By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
Last summer was a transfer period in the EuroLeague that we’ll remember for a long time. Few summers in the past saw so many big names change teams. Even fewer saw those big names pick up exactly where they left off by leading the way for their new teams.
Here are the five most telling cases of such stars:
NANDO DE COLO
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul | Guard | June 23, 1987 | France
Nando de Colo is used to being a protagonist in the EuroLeague. His countless individual distinctions, along with those he has helped his teams achieve, are more than enough proof. It couldn’t be any different on a team like Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, where there were plenty of big names even before his he joined them.
The two-time EuroLeague champion (2016, 2019), MVP of the season (2015-16) and Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy winner (2016) – all with CSKA Moscow (2014-19) – isn’t just Fenerbahce’s leader in certain statistical categories. The 32-year-old French point guard is, in fact, leading the entire EuroLeague in scoring and performance index rating.
2018-19 vs. 2019-20
14.7 PTS 20.9 (career-high)
55.2% 2FG 63.2% (career-high)
43.1% 3FG 50% (career-high)
94.6% FT 96.3% (career-high)
2.5 REB 3.4
3.4 AST 2.6
0.9 STL 0.6
0 BLK 0.1
2.1 TOV 2.7
24:14 MIN 30:38 (career-high)
16.4 PIR 22
CORY HIGGINS
FC Barcelona | Guard | June 14, 1989 | USA
Cory Higgins didn’t need much time at all to introduce himself to EuroLeague fans in 2015, but he needed a total of four years in CSKA for his signing with FC Barcelona to become one of the summer’s biggest. Within a short period of time he has become a barometer for the Spanish team, too.
The 30-year-old American shooting guard is coming off a career-high scoring performance (27 points) in a road win at Zalgiris Kaunas. He’s the second-best scorer on his new team, but his contribution extends to all statistical categories.
2018-19 vs. 2019-20
14.9 PTS 13.8
49.3% 2FG 35.5%
49% 3PT 66.7% (career-high)
89.7% FT 90.5% (career-high)
2.2 REB 2.2
1.8 AST 2.5 (career-high)
0.4 STL 0.8
0.3 BLK 0
1.3 TOV 1.5
25:25 MIN 26:53 (career-high)
14.4 PIR 13.7