By M. Bahadır Akgün / info@eurohoops.net
Another Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season is in the books, and as the domestic leagues are also coming to an end in the coming weeks, the fun begins for the supporters of the competition and it’s none other than the free agency!
Teams will roll up their sleeves to prepare for the new season with more hope and will try to sign the best possible players for their respective teams.
Just like every year, Eurohoops is bringing its readers a series of the Top 10 free agents in every position, and the shooting guards are up next. You can check the Top 10 point guards, Top 10 shooting guards and Top 10 small forwards in the free agency.
Note 1: Players who have an option in their current contracts are not included on the list.
Note 2: The list has been formed in random order.
Note 3: Players who have fled Russian clubs and signed with non-Euroleague clubs are included.
Trey Thompkins (Real Madrid)
Age / Country: 32 / USA
EuroLeague career: 8 season – 188 games
Statistics: 13 games, 5.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 3.8 EFF
Top performance: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 13 EFF vs ALBA Berlin (Round 22)
Trey Thompkins fell short of performing this season like he did in 2020-21 and completed his eighth year in EuroLeague with career-low averages.
The problems that Thompkins experienced with the team throughout the season had an effect on this and he was removed from Real Madrid‘s rotation by coach Pablo Laso, following the game against Panathinaikos for Round 33 of the regular season. His team made the EuroLeague championship game but wasn’t a part of the 12-man squad.
Thompkins, who was also injured at the beginning of the season, shot 50.0 percent on 3-pointers, attempting 2.2 from beyond the arc over 13 games.
His Real Madrid‘s story seems to have come at an end but based on what he can bring on the floor, it’s possible that he may continue in EuroLeague.
John Brown (UNICS Kazan)
Age / Country: 30 / USA
EuroLeague career: 1 season- 25 games
Statistics: 25 games, 10.3 points, 4.8 rebonds, 1.2 assists, 12.5 EFF
Top performance: 20 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steal, 28 EFF vs Anadolu Efes (Round 18)
After making the EuroCup Finals of 2021 with Unics Kazan, John Brown got the opportunity to play in EuroLeague with the Russian side and had an impressive first-time experience in the competition.
His season was actually fantastic as EuroLeague rookie, who had previously spent his entire professional career before Unics in Italy after dropping out of college in 2015-16.
Brown’s contribution in defense is remarkable and had a EuroLeague competition-high 2.8 steals before Unics (as all Russian teams) was expelled from the competition. There an obvious disadvantage in his game due to the lack of outside shot (something important in modern basketball) but he provides a huge boost with his defense and rebounding.
Rolands Smits (Barcelona)
Age / Country: 26 / Latvia
EuroLeague career: 4 seasons – 107 games
Statistics: 36 games, 4.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 4.8 EFF
Top performance: 12 points, 5 rebounds 2 assists, 17 EFF vs Bayern Münich (Game 3 of the playoffs)
26-year-old Rolands Smits already carried the experience of four seasons in EuroLeague, all of them with Barcelona.
The Latvian player, whose role and minutes saw an increase over the last two seasons, had difficulties in shooting the ball although he just attempted 1.5 3-pointers per game.
However, his impressive performance against Bayern Munich in Game 3 of the playoffs showed that he could do different things on a bigger role, saving Barcelona from getting to the brink of elimination.
Smits’ contract with the team expires this summer and if he wants to continue in the competition with another team, his experience can open many doors for him.