Euroleague Power Rankings - December

With December starting, the National Team window ending, we are entering a crucial part of the Euroleague season. Let's see how my Power Rankings look, taking into account the following: A) Current form B) Performance thus far C) Projection and Potential. 

1. Panathinaikos (9-4)

PAO had a lot of issues in the early part of the season, winning games but not with conviction. Everything changed when Faried arrived, getting a Player of the Month award, unlocking TJ Shorts, allowing Sloukas to shine... A huge upgrade over Yurtseven, who can produce a lot in the post, but has important deficiencies everywhere else. Ataman always has a knack for the later part of the season, which will coincide with the return of Holmes and Lessort. In summary, PAO has both the record and the projection to be Number 1 in this ranking.

 

2. Monaco (8-5)

Convincing wins against Olympiacos and Panathinaikos, huge win against an injury riddled Efes, but also some inconsistency problems, losing to Partizan or Virtus away from the Principality. James-Diallo-Theis has been the Big-3 for Spanoulis, with Strazel and Blossomgame adding toughness to the lineup, sacrificing Mirotic, with the former MVP having a bench role. Him and Okobo are top tier scorers in the competition, and can really shake things up in the second unit. Hayes or Nedovic are also luxuries as a defensive big and a microwave shooter. 

3. Hapoel Tel-Aviv (9-4)

Hapoel Tel Aviv have an extremely tough squad which also scorer 90+ points per game. Elijah Bryant is the MVP of the Euroleague thus far, Micic is showing he is still elite after the NBA adventure and Oturu is playing at an All-Euroleague level. There is also great depth all around the roster, however, I feel like they will deflate a bit as the season goes along. I cannot seeing them being the leaders of the competition, as they are now, by January. They won't be far of the Top 4 either. 

4. Olympiacos (8-5)

Milutinov is having his best season ever, Vezenkov is his usual self and Dorsey has never been as confident and efficient. The problem that Olympiacos has is that Fournier is not the same as last year (which Dorsey has kinda solved with a rise in his production), and the PG position. The heartbreaking injury that Evans suffered shattered the plan that Bartzokas had. I do not think that Saben Lee, Frank Ntilikina or Thomas Walkup can be the starter for a Champion. A transfer is needed there, for sure

5. Real Madrid (7-6)

The record is not good, that is for sure. However, I think Real will rise as the season goes along. Lyles is the Rookie of the year, while Okeke has been a fine transfer. Campazzo is slowly improving his performance level and Maledon is integrating to the system. They need to integrate Kramer, Procida and Len, and I think Hezonja has to improve his decision making. Their awful form away from Madrid is what places a ceiling on them.

6. Crvena Zvezda (9-4)

A disastrous start, which led to Sfairopoulos getting sacked, Obradovic taking the HC position and Motiejunas joining on a loan deal. After that, win after win. Nwora is playing at an MVP level, Moneke and Miller-McIntyre are playing like they did in their best Baskonia days, Motiejunas and Izundu are holding the fort well enough until Bolomboy returns and to add the cherry on top, Jared Butler or Devonte Graham could be their secret weapons, as they are former NBAers who have the potential to do a lot in their Euroleague careers. Dobric and Ojeleye have had a bigger role as the season has gone along, adding grit. Why are they not higher? I think their current level is not sustainable, and Zvezda has a tradition of losing steam in the latter half of the season.

 

7. Barcelona (8-5)

Xavi returned, optimism returned. Barcelona was not bad with Peñarroya in the Euroleague record wise (ACB was another story), but it was clear that the dressing room had turned against him. Not only that, Barcelona was a team full of inconsistent performances, with a lack of grit and without being able to win a single game through defence. A 2-0 in the double week followed, then a win vs Baskonia for the ACB, a low scoring loss vs Efes in Pascual's debut, a win against Gran Canaria with a great defensive showing and a win vs ASVEL in the return of the legendary coach in the Palau. With Pascual, Barca has used players who can provide defensive intensity like Marcos or Cale way more, has improved massively on defence and shows a slower pace with a more structured plan on offence. The ceiling for Barca is much higher now, although I need to sure more before placing them on the Top 6. Keep an eye on them.

 

8. Fenerbahce (8-5)

Another team which has improved a lot, getting 5 straight wins, after a very worrying start. I like seeing Baldwin coming of the bench, while the Hall/Horton-Tucker duo is physically scary, but it lacks in playmaking, so that guard pairing gives me some doubts. They win their games due to their defence, but with this offence I do not know how far you can go. 

9. Valencia (8-5)

If they had a stronger defensive identity, Valencia would be a playoff lock. We are seeing the usual Pedro Martinez recipe. Lots of threes, entertaining pace, a lot of rotation, internal democracy within the roster and question marks in regards to the defensive end. Absolutely stacked on the backcourt, there needs to be an improvement on the frontcourt. I think they will be in the 6-11 range all year long.

