Making a name for himself: TJ Shorts' rise to the top of European basketball / News - Basketnews.com

TJ Shorts' impressive growth in the past two seasons is turning him into one of the most exciting players to watch in Europe, and we're yet to see his best version.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

In the past few years, the German league has increasingly become a must-watch for European basketball fans. The level is definitely among the best in Europe, and German clubs tend to have a really good eye for talent, often able to find interesting prospects to work on.

3-pointers this season

39%9,4Points made:9,4Accuracy:38,5%Place in standings:15Record max:12Record min:7Most made 3FGs:Jeremy MorganTeamBCLStatisticsSchedule

Just last summer, players like Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who had won the MVP title of the Bundesliga, Maik Kotsar, and Oscar Da Silva all moved from the German league to EuroLeague sides (Oscar Da Silva, of course, was already playing in the EuroLeague since he was a member of ALBA Berlin).

Another player, who arrived in Germany a few years ago, is now making many heads turn around.

After losing Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Telekom Baskets-Bonn decided to replace him with T.J. Shorts, a 25-year-old point guard and a UC Davis alumn.

Shorts wasn't new to German basketball. After making his European debut in Latvia with Ventspils, he moved to the German Bundesliga in the 2020-21 season, signing a deal with Hamburg Towers.

In his first season in Germany, Shorts already had a good impact. He reached the playoffs with Hamburg and averaged 14.3 points, 5.2 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game.

Last season, he moved to Crailsheim Merlins, another team that had reached the playoffs in the previous season. Under coach Sebastian Gleim, Shorts really shined and became one of the best players in the German League.

Credit FIBA

His numbers went up in an impressive way. Although the Merlins didn't reach the playoffs, they played in the final of the German Cup and reached the quarter-finals of the FIBA Europe Cup.

Shorts was a huge part of their success. In the German Bundesliga, the American point guard averaged 21 points, 7 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 2 steals per game. He also averaged 40% from 3-point, up to that point, it was the best 3-point average of his career.

TJ Shorts II

Team:Telekom Baskets BonnPosition:PGAge:25Height:175 cmWeight:73 kgBirth place:California, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

Shorts also had some impressive numbers in the FIBA Europe Cup. He finished as the competition's top scorer with an average of 17.6 points per game and was also in the top 5 for assists, averaging 6 per game.

At the end of the season, he was named the top scorer in the German Bundesliga and the best offensive player in the league. His amazing performances convinced Bonn that he was the right man to replace Parker-Cartwright.

So far, that decision has definitely paid off for the German club. Bonn is currently at the top of the standings in Germany with 8 wins and only 1 loss after the first 9 games of the regular season.

Not surprisingly, Shorts' numbers in the German League have been absolutely outstanding. He's averaging 18.1 points, 7.1 assists, 3.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting an incredible 51% from 3-point.

However, in the FIBA Basketball Champions League, the American point guard is even more impressive. Shorts dominates the competition, averaging 26.6 points, 7.2 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal per game.

His numbers from the 3-point line in the Basketball Champions League are simply astonishing, shooting almost at 65% from downtown. He has been virtually unstoppable for the opponents, and Bonn has already secured the qualification for the next competition phase.

The American point guard has already become the first player in the history of the Basketball Champions League to score 25 or more points in four straight games. An exceptional milestone for someone playing in this type of competition for the first time in his career.

Shorts has made great strides in the past few years, and his game has improved greatly. Probably, the most important factor has been his ability to extend his range from downtown.

Shorts wasn't known as a 3-point shooter in his college days and first professional seasons. Before joining the Crailsheim Merlins last season, Shorts was shooting less than 30% from downtown - not a great average for a point guard.

But in the last 18 months, the situation changed drastically. The American player is now shooting with amazing confidence from downtown, and his averages from 3-point have gone through the roof.

"In today's basketball, shooting is the number one key to being successful," T.J. Shorts told FIBA in a recent interview.

"If you can shoot the ball from outside, you're a threat from anywhere on the floor. Each year coming over here to Europe, I knew I needed to improve my 3-point shooting, and it's been a lot of work in the summers with my trainers and getting a lot of reps with the shooting gun."

At UC Davis, Shorts played with another guy who recently made a name for himself in the Basketball Champions League and saw his career change for the better: Chima Moneke.

The Nigerian big man played with Manresa last season, and his performances in the BCL attracted the interest of multiple NBA teams. Moneke won the BCL MVP title and was also selected for the All-ACB Team before signing a deal with the Sacramento Kings during the offseason.

The two players share a strong bond, as Shorts revealed.

"Chima is my guy, we're practically brothers," the point guard told FIBA.

"He motivates me a lot, his journey to get where he's at and his success in the Champions League last year. To have him in my corner, he's watching my game tape and always checking in on me from the States, it's huge."

Maybe T.J. Shorts won't receive a call from the NBA right at the end of this season, but it's almost certain he will draw a lot of interest in the European market.

Many people inside the basketball environment, in fact, believe that Shorts could replicate what he's already doing at the BCL level, even at a higher one.

Credit FIBA

"I believe he can easily play at an even higher level," a European scout told BasketNews.com. "He's quick and reads the different offensive situations extremely well, and his basketball I.Q. is pretty high. I'm sure that he will have a big market this summer."

"The way he's playing right now, I just don't see how he won't be able to draw some major interest on the market," another European scout told BasketNews.com.

"It's not only about the scoring skills. He's an extremely smart player with the ball in his hands. He has a great work ethic and a fierce will to improve his game. He won't turn 26 before the beginning of next season. Therefore, I believe he could be a great pickup for many teams."

For a player who didn't receive a single scholarship offers from Division I schools coming off the college and was considered 'too undersized' to make an impact, T.J. Shorts has definitely come a long way.

But the major improvements we saw from him in the past few years leave the feeling that we haven't seen his best version yet.

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