeague games.
“It will upset me and piss me off if I don’t finish as I have it in my mind, but I’ll try to not let this happen with all my might,” Spanoulis told Eurohoops almost a week before the start of the 2019-2020 EuroLeague. A season which will mark the 15th campaign in the competition for the three-time Final Four MVP and former season MVP in the competition.
You would’ve thought that at 37 years of age, Spanoulis shall be mostly used to provide a top backup guard option on Olympiacos. Still, there’s an obvious lack of quality on the team’s backcourt on Olympiacos and, as of now, Spanoulis is expected to be the one to hold the baton in the offense of the Reds. The potential of the squad is one big question mark and in the end, much will be once again be determined on how successfully Spanoulis will run the team and how full his tank will be come Spring.
29. Arturas Gudaitis (Olimpia Milano)
Year of birth: 1993
Position: Center
Height: 2.08 m.
2018-2019 stats: 12.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.0 blocks in 23:48 minutes over 21 EuroLeague games with Olimpia Milano.
You guessed that right. Arturas Gudaitis had the biggest jump upwards in the Top 100 rankings since he was placed at the 79th spot in the 2018-2019 feature. The climb was only natural.
Gudaitis was a brute force inside the paint for Milano. He terrorized opponents on offense with the strength he finished plays after the pick n’ roll or by simply bludgeoning everyone in his path, while fiercely protecting his territory and the rim on the other end.
All of these took place before he suffered an injury during a road game vs. Gran Canaria in February. The blow didn’t only abruptly end the season for him but also stole him the chance to play in the World Cup. Gudaitis is aiming to his EuroLeague return and to help the revamped Milano squad get to postseason. At least.
28. Giorgos Printezis (Olympiacos)
Year of birth: 1985
Position: Forward
Height: 2.05 m.
2018-2019 stats: 10.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists in 25:34 minutes over 30 EuroLeague games with Olympiacos.
2018-2019 was a peculiar season for Giorgos Printezis and for reasons that had little to with basketball. When it comes to what actually took place on the court, Printezis struggled to retain consistency in his performances during the second leg of the season, following a rocking entrance into the campaign. More or less, the same applied for his team as a whole.
Still, Printezis completed the season averaging double figures, shooting above 50% on his 2-point shots while providing rebounding as usual. Olympiacos will look to his veteran leadership this upcoming season in which Printezis will look forward to pushing his team towards a playoffs return. Let’s not forget that we’re talking about one of the elite power forwards in Europe this last couple of years.
27. Alex Abrines (Barcelona)
Year of birth: 1993
Position: Guard/Forward
Height: 2.05 m.
2018-2019 stats: 5.3 points, 1.5 rebounds in 19:00 minutes over 31 NBA games with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Many probably considered it just a time for Alex Abrines to officially sign with Barcelona, following the announcement of his return to playing basketball via an emotional video he posted on social media. The Spanish swingman is back with the Blaugrana and EuroLeague for the first time since 2016 and eager to once again enjoy playing basketball.
2016 was also the season which Abrines finished as the “Rising Star of the competition and then the Oklahoma City Thunder decided to bring him over and make use of his 3-point shooting efficiency.
Barcelona shall use Abrines as an elite “3-and-D” weapon who can both support his teammates or step up as a protagonist, given the opportunity. He has the character to do so, as he’s shown before as well.
26. Tarik Black (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
Year of birth: 1991
Position: Center
Height: 2.06 m.
2018-2019 stats: 11.0 points, 5.4 rebounds in 21:30 minutes over 26 EuroLeague games with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Tarik Black adjusted beautifully in his first EuroLeague run and his debut season with Maccabi Tel Aviv. The more 2018-2019 progressed, the more potent his performances became, as was his game-winning contribution.
He ended up averaging 13.8 points in the last 12 games of the regular season. Maccabi won seven of them.
Alas, the “Yellows” had a lot of catching up to do following a destructive first-leg of the regular season and didn’t make the playoffs. Still, Black displayed how commanding he can be on the floor, by finishing plays with savagery while fiercely protecting the rim and play superb defense on the pick n’ roll even against fast guards. He can put his name up to All-EuroLeague candidacy this season, if Maccabi makes the playoffs this time.
