By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Can there be a definite Top100 or even Top50 list of EuroLeague players? We decided once more to answer this question and as usual it wasn’t easy at all.
That’s why, as it happened last year, we used last season’s PIR (Performance Index Rating) as a starting indicator, next to our usual criteria, adding a bit of totally biased opinions on a quick debate between the main editors of the English, Turkish, Greek and Spanish editions.
With a number of big names arriving straight from the NBA, we decided that we would omit those players from the list – they have a list of their own – since it’s very hard to compare oranges to apples, meaning not only stats but the stature of players like Kemba Walker in the EuroLeague.
As usual, being part of the top teams, or having a legacy of success with them helps your chances of being selected. And of course, making it to the Final Four or winning the title is obviously a huge plus.
So our main criteria remain the following:
1) The individual quality of each player in combination with the prospect he carries for the 2022-2023 season, plus the role and playing time we anticipate he will get with his team.
2) The strength and the potential of the club the player belongs to and what he has already achieved in the league.
3) Stats and especially last season’s PIR.
It wasn’t easy but somehow we made it work and here’s the result. And after the first 30 players on the list, it’s time for the elite of the elite.
20. Nigel Hayes-Davis (Fenerbahce)
PIR: 13,4 P: 10,5 R: 4.4
A breakout star in last season’s Fenerbahce run and a guy who usually delivers when it counts the most.
19. Shabazz Napier (Crvena Zvezda)
PIR: 16,4 P: 15 A: 3,9
He played in just 12 games with Milan, but he proved beyond any doubt that he is one of the best point guards out there.
18. Nicolas Laprovittola (Barcelona)
PIR: 11.1 P: 10,4 A: 4,6
On a loaded Barcelona team and without too much being expected from him, he emerged as the go-to guy.
17. Marko Guduric (Fenerbahce)
PIR: 12.8 P: 12,3 A: 3.2
He is playing his best basketball yet and has emerged as the player who can make a difference for Fenerbahce when it counts.
16. Gabriel Deck (Real Madrid)
PIR: 15.7 P: 12,3 R: 5,4
He is not flashy but he is a star in his own way and one of the most solid Madrid players ever.
15. Jordan Loyd (Monaco)
PIR: 13.4 P: 12,3 Α: 2,4
He was the brain of Monaco when needed, he adapted to his role next to Mike James and Elie Okobo and he was great when James was missing.
14. Nikola Milutinov (Olympiacos)
PIR: 12 P: 7,5 R: 5,5
Those numbers are his career average – since he was in VTB last season with CSKA – so expect even bigger things from him this year. Probably the only big who can challenge Tavares.
13. Dzanan Musa (Real Madrid)
PIR: 15,9 P: 14.8 R: 3.1
In no time he became not just the future of Madrid but a point of reference in the backcourt of the champs.
12. Darius Thompson (Anadolu Efes)
PIR: 17,1 P: 12,6 A: 6,7
He needed just one season in the EuroLeague in order to become a star, get a huge contract, and be part of the former back-to-back champions.
11. Kostas Sloukas (Panathinaikos)
PIR: 14,7 P: 11 A: 5,6
He just missed the cut of the Top10, he got the biggest summer contract and he remains a point guard who can lead you to the top
10. Wade Baldwin (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
PIR: 17,6 P: 17,2 A: 3,8
His second half of the season was phenomenal and he will have a second chance with Maccabi to try and go all the way this season.
9. Mathias Lessort (Panathinaikos)
PIR: 19,1 P: 12 R: 7,1
His status changed in a stellar season with Partizan, during which he changed his status and he established himself as one of the best bigs in Europe.
8. Shane Larkin (Anadolu Efes)
PIR: 17,3 P: 14,8 A: 4,5
His injury last season was one of the reasons that Efes lost the chance for a historic three-peat. And this might end up being a huge personal motivation.
7. Lorenzo Brown (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
PIR: 16,1 P: 16,4 A: 5,5
Together with Baldwin, they managed to make Maccabi a Final Four contender again and he wants to take the next step.
6. Will Clyburn (Anadolu Efes)
PIR: 18,6 P: 16,7 R: 5,7
His numbers were huge, but not the end result for Efes. That’s why, like Larkin, his motivation this year will be bigger than ever.
5. Facundo Campazzo (Real Madrid)
PIR: 12,5 P: 8.8 A: 5.3
He ended up playing in just nine games last season, he couldn’t send Zvezda to the playoffs, but in Madrid, where it seems that he never left, he can be even an MVP candidate. Low-key he is the best move of the summer, considering also his relatively modest salary in Madrid that keeps him around the $1,5M mark net for the next four years.
4. Nikola Mirotic (Armani Milano)
PIR: 16,4 P: 15,4 R: 4,3
Keeping Mirotic in the Top 5, or even in the Top 10, was one of the most heated debates for this ranking. Truth be told, in the crucial games he was not the same player as in the regular season, but you can’t deny the talent and maybe the change of scenery will change him for the better.
3. Kevin Punter (Partizan)
PIR: 15 P: 16.1 A: 2,5
He is playing his best basketball yet, he was part of the notorious Madrid brawl and he will have a chance to redeem himself this year, by leading Partizan at least to the Final Four. The Serbs can really make it and the goal after last season is clear.
2. Mike James (Monaco)
PIR: 16,3 P: 15.9 A: 3,7
Like Punter and Mirotic, he needs to take the extra step and win it all. Getting the 3rd spot is not a small feat, considering that Monaco is a really new team in the top level of Europe, and staying at the top is harder than getting there.
1. Walter Tavares (Real Madrid)
PIR: 18 P: 11,2 R: 6.9
His presence affects the game as very few other players in Europe do. Last season’s title was the pinnacle of his progress from a good player to a great one and a leader. He is the defending champion, the Final Four MVP and the rest of the contenders have to go through him on the quest for Final Four glory.