By Giorgos Orfanakis / info@eurohoops.net
A little over two months have gone by since the day Real Madrid were crowned European champions and basketball fans are already looking forward to the start of the new season.
The first jump ball is set for October 11 and until then the various transfer moves and friendly preparation games will be at the center of attention. Several clubs have already materialized the greatest part of their transfer plans, which means that the first conclusions regarding the strength of the rosters have been made.
Eurohoops asks the fans to vote for the best backcourt duo of the new EuroLeague season. Take a look at the presentation (random order) and pick those who will form the biggest… nightmare for rival defenses.
Thomas Heurtel – Kevin Pangos (Barcelona)
Barcelona’s management created a powerful backcourt duo with two players that share many qualities. Thomas Heurtel and Kevin Pangos, who will be responsible for organizing the Catalans’ game with the aim of getting the team back on the road to success, have high basketball IQ, a flair for creation, excellent ball-handling skills, a very good shot and the ability to threaten from any range.
The French point guard is coming off a very good season averaging 11.3 points and 6.4 assists, while the Canadian had 12.7 points and 5.9 assists per game in the best season of his career.
It will be very interesting to see how Svetislav Pesic is going to use the two players and the playing time he will allocate to each of them. There are some, though, who note that the size and limited athletic qualities of Heurtel (1.89m) and Pangos (1.88m) can be a problem, mainly on the defensive end.
Shane Larkin – Rodrigue Beaubois (Anadolu Efes)
Two players who have a history but also a future. Rodrigue Beaubois and Shane Larkin played together in the colors of Baskonia in the 2016-2017 season and now they will form the duo that will be responsible for “carrying” Anadolu Efes in the EuroLeague.
Without a doubt, they are two top-shelf players and their transfer to the Turkish club is a huge success for the management.
The way the competitive styles of Beaubois and Larkin click on the court is especially interesting. The French guard can threaten from any range as a spot shooter or after a dribble, while the American can drive and has better creative skills.
Ergin Ataman has in his hands two super weapons that give Efes the chance to attack from the guard positions in every way. If Larkin and Beaubois find the requisite chemistry between them quickly, then the Turkish fans can hope that their team will go a long way.
Sergio Rodriguez – Nando De Colo (CSKA Moscow)
There is no need for any special recommendations here. CSKA Moscow’s management has paid a good amount of money for two amazing players who could easily be playing in the NBA but who preferred Europe and the courts of the EuroLeague.
The Frenchman and the Spaniard are overflowing with quality and it’s not an exaggeration to say that it’s hard to tell whether they’re better at creating or executing. It’s telling that De Colo averaged 16.7 points and 3.7 assists last season, while Sergio was also highly productive with 13.8 points and 4.9 assists.
In professional sports, however, everyone is judged according to results, and CSKA reached the Final Four but once there, they lost to subsequent champions, Real Madrid. This means that the pressure ahead of the new season is going to be even greater and there is no room for failure.
Dimitrios Itoudis knows that he has at his disposal two athletes that can make the difference and who have the skills and experience to succeed
Sergio Llull – Facundo Campazzo (Real Madrid)
Respect to the European Champions. Real Madrid returned to the throne and Sergio Llull and Facundo Campazzo are getting ready for the even harder task of remaining at the top.
Last season, the two players, together with the amazing Luka Doncic, forced the entire world of European basketball to bow to their talent and the winner’s spirit that characterizes them. Sergio Llull returned during the playoffs after a very serious injury (cruciate ligament rupture) and made a difference instantly, while Campazzo stepped up as a worthy substitute for his teammate throughout the season.
The miracle-working Doncic left for the NBA and the Dallas Mavericks but this shouldn’t worry Pablo Laso. Llull and Campazzo have found the requisite chemistry, they are amazing in the departments of execution and creation, while they’re a great fit for the modern and fast-paced basketball that Real Madrid plays. They are a joy to watch and a joy to have on your team, but also a nightmare when you come across them as an opponent.
Mike James – Nemanja Nedovic (Armani Milan)
Who said that dreams don’t come true? Throughout the new season, Armani Milan’s fans will have the chance to enjoy two great players that will allow them to believe that the time to go the extra mile has come!
Mike James and Nemanja Nedovic left Panathinaikos and Malaga respectively, to move to Italy and create a powerful duo. They can drive, they’re athletic and very fast, with a rare ability in the 1-on-1 and a flair mostly for scoring but also creating.
