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.