25. Omri Casspi (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
Year of birth: 1988
Position: Forward
Height: 2.06 m.
2018-2019 stats: 6.3 points, 3.2 rebounds in 14:4 minutes over 36 NBA games with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Another now-former NBA player returns to the club he made his first EuroLeague steps with. Omri Casspi is back with Maccabi Tel Aviv, now carrying the experience of 10 seasons and 627 NBA appearances.
Casspi will be the undisputed leader of Maccabi on the floor. The guy that will hold his teammates together. Coach Giannis Sfairopoulos expects from him to bring on board his versatility, energy-packed game, and an offensive punch that stretches from dangerous 3-point shooting to aggressive and fast drives to the basket.
Maccabi has been on a playoffs drought since 2015 and Casspi will look to bring the “Yellows” back in the postseason. Much like his own return to the “Promised Land”.
24. Gigi Datome (Fenerbahce Beko)
Year of birth: 1987
Position: Forward
Height: 2.03 m.
2018-2019 stats: 9.0 points, 3.6 rebounds in 21:06 minutes over 34 EuroLeague games with Fenerbahce Beko.
If there was one word we could guess that characterizes Gigi Datome as he enters 2019-2020 in his fourth season with Fenerbahce Beko, that would be “hungry”. The Italian forward was forced to sit out the 2019 Final Four and watch from the sidelines as his team was eliminated in the semifinal.
Datome, now one of the longest-serving players of Fenerbahce, will once again bring on the floor all the characteristics that have established him as a key player of the team: One of the deadliest jump shots in EuroLeague, be it from beyond the arc or 3-point range, from a spot position or by making the step-back after posting up an opponent. Smart attacks to the basket after the closeout, great movement off the ball plus an eye for finding the open teammate.
23. Jordan Mickey (Real Madrid)
Year of birth: 1994
Position: Center
Height: 2.03 m.
2018-2019 stats: 14.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks in 22:33 minutes over 28 EuroLeague games with Khimki Moscow.
Jordan Mickey capitalized on a stunning debut season in EuroLeague with Khimki Moscow by earning a contract to join one of the favorites to win the title: Real Madrid.
There are little things Mickey can’t do on the floor and his diverse game is a reason why Real signed him. The American player is basically a positionless big guy who can deliver as both a power forward and a center, be a threat under the rim, as a swift roller after the pick, complete difficult plays and attack from range.
He’s also an agile defender, so there will be quite the blockade going on Real’s defense when he shares the court with Edy Tavares.
22. Derrick Williams (Fenerbahce)
Year of birth: 1991
Position: Forward
Height: 2.03 m.
2018-2019 stats: 13.4 points, 4.2 rebounds in 26:02 minutes over 29 EuroLeague games with Bayern Munich.
The “steal of the season” was one phrase that characterized Derrick Williams during his maiden EuroLeague campaign. One of the most impressive ones we’ve seen from a competition newcomer.
It was inevitable that if Williams stayed in Europe, he’d join a powerhouse. A title contender such as Fenerbahce Beko where he arrived to basically cover the vacant spot left after the departure of Nicolo Melli.
Williams made exceptional use of his athleticism and his trademark ‘spin-move” to dispose of personal opponents with ease, wreck opposing defenses and drop buckets at will in 2018-2019. It will be interesting how his game will evolve, be enhanced and what aspects of it will he reveal under the guidance of a coach who can take his players to places they’ve never imagined: Zeljko Obradovic.
21. Sergio Llull (Real Madrid)
Year of birth: 1987
Position: Guard
Height: 1.90 m.
2018-2019 stats: 10.5 points, 4.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds in 21:22 minutes over 27 EuroLeague games.
Sergio Llull had his fair share of ups and downs during the 2018-2019 season. There were games when he unleashed his brilliance at full speed and others where he was a non-factor for Real. His shooting didn’t help him much either, since he finished the season with 37.5% from the field.
“Llull gonna Llull,” of course, as his fans say. Over the upcoming season, the Spanish guard’s role in the game of Real may become smaller in light of Facu Campazzo’s emergence as potential team leader, but his electric performance, ability to rain buckets and send out 10 assists in any given night, remain strong constants for Real.