The Euro Step: Mike James Is Cool, & Other EuroLeague Round 1 Notes
The Euro Step: Mike James Is Cool, & Other EuroLeague Round 1 Notes
Make James is doing stuff in Milan, Sergio Llull and Real Madrid dropped 109 points, and the EuroLeague is just getting started.
It was a lopsided week overall, with six of the eight games decided by double-digits. Sergio Llull and the defending champs Real Madrid dropped 109 on Darussafaka, while fellow title contenders CSKA, Fenerbahce, and Olympiacos rolled to 20-plus point wins.
Don’t worry, though — there’s plenty more competitive basketball on the horizon.
Before a busy double week tips off — games Tuesday through Friday on FloSports — these were some of my observations from Round 1.
Milano Are Cool, & They've Got Cash
Giorgio Armani flexed his bank account this summer, bringing in star signings Mike James and Nemanja Nedovic. In their first EL game together at Buducnost, they were worth every euro.
James and Nedovic sliced into the paint at will and soared over defenders for easy layups. When the defense gave them a little space, they made heart-breaking threes. In the end, James finished with 13 and Nedovic 14, with both of them shooting over 50 percent.
That @TheNatural_05 and @nedovic1624 scoring could be quite something! pic.twitter.com/6k0E9YQskh
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) October 13, 2018
Most importantly, they shared the ball. They each had five assists, and it never seemed like they were being selfish. When the defense focused on one of them, they swung it to an open teammate.
It’s hard enough to defend one electric combo guard. Milano have two, and if they spread the love, this will be a top-five offense that’s capable of beating anybody.
Outside of the two stars, this is a fun, well-rounded team with a ton of weapons.
Arturas Gudaitis rolls to the rim like a damn tornado. When he built up momentum, poor Buducnost defenders could only throw themselves in his path and hope he missed free throws (5/8 on the night). Gudaitis also did a great job of protecting the rim, and he forms a physically devastating center duo with Kaleb Tarczewski.
At the forward spots, Mindaugas Kuzminskas had a stretch where he scored on three straight possessions, and Jeff Brooks made winning plays like he usually does. Oh, and that’s before we even mention their top scorer Vladimir Micov, who had 15.
Milano face two bigs tests this week when they host Real Madrid and go on the road at Olympiacos. If they can win one of the two, they’ll be on track for their first EL playoff appearance since 2013-14.
Olympiacos Dominant, Khimki Stagnant
After watching David Blatt’s first game with Olympiacos, I’m feeling good about picking them to win the title.
Blatt has a deep, versatile roster and much more firepower than last year’s Olympiacos. Eight players scored between 8-14 points, and their shooting efficiency was ridiculous — 66 percent 2FG, 43 percent 3FG, 78 percent FT — especially when you consider the first half was apparently played inside a forest fire.
I'm watching the replay of Olympiacos vs. Khimki and you can barely see former @ZagMBB Nigel Williams-Goss through the smoke in the arena ?
— Austin Green (@LosCrossovers) October 13, 2018
He debuted with a solid 8 points + 5 assists (21 mins) so apparently it didn't bother him too much. Oly won 87-66https://t.co/OS7VFNM1XU pic.twitter.com/rQpixgbVPC
Former Virginia Tech star Zach LeDay looks like a good signing as a bouncy, 6-foot-7 small-ball five. He played great pick-and-roll defense, battled for rebounds and led all Olympiacos scorers with 14.
Fellow new signings Sasha Vezenkov and Janis Timma also fit in smoothly, while the legend Vasillis Spanoulis looked much fresher than he did in last year’s playoffs. Georgios Printezis chipped in his reliable 11 points, and 2015 first-round pick Nikola Milutinov (San Antonio Spurs) was much more dominant than his nine points and nine rebounds suggests.
Overall, Olympiacos pushed the pace, and with their usual suffocating defense in full effect, they looked miles ahead of Khimki in an 87-66 road win.
Not even human grenade launcher Alexey Shved could save Khimki. The Russian took half of Khimki’s shots on his way to 34 points, but it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome Oly’s balanced attack.
Shved hit a lot of shots, including 8-of-16 threes, but I’d love to see Khimki get other guys involved. Anthony Gill is a EuroLeague star in the making, and every time he touched the ball, good things happened.
When nothing else is on...Take it to the hoop!#7DAYSMagicMoment pic.twitter.com/fuCtyb9ltX
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) October 12, 2018
This week Khimki are at Fenerbahce and home vs. Efes, while Oly are at Baskonia before hosting Milano.
Calathes vs Wilbekin: Panathinaikos Win The Battle For Florida
The best game from Round 1 featured the bald man’s MVP Nick Calathes vs new Maccabi Tel Aviv frontman Scottie Wilbekin.
Although they are very different stylistically, both PGs went to the University of Florida before becoming stars in Europe. This time, Calathes won the Gator Cup, dishing out 14 assists in PAO’s 89-84 home win.
Calathes is a wizard with the rock, and it’s no surprise that he led PAO to the win. The green side of Athens has been a nightmare for road teams, as Panathinaikos are now 28-3 in EuroLeague home games over the last three regular seasons.
Wilbekin certainly held his own, putting up 24 points and eight assists. He looked like he ran out of gas at the end of the game, but he is clearly ready to be the man on a good EL team.
He may have ended up on the losing side, but @scottiew_5 showed the @MaccabitlvBC fans what he was all about last night ? pic.twitter.com/d0NRzRJto5
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) October 12, 2018
Baskonia > Zalgiris
The matchup of darkhorse Final Four contenders started with a bit of pre-game drama: Apparently the TV crew had accidentally left the cameras rolling during Baskonia’s practice, and head coach Pedro Martinez was understandably angry about being recorded.
Nota para recordar: Después del entreno en pista contraria mirar que no hayan grabado el entreno con el ordenador del INSTANT REPLAY...
— Pedro Martínez (@pedroma2014) October 12, 2018
(Y no creerte después que te digan que fue por casualidad...????)
Fortunately the TV crew admitted fault, the recording was deleted, and it probably wouldn’t have made a difference anyway. For one day at least, Baskonia was clearly better than Zalgiris.
They looked much more in sync than their Lithuanian counterparts, which makes sense. Baskonia returned almost all of their key contributors from last season, while Zalgiris are trying to overcome the loss of All-EuroLeague PG Kevin Pangos.
After Baskonia took control in the third quarter, it looked like Zalgiris might have a big comeback at home. Jayson Granger, however, had other ideas.
The Uruguayan PG led Baskonia with 15 points. He hit 5-of-7 three-pointers, including three in the fourth quarter alone. The third one proved to be the finisher.
Was this the toughest shot of the night?@jaygranger11 with the clock running down!#7DAYSMagicMoment pic.twitter.com/hosQTh5QTq
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) October 12, 2018
Top 3 Games Of Rounds 2 & 3
As mentioned, Round 1 brought a few blowouts, but starting today the action is back — and it's going to be intense. These are my top three picks for Rounds 2 and 3:
Round 2
Round 3
RIP Tyler Honeycutt
Tyler Honeycutt. Never Forgotten. pic.twitter.com/lADR99oj3s
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) October 12, 2018
Unfortunately, this week’s column ends on a sad note. Rest in peace to Tyler Honeycutt, the former UCLA, Efes, and Khimki star who tragically died over the summer at the age of 27.
RIP Tyler.
Austin Green is an international journalist and scout covering EuroLeague and NBA prospects in Europe and Australia. You can follow him on Twitter @LosCrossovers.