Jordan Loyd names Top 3 candidates to win Alphonso Ford trophy / News - Basketnews.com

Jordan Loyd sat down with BasketNews' Martyna Motum, where he talked about the perceptions he faces by joining the Monaco backcourt, predicted EuroLeague top scorers, and answered fans' questions about his defense.

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Jordan Loyd signed with AS Monaco this summer to join a stacked backcourt with Mike James and Elie Okobo. During the BasketNews Instagram Live with Martyna Motum, Loyd talked about everything from dealing with traffic in Monaco to predicting the EuroLeague award winners.

Jordan Loyd

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The initial reaction of many basketball fans was that the Monaco backcourt is a menace offensively. Still, not every single member of it will be able to have the ball at the same time, with all three main guards being known as capable ball handlers.

Asked about the backcourt having just one ball to play with, Loyd provided his point of view.

"On paper, you see three guys that usually have the ball in their hands for their respective teams and try to make things happen. What people don't see is that none of us have a problem sharing the ball," the guard explained. "Whoever's hot, get him the ball, even if it's not just us three, it's our big men, whoever."

"My initial thought was that all of our lives should be a little easier. We're used to having to have a lot of the scoring role put on you," he continued. "The first thing I thought was when we are all on the court together, the defense has to pick their poison. Then I thought we have to figure each other out, egos have to be put aside. Right away, you can tell nobody has a problem, the entire team."

Loyd embraces the highly-talented backcourt and thinks that having two other offensive talents can only help the offense instead of minimizing each player's chances.

"Mike's a great passer, Elie's a great passer, I'm a great passer, then you know we can score. I think it will help everyone be more efficient. We're not going to have to take as many tough shots, defenses are not going to be able to focus on just one person," Loyd explained. "That's a plus. As long as we're mentally on the same page and put our egos aside, I think it will be great."

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Besides sharing ball-handling duties between themselves, Loyd was asked whether defense will be put aside, at least for the three leaders in the backcourt. The guard disagreed with the assumption that the trio cannot defend.

"If you're a great scorer, I guess you're just automatically a bad defender. That's kind of how it goes, it seems like. We're not bad defenders, I don't think any of us is a bad defender," he said.

"They have to defend us too. Literally, I think we have good-defending guards. It's not like it's just all about the basket," Loyd shared. "Our defense is not what we're known for, but our defense isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination."

Later on, the new Monaco signing emphasized being a team and following directions for the better good of the entire collective.

"Defense is going to be a big part because we know we can score. We'll have to lock teams up defensively and follow the coach's game plan. We can't just trade baskets all the time," Loyd said.

Asked what were his top three players to contend for the Alphonso Ford EuroLeague top scorer trophy, Loyd immediately mentioned his teammate. However, the guard had a tough time finding other options besides the first two that came to mind.

"Mike [James] is one, obviously. I like Will Clyburn for this award because he has a lot of pieces around him, and when he gets going, he's tough to stop, especially with the team he's on," Loyd explained. "The third person is tough to say."

"Lorenzo [Brown] could get up there. If Mirotic weren't hurt, I would have him up there because he's a machine. The teams are evenly stacked this year, so the points might be a little bit down," he concluded.

The player also talked about his life during the summer and the changes he experienced signing with Monaco, from adjusting to a different life in the city streets to dealing with real estate in one of the most expensive cities in Europe.

Full show with Jordan Loyd:

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