By Nikos Varlas/ varlas@eurohoops.net
The last round of the first phase of the regular period and the last Game of the Week for 2016 is coming! Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz (9-5) is hosting Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv (5-9) and both teams have plenty of reasons for wanting to win!
The home team wants it so they can improve their very good record even more, and the visitors so they can put an end to the streak of five consecutive defeats on the night when Ainars Bagatskis makes his EuroLeague debut on the team’s bench!
On the court, Adam Hanga and Sonny Weems are going to go head to head in what is an explosive matchup! Both are key players for their teams in every area of the game!
The Hungarian forward for Baskonia, born in 1989, has made great strides in the last two years in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Last season he ranked among the competition’s best five players in both blocks and steals, decisively helping Baskonia to reach the Final Four! This season, he tallies averages of 9.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.4 steals and a performance index rating of 11.4!
In his third season in the league playing in Baskonia’s colors, he’s one of the best defenders around, with great range and impact both in individual as well as team defense. The way he imposes himself and affects the game through defense, you could characterize him – at least in this specific area – as the “Hungarian Dimitris Diamantidis”!
Effective in the open court, he contributes on offense, as well, with points in transition, in one-on-one plays in half-court situations and with gradual improvement as a creator.
Weems, at 30 years of age, is in his fifth EuroLeague season. His first appearance was with Zalgiris Kaunas and then he played for three years with CSKA Moscow, making Final Four appearances in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Now, he has a leading role in Maccabi, scoring 11.7 points on average with 3.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.9 steals and a PIR of 11.2 per game, as well.
On a good day, when he gets in a good rhythm, Weems is not easy to deal with. He’s a player who does many things on the court and combines his physical attributes with a complete basketball package. A good shooter, gifted in the one-on-one game, a good creator and, lately, competent in marking the rival team’s best offensive player, even if that’s a point guard.
In 2013-14 he was named to the All-EuroLeague First Team and all he needs in order to establish himself among the top players in the league is to be consistent and find ways to contribute even on his bad scoring nights!
The curtain falls on 2016 with Baskonia vs. Maccabi and with a matchup between two players who are energy-producing machines who combine substance with spectacle, Adam Hanga and Sonny Weems! #GameOn!