10. Zalgiris (8-5)

High scoring team, smart signings (Wright, Sleva, Tubelis, Lo, Goss), some decent national core options which are Euroleague classics at this point (Butkevicius, Ulanovas) or that are on their way to become that (Giedraitis, Sirvydis, Birutis). Some injuries have brought on a bad streak, with 3 losses in the last 4 games, and overall there is a lack of depth that worries me. I think they will need to activate end of the bench options like Brazdeikis and Rubstavicius.

11. Armani Milan (7-6)

The Messina change bumps them up a few spots. There is a chaos in the backcourt hierarchy, where Bolmaro and Ellis have shown a lot of promise. Injuries to key veterans Nebo, Lorenzo (the former Maccabi duo) or Leday have hurt them, but it also helped in giving an important role to the above mentioned guards. Shields is one of the most underrated players in Europe due to his lack of playoff apperances, Brooks is becoming a very reliable role player and Guduric provides offensive talent. There is something to work with, but not enough to make me trust.

12. Anadolu Efes (5-8)

Likewise, firing Kokoskov is a move I like a lot. Coming into the season, I saw Efes as a playoff lock and a dark horse title candidate. Then came poor coaching and an absolutely brutal injury plague. As a result, Efes is in a very delicate situation, and they will need a nee coach, some signings and a lot of luck to find form. A shame, because I really liked the way their roster was constructed.

13. Virtus Bologna (6-7)

Bologna is better than I expected, once again we are seeing the Ivanovic effect. Smailagic, Niang or Morgan have been very good signings, while Edwards or Vildoza are decent, but with the potential to do more. Pajola is maturing into a very valuable piece, and along with Jallow and the afore mentioned Niang, they create a very good defensive identity. However, their offence is abysmal at times, and their recruitment had some fails. Vildoza needs to be better, Edwards is wildly inconsistent, I expect more from Alston, while Diarra and Brandon Taylor provide close to nothing.

14. Dubai (6-7)

Kabengele is placing himself in the discussion for best Euroleague rookie, while Petrusev is having MVP numbers. Again, Musa and Avramovic have missed a lot of time which has hurt their ranking, but there needs to be taken into account the fact that their rotation patterns are a mess (roles need to be better defined) and so is their defensive performance.   

15. Paris (5-8)

Fast tempo, perimeter oriented system, Hifi scoring a lot and shooting even more. They need another PG, they miss what Lo gave them last year, as Robinson has somewhat replaced (in a moneyball way) TJ Shorts. Ismael Bako is once again disappointing me in the Euroleague (as he did with Virtus, after a great year in Manresa), and Mbaye is a bit too old, which makes them a bit weak in the froncourt as well. 

16. Bayern Munich (5-8)

Positively impressed by Isaiah Mike, Dinwiddie raises their ceiling, Obst has found more consistency as a player and there are interesting role players sprinkled through the roster (Jovic, Voigtmann, Da Silva come to mind), but there is not enough depth nor quality to put them higher. Baldwin, McCormack or Rathan-Mayes have not taken the extra step needed and I expect much more from Jessup. Again, with the lack of talent, there needs to be toughness, especially in the frontcourt.

17. Maccabi Tel-Aviv (3-10)

It is undeniable that Maccabi has talent on the roster, but the mix between disastrous defence and a lack of mental fortitude means that the playoffs will be an unattainable objective. They need a rim protector and a defensive backcourt presence at least to be competitive. However, I see them above the below listed teams.

18. Partizan (4-9)

The Obradovic situation says it all really. Questionable roster construction, bad injury luck and a locker room which is a ticking bomb. Let's not talk about what happens defensively (very weird happening to a team coached by Obradovic). There are quality players on the roster, but I can't see them turning the ship around.

19. Baskonia (4-9)

The worst defence in Europe. I do not like the fact that some very talented players like Samanic or Diallo (replaced by Radzevicius, an elite shooter) have left mid season. Howard has regressed immensely to the point he is nearly unplayable, something which has hurt Baskonia a lot the past two seasons. Luwawu-Cabarrot is trying to carry the team, in the absence of Trent Forrest (Simmons has been able to produce, replacing him as a mid season transfer). Diakite, Kurucs, Spagnolo, Nowell or Frisch are all more than interesting as players, but have been underwhelming, but their offensive game shows a good enough level to be competitive in the games (and their defensive performance is what stops them from materialising something noteworthy in the standings).

20. ASVEL (3-10)

It is a shame that what once was an interesting project has ended up like this. And ASVEL has many pieces which are very interesting. First and foremost, their coach, Poupet is a great basketball mind. Second of all, it is a shame to see the latter part of De Colo's career get virtually wasted, as he still has the ability to be a great Euroleague player (just watch his performance in the Palau). Last, big Forwards like Armel Traore or Mbaye Ndiaye can be excellent role player at this level. Sadly, having veterans like Heurtel, Jackson or Lighty (feels like 2014), unproven bets like Seljaas, Vautier or Massa will only get you this far in such a demanding league.