By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is pushing forward at an unrelenting pace and after Round 8 the teams are already past the midway point of the first half of the regular season! There are no rounds that do not include very important games and one of the major appointments this week is between Anadolu Efes Istanbul and Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade!
With a 3-5 record, Coach Velimir Perasovic‘s team is already feeling the pressure and a home win is quite necessary against Dejan Radonjic’s charges, who with their 4-4 record and two away wins, are proving that they are going to be very competitive again this year! In the context of this clash at Abdi Ipekci Arena, two big men with completely different styles of play are going to go head to head: Bryant Dunston and Milko Bjelica!
At 30 years of age, Bryant is an undersized center at 2.03 meters who has established himself as one of the most important post players in the league. In just his fourth EuroLeague season, he already has won the Best Defender Trophy twice, in 2014 and 2015. Efes is his second stop after Olympiacos Piraeus. This year he is averaging 10.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists. His performance index rating of 15.8 per game. He’s a dynamic big man who relies on his explosiveness and strength to make big plays. He’s also the kind of player who is very useful in pick-and-roll situations. On offense, he is a dynamic finisher and on defense he’s an intimidating rim protector, plus he’s quite effective defending rival guards and after switches on the screens.
Bjelica belongs to a different school! At 32 years of age, he is now in his ninth EuroLeague season with 5 different teams. In fact, for two seasons from 2013 until 2015, he played for Efes! He doesn’t rely on strength but on his speed, his perception of the game, and the fact that, on offense, he can play facing as well as with his back to the basket, but also be a threat from long distance with his shooting! Few centers have Bjelica’s quickness at driving from the perimeter to the basket with the ball like a smaller player. So far this season, he averages 9.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and a PIR of 10.5.
The battles between the two are going to play a key role in the outcome of the game. The American will surely have the upper hand when they play close to the basket, and the Serb will have an advantage if he manages to pull Dunston out of the paint! Expect that inside-outside interplay between them to be part of a competitive and hard game, victory in which will mean so much for either team!