The Euroleague announces its best quintet of the season. And, after Rokas Jokubaitis was chosen as the best young player in the competition, two other well-known players from the ACB League are also among the five most outstanding players in the competition. As announced by the Euroleague itself, the quintet is made up of Mike James, Shane Larkin, Sasha Vezenkov, Nikola Mirotic and Edy Tavares.
Mike James
The point guard for AS Monaco was leader and man of reference from a team that defied expectations to make the playoffs. He did it all for his team; he was the third in the league in both points (16.4) and assists (5.8) and tenth in steals (1.2). He and Shane Larkin were the only players to crack the top 10 in all three categories. James was also fifth in the average performance index (18.1). Whenever Monaco needed him, he was on the court, occupying the second place in minutes played (31:11 per game). The former NBA player managed to be the MVP of the Euroleague for the month of March and then raised his game again to achieve the highest average PIR, also known as the PIR, of the playoffs, 20.8. He tied for the most assists (5.8) and is second in scoring (17.6) in the playoffs.
Shane Larkin
The Turkish base recorded the second best PIR average in the league (18.9) by bringing Anadolu Efes to its third consecutive Final Four. Larkin was everywhere for Efes, holding the fourth place in assists (5.3), sixth in scoring (14.6) and seventh in steals (1.3). Third in fouls drawn (5.9) and fourth in free throw percentage (91.4%). In the playoffs, he was second in PIR (18.8) and eighth in scoring (14.8), while averaging 4.8 assists and 6.3 fouls. His stellar performances at the end of the regular season earned Larkin the honors of MVP of the month of Aprilafter he helped Efes become the only team with no home court advantage to win their playoff series. This is Larkin’s second consecutive season with the EuroLeague team and his first as a member of the first team.
Sasha Vezenkov
This has been the forward’s best season, in which has helped Olympiacos return to the Final Four after five years. He led the “reds” in both points (13.7) and rebounds (5.8), ranking ninth in the latter section. Only one EuroLeague player who has attempted more shots has achieved a higher field goal percentage (53.8%) than Vezenkov, who set his best mark in scoring and shooting from mid-range (66.7%). Sixth place in the league in PIR average (17.8). Vezenkov has been starter in all Olympiacos matches and is one of only six EuroLeague players to have averaged more than 30 minutes per game. MVP of the month of February and days 13 and 32.
Nikola Mirotic
the eaves is part of the best quintet in the Euroleague for the fourth time in his career. Mirotic led the competition in average performance index (19.4) and helped Barça finish the regular season at the top of the table with a 21-7 record. Second in scoring with 16.6 points per game with a almost unprecedented shooting efficiency. In fact, he is the second player in EuroLeague history to achieve shooting percentages of 65-45-85; he did the 65.6% of his shots inside the arc, 45.5% from the center and 87.5% from free throws. MVP of the month in both October and December, with which he reached the record seven such trophies. MVP of the day three times, which means the highest number of prizes for a player this season. This is the second consecutive season in which Mirotic is part of the first team in the Euroleague.
Eddy Tavares
The Cape Verdean giant heads to his third Final Four after another outstanding season with Real Madrid. He has been a major factor at both ends of the court for the Whites this season, third in the league with a career-best PIR of 18.5 per game. Second in blocks (1.7) and rebounds (7.6) and seventh in 2-point shooting accuracy (69.5%). He averaged 10.9 points and shot 74.2% from the free throw line, a personal best of his. No player grabbed more offensive rebounds than his 3.0 per game. Chosen MVP for the month of November after recording 11.2 points with 81.8% shooting from two points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 18.0 PIR in Real Madrid’s 5-0 win that month. Once in the playoffs, Tavares helped Madrid advance to the Final Four. This is his third appearance on the EuroLeague team and his second in a row on the first team.