It’s telling that the Serb averaged 16.8 points and 4.8 assists last season, while the American was just as productive with 16.2 points and 4.1 assists. These are numbers that place them among the best guards in Europe, fair and square.
For those, however, that are worried about how the two players will be able to coexist with only one ball, they better devote their time to coming up with a defensive plan. They’re going to need it…
Scottie Wilbekin – Jeremy Pargo (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
The time to… counterattack has come for Maccabi Tel Aviv. The Israelis are coming off consecutive failed runs in the EuroLeague, but this summer’s transfer moves are enough to bring back a smile on the faces of their fans. The American element is going to be strong for yet another season and the duo of Pargo and Wilbekin is ready to blow away any rival defense.
The MVP of last season’s EuroCup is coming off a season in which he went wild in the colors of Darussafaka and now he’s ready for an even bigger step. If he manages to keep up his great performances and averages (19.7 points, 4.8 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 42.8% in three-point shooting), then it’s certain that he will increase his value even further.
As for Jeremy Pargo, he returned to Maccabi for the last weeks of the season and now he’s getting ready to play in the EuroLeague once again and cause some headaches for those that will be called upon to stop him.
These are two players with common characteristics who can make the most of isolation situations, “hit” their opponents by being faster than them and use their speed and good ball-handling skills to get to the basket or execute after a dribble.
Nick Calathes – Keith Langford (Panathinaikos)
The best point guard in the EuroLeague alongside one of the top scorers in history! Panathinaikos have created a roster with a strong Greek element and clear roles in the backcourt positions, where the duo of Calathes and Langford stands out.
The Greek playmaker is coming off an unbelievable season in which he was fantastic in scoring and creating, averaging 14.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 8 assists. In fact, it should be considered a given that if Panathinaikos had managed to knock out Real Madrid in the playoffs, then Calathes would have won the battle for the MVP title over Luka Doncic.
Keith Langford is also going to be on the Greens’ roster, coming to complement his new teammate. He’s a player who knows how to score like few others do, he has a career average of 17.1 points and has won the Alphonso Ford trophy twice (2014, 2017).
Calathes, then, will mainly be the creator, Langford (together with Pappas) the executioner, and Panathinaikos’s fans have every reason to believe that these players, providing they stay fit, will be able to “carry” their team and go the extra mile in the Final Four.
Tyler Ennis – Kostas Sloukas (Fenerbahce)
A few signings by Fenerbahce to return to the top. Zeljko Obradovic’s team reached the EuroLeague final yet again but weren’t able to repeat the triumph of 2017.
The objective is still the same, though, and the arrival of Tyler Ennis in the place of Brad Wanamaker, who will continue in the Boston Celtics, is expected to provide a big push in the backcourt. The 23-year-old Canadian combines youthful enthusiasm and the willingness to prove what he can do with the demonstrated quality that allowed him to reach 186 appearances in the NBA.
Together with Kostas Sloukas, they will form a duo that is going to be Fenerbahce’s brain and will provide points and assists. Both can play the pick and roll, function as executioners or organizers after a screen and penetrate the rival defense with their good ball-handling skills and drives to the basket.
The Greek guard has been in the elite of European basketball for many years now, with his 3 EuroLeague trophies and constant improvement, and now Tyler Ennis is leaving the NBA to come and complement him. Besides, who doesn’t trust Zeljko Obradovic and his choices?
Vassilis Spanoulis – Nigel Williams-Goss (Olympiacos)
The teacher and the student. For years, Olympiacos have been looking for the new Acie Law to tie in perfectly with Vassilis Spanoulis, and David Blatt hopes that Nigel Williams-Goss will be the ideal partner of the Reds’ leader.
There’s no need to make any special references to “Kill Bill” since, at 36 years of age, he’s still in excellent physical condition, he’s breaking one record after the other and remains a benchmark not just for the Greek club but the entire EuroLeague. In 24 games last season, he averaged 14 points and 5.6 assists, though stats cannot fully reflect his leadership skills and everything the Greek player offers on the court.
On his side now there will be Williams-Goss, who has a unique opportunity to grow next to the best and under the instructions of David Blatt. The American guard was a joy to watch with Partizan (17 points, 6.7 assists), he made the most of his ability in long-range shooting and ball-handling skills, and now he’ll be playing for a top club. Of course, the EuroLeague is much more competitive and the court itself is going to be the final judge.
Olympiacos’s fans are looking forward to seeing the new roster in action under the instructions of David Blatt, and the duo of Spanoulis and Williams-Goss will decide a lot.