By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
EuroCup Basketball announced the 2020-21 All-EuroCup First Team and the five players that made the cut are Virtus Bologna’s Milos Teodosic, UNICS’ Jamar Smith, Nanterre’s Isaia Cordinier, Monaco’s Mathias Lessort, and Buducnost’s Willie Reed.
Per EuroCup Basketball:
Milos Teodosic, Segafredo Virtus Bologna
A magician with the ball, the veteran point guard shined throughout the season as the undisputed leader of a dominant Virtus team, which had a 19-game winning streak to open the season before bowing out in a three-game semifinal series against UNICS. Teodosic ranked second this season with 6.9 assists per game and was consistent in finding his teammates, having dished 6 or more assists in 13 of his 19 appearances this season. Teodosic also ranked fourth in average performance index rating (19.1) and led Virtus in scoring (15.4 ppg.). The 34-year old playmaker averaged 3.0 rebounds over a team-high 27:30 minutes on the floor. Teodosic was selected as the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season MVP, a phase during which he came off the bench in every game before switching to the starting lineup as the season went on. Teodosic had many highlights during the season, including the semifinals when he earned weekly MVP honors for his performance in a Game 1 win in which he had 27 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. A six-time All-EuroLeague honoree, this is the first All-EuroCup selection for Teodosic in his fourth season in the competition.
Jamar Smith, UNICS Kazan
This veteran sharpshooter is in his seventh season in the competition and fourth with UNICS. Smith, 34, put together a career-best campaign while leading UNICS to the promised land and the club’s first EuroCup Finals appearance in seven years. A former champion with Unicaja Malaga, Smith ranked fourth this season with 17.1 points per game, having scored 13 or more points in 16 games – more than any other player this season. Over his 20 appearances, Smith has made 58 triples for a league-high 2.9 three-point shots per game at an impressive 47.9% accuracy. He has averaged a team-high 16.9 PIR, ninth-best in the EuroCup this season, and led UNICS by playing 27:46 minutes per game. Smith also ranks second on the team in assists (3.5 apg.) and steals (1.2 spg.). A veteran of 108 appearances, Smith had his single-game career-highs in PIR (34), points (32), rebounds (6) and steals (4) during the season, and also moved into the first place all-time in three-point shots made and second place all-time in scoring. It all led to Smith being honored as an All-EuroCup selection for the first time in his career.
Isaia Cordinier, Nanterre 92
At 24 years of age, Cordinier is the youngest player on the All-7DAYS EuroCup First Team this season. It is his first All-EuroCup honor following his second year in the competition. Cordinier ranked second in average PIR with 19.4 per game. The Nanterre forward was irreplaceable for his team as it competed for a place in the quarterfinals until the final game of the Top 16. Cordinier finished the season as the competition leader in minutes played, averaging 33:57 per game. He was also tied for sixth this season in steals (1.7 spg.) and ranked eighth in the EuroCup in scoring (15.8 ppg.) while making 44.9% of his shots from long range and shooting 56.8% on two-pointers. He also averaged 5.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists, both being second-best on his team. Such all-around contributions are exactly what separated Cordinier from everyone else in the EuroCup this season; he was the only player to post at least 5 rebounds and 3 assists per game and is a worthy All-EuroCup selection.
Mathias Lessort, AS Monaco
Lessort, 26, is an All-EuroCup honoree for the second time in his career after earning 2018-19 All-EuroCup Second Team honors. An anchor in the paint for Monaco, Lessort helped the team make history by reaching the 2021 EuroCup Finals while ranking atop the charts in several categories along the way this season. The Monaco big man is tied for fifth in average PIR (17.7), second in offensive rebounding (3.0 orpb.) and fourth in blocked shots (1.1 bpg.). He ranks 10th in the EuroCup and first on the team with 6.3 rebounds per game this season. Lessort is Monaco’s third-best scorer with 12.5 points per contest. A starter in all but five of his 22 appearances, and averaging 24:01 minutes per game, Lessort was especially productive in the elimination rounds. The Monaco center was chosen as the Quarterfinals MVP after averaging 24.0 PIR in three quarterfinal games against Buducnost, during which he averaged 18.7 points on 60% field-goal shooting, 7.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks.
Willie Reed, Buducnost VOLI Podgorica
The only member of the 2020-21 All-EuroCup First Team in his first season in the competition, Reed came up big over and over again this season for Buducnost, helping it to the brink of the semifinals. Reed pulled down at least 5 rebounds in 14 of his 17 appearances this season and finished his season ranking fifth in the competition with 6.8 rebounds per game. The 30-year old center was second on the team with 12.7 points and did so by making 70.5% of his two-point shots, which is the fourth-best accuracy in the competition this season. Reed’s 17.7 average PIR is seventh-highest this season and he is one of only three players this season to reach a PIR of 30 in three different games. Those performances earned him a pair of weekly MVP awards, including for the opening week of the quarterfinals for his 24-point, 13-rebounds effort in a Game 1 road win over eventual finalist Monaco.