Five games left before the curtain falls on the regular season in Euroleague. And although there are still several pending matters, from home advantage to the playoff eight, the conclusions have been drawn.
The sport-fm.gr he tries to share his own prizes and anti-prizes to the leaders and the positive and negative surprises of the regular season. Any disagreement…respected, but these are our choices.
MVP: Sasha Vezenkov
No debate… Sasha Vezenkov wasn’t just the best player on the best team in the regular season, he has the numbers to back it up. Five turns before the end of the regular season is first in rating by 3+ points more than the closest (22.9), first scorer (18.2), first rebounder (7.2), second in 2-pointers made (4, 6) and fifth in three-pointers (2.2) per game, as well as tenth in playing time (28:47). And all this without abusing possessions, without “stealing” in defense, without a trace of vendetta and always putting the whole over his numbers.
Best Defensive Player: Eddie Tavares
We’re not saying, great defensive players like Walkup or John Brown, but the impact that Eddie Tavares’ presence alone has on the paint can’t be compared to anyone. Although he and Real are not having their best season, the Cape Verdean ‘scarecrow’ remains the most feared player for opponents and makes his club’s racket look like a minefield. First in blocks (2.3) and third in rebounds (6.8), but with an impact that is not always reflected in the statistics, since how many opponents reconsider and move away when he just… looks at them. Indicatively, Real is the second defense in the Euroleague with a passive 108.6 points per 100 possessions (Olympiacos has 107.9), while with Tavares on the floor this number drops to 107.9.
Player-reveal: Darius Thompson
At 28 years old, the EuroLeague discovered this “gem” rather belatedly. Darius Thompson in his maiden season in Europe’s top competition was Baskonia’s catch from Lokomotiv Kuban and deserves the unofficial player-of-the-revelation award. A playmaker’s definition, unusually cerebral for an American guard, who masterfully guides the Basques’ formidable offense, which ranks third in the EuroLeague with 118.5 points per 100 possessions. Very “economical” in the attack with 11.9 points and 55.2% in 2-pointers and 39.2% in 3-pointers, first in assists with 6.5 per game (for only 2.7 errors in 26:16 that he plays and manages so many possessions at such a high tempo), but also second in steals, the American looks capable of standing in any top level team.
Most Improved Player: Matias Lessor
In his fourth season in the EuroLeague, Matias Lessor is showing virtues at Partizan that he had not shown in the previous three at Red Star, Bayern and Maccabi. The French center has shouldered the burden almost exclusively in the ‘5’ position and has developed into much more than just an athletic tall man in the hands of Zeljko Obradovic. Second in rating (19.8) and rebounds (7.1) behind only Sasha Vezenkov, with 12.9 points and 68.9% on two-pointers, but also an exuberant presence on defense, Lessor a few months before turning 28 he went up several levels with his presence this year.
Player-disappointment: Tomas Satoranski
Far below the great expectations that he had cultivated for his talent, the… memories of the time before he left Barcelona for the NBA, his presence in the USA, but also his appearances with the Czech Republic in the FIBA competitions, Tomas Satoransky appeared. While his numbers aren’t exactly mind-blowing, with 9 points (57.7% 2-pointers, 51.7% 3-pointers), 4.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game, his presence is anything but commanding. The responsibility, of course, does not fall only on him, since he is perhaps another victim of Sarunas Jasikevicius’ habit of putting a rein on his guards and not allowing them to unfold their virtues.
Best sixth man: Marko Guduric
It doesn’t matter who starts but who finishes a game. Marko Guduric is one of those players who rarely make the top five, but even more rarely don’t finish a match. In a season where Calathes and Wilbekin have been inconsistent, the Serbian guard has developed into a point of reference in Fenerbahce’s perimeter. He is averaging 13.1 points on 62.4% 2-point shooting, 39.7% 3-point shooting and 83.1% shooting, while also averaging 3.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1 steal in about 24 minutes.
Best New Player: Gabriele Procida
In a league where—bad lies—few teams take chances on developing players, Alba are consistently the exception. Gabriele Procida was selected in the summer of 2022 at number 36 in the draft by the Blazers and in Berlin the 20-year-old forward found the opportunity to play with the… big ones. The young Italian is averaging 6 points and 1.9 rebounds in nearly 15 minutes per game, scoring in double figures in six games.
Best coach: Giorgos Bartzokas
Agreed, the work presented by Z. Obradovich, Maksvitis, Moubrou and Peniaroia is excellent, but it would be unfair if the award went to anyone other than Giorgos Bartzokas. The 57-year-old manager has created a formidable squad, with perfectly distributed roles, an attack that serves as a model for other teams and a defense that can take it to the top. Olympiacos, which he has built over the past three years, is not only the first team in the EuroLeague ranking, but also the one that plays – by general admission – the best basketball. And all this without its budget exceeding 10 million euros, without relying on the appetites of one or two players and highlighting many and often different protagonists.
Group-apocalypse: Partisan
He returned to the Euroleague almost as a gift, after a season of failure in the Eurocup and the Adriatic League. But Zeljko Obradovic silenced those who had the audacity to call him outdated. The renewed version of Partizan is firmly in the top eight of the Euroleague and leads the race in the ABA Liga. “Zots” presents a very modern set, which has the best offense in Europe with 121.2 points per 100 possessions, without relying on a huge star or a huge budget. At the same time, he has modernized by basing his team more on Americans or foreigners with athletic skills and one-on-one play, keeping up with the trend of the time.
Team-disappointment: Anatolou Efes
He started the season with all the conditions for the three-peat, but he is close to being out of the playoffs. The Anadolu Efes of two consecutive titles that could have been three if the season had not been stopped in 2020 due to coronavirus, not only did not weaken, but on paper it became unimaginably stronger with a top move by Will Clyburn. Although Vasilije Micic’s move to the NBA was postponed, Shane Larkin stayed, Ergin Ataman continued at the helm and the budget reached 30 million euros, we are perhaps on the verge of the biggest fiasco of all time. Bad basketball, based on individual actions, defense with the eyes (fourth worst) and a host of internal problems make up the picture of decay for the City team. If he manages to get off the ropes again this year and triumph in the end, we will have seen it all. But this time it seems that the lot is not saved.
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
