Biggest snubs and surprises of BasketNews EuroLeague players ranking / News - Basketnews.com

At least a few big EuroLeague names were left out of the very first BasketNews Top 50 EuroLeague players ranking.

Credit: Srdjan Stevanovic/GettyImages, Liga Endesa, Maccabi Twitter Credit Srdjan Stevanovic/GettyImages, Liga Endesa, Maccabi Twitter

The very first BasketNews EuroLeague players ranking brought interesting results that had been discussed among the European basketball community.

Guerschon Yabusele

MIN:26.62PTS:6 (27.27%)REB:5As:0ST:0BL:1TO:1GM:1ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023

33 players, coaches, scouts, general managers, and media members from Europe ranked the Top 50 players in the competition.

Their selection boosted some players to astonishing heights but left some notable names outside the list.

BasketNews excluded the top surprises and snubs.

BasketNews Top 50 EuroLeague players:

50-31 places 30-11 places 10-1 places

Biggest surprises

Nicolas Laprovittola #26

Just imagine somebody ranking Nicolas Laprovittola over Nick Calathes before the 2021-22 season. You would instantly place this man in the concussion protocol.

But from a projected backup, Laprovittola became the main Barca perimeter threat (also thanks to Cory Higgins' injury-plagued season).

Laprovittola had EuroLeague career-highs in points (9.6 PPG) and efficiency (9.8 PIR), but respondents were delighted with his splashes in some key games.

He averaged 13.4 points in the tough five-game playoff series vs. Bayern Munich, including a 26-point outing in a decisive Game 5.

He was among the better players (17 PTS) in a tough semifinal loss to Real Madrid.

In one year with Barca, he started in twice as many games as in the previous three seasons with Real and Baskonia.

But watching him being ranked so high (#26) among the other top-class guards is stunning.

Dzanan Musa #16

It's not surprising that Dzanan Musa made the Top 50 despite the previous EuroLeague experience when he didn't get up from Anadolu Efes' bench under coach Ergin Ataman two seasons ago.

It's surprising how high he was ranked among the proven EuroLeague stars (#16) over scorers such as Cory Higgins (17), Scottie Wilbekin (18), Kevin Punter (32), and others.

Nicolas Laprovittola

Team:FC BarcelonaPosition:PGAge:32Height:188 cmWeight:88 kgBirth place:ArgentinaProfileNewsStatistics

There are at least three reasons behind such hype.

First, he was the 7th best scorer in the EuroBasket (21.4 PPG), including a 30-point game vs. bronze medalists Germany or a 22-point performance in a win over Slovenia.

He had 19 points and four assists in a Spanish Supercopa final victory vs. Barcelona and didn't score less than 13 points in all eight games with Real jersey.

And he's returning to the EuroLeague as the MVP of the strongest domestic league in Europe (ACB).

The season will show if Musa can live up to the hype.

Guerschon Yabusele #8

You can agree that probably only Nikola Mirotic and Sasha Vezenkov are better power forwards in the EuroLeague than Guerschon Yabusele.

But the fact that the Frenchman left so many EuroLeague stars behind (#8), including Sloukas, Pangos, Shields, Vesely, Higgins, Wilbekin, Lucic, and many others, speaks for itself.

Yabusele quickly found his spot in Madrid, averaging 11.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 13.4 EFF in 36 EuroLeague games.

But he always showed up in big games.

Yabusele had 18 + 8 in the semifinal vs. Barcelona, averaged 16.7 points in a playoff series vs. Maccabi, poured in 21 vs. Bayern, 20 against Anadolu Efes, or 18 twice against Monaco.

He was close to making the All-EuroBasket team in Germany, posting 14.8 points on average for a silver-medalist France.

Still, that's a massive recognition for Yabusele, who's starting his fourth EuroLeague season.

Biggest snubs

Wade Baldwin #51-52

He is labeled as a challenging player.

He might have got himself and his team in trouble once or twice due to his emotions in crucial moments.

But it's weird to see such a talented perimeter player outside the Top 50.

He was the 8th best scorer in the EuroLeague in the last two seasons (14.8 PPG). His size and athleticism are a tough nut to crack for any perimeter player on offense when he is in his zone.

Baldwin was also a huge part of a surprising and historical playoff appearance of Bayern Munich.

He was not far away from the Top 50, though. He received three 8-point and one 9-point votes, being just two points shy of making a ranking.

Baldwin and Dante Exum both scored 167 points and were the first players outside the Top 50.

This year in Maccabi, he might establish his position on one or other side of this EuroLeague boundary.

Dante Exum #51-52

One of the biggest worldwide names that didn't make the Top 50.

The No. 5th pick of the 2014 NBA draft landed in Europe last December when he joined Barcelona to replace injured Cory Higgins.

Six-year NBA veteran had career averages of 5.7 points and 2.1 assists.

He had a few outstanding performances headlined by spectacular dunks in games over teams like Real Madrid or AS Monaco.

Exum boosted Barcelona to a few victories over archrivals Real Madrid, including a 16-point, 7-rebound, 3-assist, 4-steal performance in the ACB or 13-point and 19-EFF input in the EuroLeague win.

He reached his career-high 22 points (31 PIR) in a win vs. AS Monaco.

But the lack of Exum's consistency probably impacted his final ranking the most, considering his average of 6.3 points in 17 minutes.

James Nunnally #79

Another proven EuroLeague scorer who inspired Maccabi to a playoff run last season.

In a decisive month for his team, he averaged 18 points per game to boost Yellows to the Top 8.

Throughout the entire season, Nunnally was the 2nd best scorer (13.8 PPG) behind Scottie Wilbekin.

He efficiently shot the ball (2FG: 50%; 3FG: 40.4%) and received Zeljko's invitation to join forces again.

Nunnally already showed his worth being one of the top scorers in Olimpia Milano (14.3 PPG) and was an essential piece in a championship Fenerbahce roster.

He's been the top scorer in the EuroLeague preseason with Partizan so far (12 PPG on 56% 3-point shooting).

When the legendary coach calls you, that tells much about your value. However, Nunnally was positioned at #79 on the ranking.

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