By Dionysis Aravantinos/ info@eurohoops.net
Without the players, though, we would not have experienced anything. In first place after the first rounds of basketball, we have four teams, while there have already been some surprises and disappointments this season.
Many players, like Nick Calathes, Nando De Colo, Georgios Printezis, Sergio Rodriguez and Nikos Pappas, Vladimir Stimac have had a good start to the season for their respective teams. However, there are five players who have started off this season incredibly well, leading their teams to wins but also coming up with great numbers so far, across the board.
Eurohoops brings you the five most impressive players so far in the opening weeks of the EuroLeague.
Erick Green / Valencia Basket
– Stats: 15.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG
– Team Record: 3-3
From early on this season, in the first couple of games in Spain, Erick Green showed his intentions. Last season, with runners-up Olympiacos Piraeus, he had a more limited role, scoring 9.9 points per game. This season, the 26-year-old guard has improved his percentages and scoring numbers, he has freed himself, and he has emerged as Valencia Basket’s leader. He’s scoring 15.3 points per game while shooting an efficient 43.1% from the field and 90% from the free throw line, which makes him an exciting and impressive player, even though he has some tough nights like the last one at Moscow against CSKA.
Green can knock down long three-point shots, finish at the rim, but also find ways to get to the free throw line, which can be crucial in the final minutes of a game. This year he seems to have emerged as a leader, a pure scorer who understands his role in this Valencia team and who does everything, night after night, to help the Spanish team reach their goal.
Alexey Shved / Khimki Moscow Region
– Stats: 19.2 PPG, 4.6 APG
– Team Record: 4-1
So far, Khimki Moscow Region has been one of the surprises of the season. Under coach Georgios Bartzokas, the Russian team has managed to start incredibly well, losing just one game away from home, in Greece against Olympiacos. Alexey Shved has been a big part in this. His scoring and assists – not to mention coming up big in late shot-clock situations – have helped this team a lot in these five EuroLeague games. The 28-year-old is scoring 19.2 points per game, which puts him in second place in the entire competition, but he’s also averaging 4.6 assists, helping his teammates in this way.
Shved’s goal from the start of the season was to become a leader for Khimki, on and off the court, and, so far, he has accomplished this. Although his shooting percentages are low (34.1% 3P), he impacts the game in a variety of ways, including transition basketball, getting easy steals, but also breaking down a defense with his handle. Even though he’s not shooting particularly well, he’s still second in scoring, his team is winning, and he’s evolving as a leader.