By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The 2019-2020 season will go down in the history of European basketball as the first that didn’t have a champion. EuroLeague decided to cancel the season on 25/5 and thus everything that we saw until Round 28 will be written in history. Minus the 2020 champion.
If we judge by the tremendous performances, the season could’ve evolved to the best in history!
Action will continue on 1/10/2020 with the premiere of the new season and the same 18 teams being ready to reach the end. Until we see what new EuroLeague brings, Eurohoops tries to give its won awards to the best of the season.
MVP: Shane Larkin
We begin from the most important distinction and at the same time the… easier one. Shane Larkin did some incredible things and although luck wasn’t on his side since he won’t fight for the title with Efes this season, the MVP award belongs to him 100%, even though he himself doesn’t agree.
We are talking about the top scorer of the season with 22.2 points (55.6% 2-pointers, 50.9% 3-pointers, 90.3% free throws), 4.1 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 25.76 PIR, destroying every statistic category and… defense.
He won’t go down in history for anything of the above though. During his 25 games, he managed to set a new scoring record for a EuroLeague game when on 29/11/2019 he scored 49 points (5/7 2-pointers, 10/12 3-pointers, 9/10 free throws) against Bayern Munich, and beating the 41-point performance (scored by five players) that was in the second place.
And if this inconceivable record wasn’t enough, the American player had yet another 40+ game. On 6/3/2020, in what ultimately became the last game of the season, Larkin registered 40 points (3/6 2-pointers, 10/15 3-pointers, 4/4 free throws) against Olympiacos and became the only player with 40+ points in more than one EuroLeague game.
Although it can’t be compared with the 40-point games, it’s worth being mentioned that Larkin also set a record by winning consecutive weekly MVP. No other has won the related award four straight rounds (18th to 21st round) while, in total, he was above everyone else in six rounds (11, 18-21-, 28). In three seasons, he managed to climb to the third place of the related list with 10 awards and he needs only two to reach the second position (Mirsad Turkcan has 11). Nando De Colo is first with 16.
Do we need to say more to convince you? We are talking about the player that in three seasons (and not even full seasons) wrote EuroLeague’s history books from the beginning.
The Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy: Shane Larkin
His year was overwhelming and his “win” in the race for the top scorer confirms it.
With 22.2 points per game, Shane Larkin would’ve also won the “Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy,” being the players with the top average. The award was named in memory of the late Alphonso Ford is give to the player with the biggest average in points each year and not the one with the most points in total.
So if nothing changed until Round 34, then Larkin would’ve also been the top scorer, having the biggest average in points that we’ve ever seen. Until today, Keith Langford‘s 21.8 points in 2016-2017) and Alexey Shved’s same average in 2017-2018 are the top numbers we’ve seen. But with Larkin being in such a devilish form, we’d probably have a new record.
It’s worth mentioning that we had the same player winning both MVP and Top Scorer only in 2015-2016. Nando De Colo had dominated everything on his way for both titles.
As for this season, Alexey Shved finished second with 21.42 points in 26 games and Mike James was third with 21.07 points in 28 games in a year that showed how European basketball is changing constantly, having three players with 20+ points after 28 games.
| Player | Average points (Total points) | Games |
| Shane Larkin | 22,2 (555) | 25 |
| Alexey Shved | 21,42 (557) | 26 |
| Mike James | 21,07 (590) | 28 |
| Nikola Mirotic | 19,04 (533) | 28 |
| Scottie Wilbekin | 16,12 (419) | 26 |
Best Defender: Walter Tavares
In the category that could easily be renamed to “Dimitris Diamantidis award’ since the Greek legend has won the trophy six out of 15 seasons, Walter Tavares showed once again that he was the ultimate favorite.
The giant big man from Cape Verde is a rare case of a player since he arrived at Real Madrid halfway through 2017-2018 and didn’t only prove himself an important part of Real Madrid but a necessary cog of the engine that is Pablo Laso’s team.
His indisputably important presence in the defensive function of Real Madrid has turned him into a pillar of the team. It’s also not rare that teammates and opponents have commented on his performances.
The peak was the “Best Defender Award” of 2018-2019 but also the lucrative contract he signed last summer with Real Madrid and will keep him with the team until 2024, putting in his account 15 million dollars.
For history, the 28-year-old player posted 7.2 points (68.5% 2-pointers, 65.3% free throws), 7.1 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 14.5 in PIR being the third-best player in 2-point accuracy in the competition. When it came to blocks he was first with 61 blocks, having a chaotic difference from the second (Jordan Mickey and 26 blocks).
Coach of the Year: Ergin Ataman
The trip to Ibiza will be delayed a bit. Before the 2019 Final Four, Ergin Ataman had said that if Efes wins the title, the team will celebrate it in Ibiza. CSKA Moscow had a different opinion on the matter but 2019-2020 looked like the season that could bring success to the Turkish side. But then, the cancelation happened.
The admittedly top team of the season couldn’t fight for the EuroLeague or the Turkish League while being at the first place in both competitions and also playing the best basketball. Efes‘ dominance was such that the team counted 24 wins and four losses while playing 19 games without starting center Bryant Dunston.
Of course, the phenomenon named Shane Larkin made the difference but it’s impossible not to give credit for this run to the team’s architect: Coach Ergin Ataman, under whom the team reached last season’s Final after the 7-23 record of 2017-2018 and was the favorite this year.
Rising Star: Deni Avdija
Since 2005, EuroLeague picks the best young player in the competition with the “Rising Star” award. Goga Bitadze won it last season and while it was rather easy to choose the “Rising Star” in previous seasons, this year it was a bit more difficult.
Deni Avdija and Theo Maledon were the two stronger candidacies but the presence of the first in a team that was the protagonist such as Maccabi Tel Aviv was the strongest criterion to pick him instead of ASVEL’s French prospect.
Maccabi‘s 19-year-old player participated in 26 games (14:17 minutes) and posted 4.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists. Maledon, also 19, had 7.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 17:41 minutes over 22 games.
It’s worth remembering that both of them have declared for the upcoming NBA Draft. Avdija has many chances to be a lottery pick since American analysts characterize him as the top European prospect of this Draft.