By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
This week’s panel includes Ermal Kuqo, long-time EuroLeague player and 2017 Final Four Ambassador; Gokhan German, basketball writer and columnist for Fanatik sports newspaper in Turkey; Luca Chiabotti, the former basketball expert-in-residence at La Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy; Aris Barkas, Chief Editor at Eurohoops; and Andy West, EuroLeague.net contributor and EuroLeague.TV commentator. Check out their opinions on three key questions going into Round 23 of the regular season.
1. What team can make the biggest move up in the standings during the last eight regular season games?
Ermal Kuqo
This is a question that can’t simply be answered by one team only. After the recent success in their respective domestic cup championships, I expect Anadolu Efes and Barcelona to play better basketball and get out of the bottom of the standings. Maybe it’s too late for them to make the playoffs, but it will be important for morale and their futures to finish the season on a high note. As far as contenders are concerned, I think that the expected return to the lineup of injured players Gustavo Ayon and Anthony Randolph will give a much-needed spark to Real Madrid‘s hopes to finish the season among the top four teams and gain home-court advantage in the playoffs.
Luca Chiabotti
I think that Real Madrid could reach not only the top four but the third place (or the second one, although it will be difficult to overcome a 0-2 balance with Olympiacos). Madrid will play five of the last eight games against teams with few or no chances to get to the playoffs, plus it will face Fenerbahce, Panathinaikos and Zalgiris at home. Of course, Pablo Laso will be more interested in recovering players like Randolph, Ayon and possibly Llull than in a better final position. But the schedule is good and the chance to have the home-court advantage in the playoffs could give a big push to Madrid.
Gokhan German
I think that Baskonia will do it. As I mentioned before, they have tradition and their basketball is still improving. When you look at the schedule, they will play the last seven games in Spain, five at home and two away, against Valencia and Barcelona. They will probably use the schedule to their advantage and succeed to reach the playoffs.
Aris Barkas
It’s all about Baskonia. They remain really close to the playoffs, and if in the 29th round they are just one win away from Maccabi, then we are going to have a more than interesting match between the two of them in Vitoria. Baskonia for many years has been the favorite underdog of the neutral fan while providing spectacular basketball on the court. And the way things are now, they are the only team that seems to have a legitimate chance to sneak into the playoffs.
Andy West
Real Madrid is in fifth place at the moment, but I don’t expect that to last. The Spanish team will be determined to finish in the top four and with Anthony Randolph and Gustavo Ayon both coming back from injury, Los Blancos have added significant firepower at a vital stage of the season. The key will be in Rounds 24 and 25 when Madrid has successive home games against Fenerbahce and Panathinaikos. If Pablo Laso’s team takes victories from both those matchups, that will clear the route for a strong finish to the campaign and a guarantee of home-court advantage in the playoffs.
2. Which player has been the biggest surprise for you this season?
Ermal Kuqo
I think DeShaun Thomas is the guy that surprised me the most. And it’s not because I doubted his skill level; it’s more because I wasn’t so sure how he’d fit within coach Neven Spahija’s system. I must say that DeShaun’s play has actually lifted Maccabi‘s game quite a bit, and we’ve seen how much they miss him when he hasn’t played because of injury.
Luca Chiabotti
I choose Kevin Pangos of Zalgiris because he is still young and is playing a big role in the team’s great season. His first season in EuroLeague was positive but not as good as this one. (He shot just 28.4% on two-pointers.) Now, he is more efficient, more mature and a leader, besides always being a lethal three-point shooter. He is one of the best guards in the league. With less impact on the game, I am delighted by the improvement of two young big men, Mathias Lessort of Crvena Zvezda and Jonah Bolden of Maccabi.
Gokhan German
Facundo Campazzo is playing great this season. When you compare this one with his first Euroleague experience with Real Madrid, three years ago, he tripled all statistics. After the injury to Sergio Llull, Campazzo’s minutes and his responsibility increased, but he did better than the expectations. Also, Alberto Abalde has been a big surprise. But Campazzo’s performance is more consistent.
Aris Barkas
Nick Calathes and Luka Doncic having an MVP season is kind of a surprise, but nobody could deny the talent both of them have. That’s why I am genuinely surprised by Taylor Rochestie. We knew he was a great player, but lately, he seemed a bit lost and during the first pre-season games of Crvena Zvezda, he did nothing to convince us otherwise. However, when the real games started, Rochestie was amazing once again. True point guards are a commodity, and he is one of the best. That’s why I have also to mention Pierre Jackson. He is close to Rochestie, but for another reason. We all knew that he could score, but now he has also accepted his role on the team. He is not forcing anything and his decision-making has improved vastly. He is one of the reasons that Maccabi is on course for the playoffs.
Andy West
Lukas Lekavicius departing for Panathinaikos looked like a big blow for Zalgiris Kaunas when the season started, but that gap has been amply filled by the hugely impressive emergence of Kevin Pangos. Last season Pangos showed flashes of his ability but this year he has been a real revelation, with the fact that he’s ranked third in the league in both assists and three-pointers demonstrating the variety of offensive threats he has provided. Pangos has clearly relished working with Sarunas Jasikevicius, and his importance is also shown in the time he’s spending on the court – more than any other Zalgiris player at an average of 28 minutes per game.
3. Which player due back soon from injury could most impact the playoffs race?
Ermal Kuqo
CSKA has really suffered at the frontcourt position this season, often playing with smaller lineups. I think the return to the lineup of one of the EuroLeague’s marquee players, Kyle Hines, will give CSKA more hopes to finish the season at the top spot. Equally, I see Gustavo Ayon’s return meaning a lot to Real Madrid’s chances of pushing themselves to a top-four finish.
Luca Chiabotti
I would say Thomas Robinson of Khimki, but it’s hard for a European basketball rookie with just a few games played in Euroleague to come back from a big injury and be immediately decisive. So, I choose James Nunnally. Fenerbahce has won five of six games without him but still needs Nunnally in the run for second place because he is the best three-point shooter in the league, knows how to perform under pressure and is making a better contribution on defense this season. Of course, Kyle Hines is the heart of CSKA, but his team is already at the top of the league.
Gokhan German
Nemanja Nedovic is having his best Euroleague performance this year. He has started to play like a real star and winner. However, Unicaja‘s playoff chances are very low. Without big men Ayon, Randolph and Kuzmic, Real Madrid has done a great job, but they have lost three of the last four games. With Gustavo Ayon back now, I believe they will start to win again and reach the top four. Ayon will make the difference.
Aris Barkas
The obvious answer would be Sergio Llull if we knew when he might come back. His presence would make Madrid a lock for home-court advantage in the playoffs, even with Madrid facing Barcelona on the road and then hosting Fenerbahce and Panathinaikos in the next three rounds. But there’s a player who is much more valuable to his team. Thomas Robinson can transform Khimki Moscow Region to a Final Four contender. With four out of the last eight games left for Khimki coming against teams that are playoff-bound, his return can be huge.
Andy West
CSKA Moscow has been pretty comfortable in first place for the last few weeks, but the Russian giant is now suddenly looking fragile. And the return of Kyle Hines will be vital in helping CSKA hold onto the top spot, which means a lot psychologically. Hines is such an intelligent and intense player at both ends of the court, and his ball-handling skills make him the perfect fit for Dimitris Itoudis’s offensive scheme, which relies upon every player being able to create and keep the ball moving. CSKA has a tough schedule ahead and if Hines stays absent, a slide down the standings is possible.