EuroLeague rookies: first-day letdowns and heroes / News - Basketnews.com

Maik Kotsar, Darius Thompson, and Bonzie Colson shined on their debut EuroLeague night, while Cassius Winston and most of the other rookies struggled.

Credit: ZUMAPRESS.com, IMAGO/Jan Huebner-Scanpix Credit ZUMAPRESS.com, IMAGO/Jan Huebner-Scanpix

The first Turkish Airlines EuroLeague taste tends to be a bitter bite for most European top-club competition rookies, facing a unique physicality level and every-possession-matter mentality.

Bonzie Colson

Team:Maccabi Playtika Tel AvivPosition:SFAge:26Height:198 cmWeight:102 kgBirth place:Washington, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

The 2022-23 EuroLeague season kicked off yesterday with 10 teams and more than 25 rookies starting their new journey.

Some EuroLeague newbies delivered stand-out performances, including the Baskonia duo of Maik Kotsar & Darius Thompson and Maccabi's Bonzie Colson, while for others, the first match was a good learning experience.

For example, Bayern's promising newcomer Cassius Winston, who shined in the pre-season stage, came into the trap of Dimitris Itoudis. Fenerbahce limited Winston to 6 points (0/6 2PT, 2/3 3PT), 2 assists, 3 turnovers, and -1 PIR. Moreover, Fener scored 11 points more while Winston was gracing Munich's hardcourt.

Coach Andrea Trinchieri pretty much summed up Winston's EuroLeague debut during a heated timeout: "I prepared you for this level, and you didn't listen to me."

Listening to your experienced manager is a quick way to understand the highest-level European game.

"We basically didn't show up as a team," Trinchieri said after the game. "To tell you the truth, I expected something like this. Not so bad, but I knew some of our players would struggle tonight. In the end, they struggled a lot."

"We can be better, but today the whole team brought the worst versions of themselves onto the court. In the first game, everybody is more focused on himself. 'What am I going to do, how will I play?' Like this, you lose the connections, and today we were not connected," added Bayern's head coach.

Italian's words about struggles and me-first mentality also stand for ASVEL rookies, Ignas Brazdeikis from Zalgiris Kaunas and Fenerbahce's duo Carsen Edwards and Johnathan Motley. All those players met difficulties and could not show what they were known for.

Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz / Schedule

Valencia Basket Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz71-81 Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade10-1418:30

But as mentioned before, there were exceptions to the rule. BasketNews provides you a glimpse into 3 players who raised the eyebrows of EuroLeague veterans.

Maik Kotsar

When it was announced shortly before the Round 1 start that Steven Enoch would not be available to make a game due to a sprained ankle, suddenly, bigger role and expectations were placed on EuroLeague debutant's Maik Kotsar shoulders.

Yet, the Estonian big man shined in the spotlight and posted 21 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block in Baskonia's 81-71 victory over fellow Valencia.

The 25-year-old center became the first Estonian to collect at least 30 PIR in the EuroLeague game since Martin Muursepp in 2000, via Darius Garuolis. He is also the third Estonian player to score 20 points in the top-level European tournament.

The last time Estonian dropped 20 points in the EuroLeague was the same Martin Muursepp, who reached such a result in the 2004-05 season.

"I felt comfortable, thanks to the guys. Everyone played together, found me at the right times, and we helped each other out to get the win," Kotsar remained humble post-game, although he was the best player on the first 2022-23 EuroLeague day.

Bonzie Colson

The list of players who were on the court for 30 minutes or more on opening night was quite familiar to EuroLeague fans. So were the night's leaders in blocks, steals, and points. Except maybe one: Bonzie Colson.

The undersized Maccabi Tel Aviv big man was nothing less than the second-best performer of the night, with a PIR of 29 in his EuroLeague debut.

Former FIBA Basketball Champions League MVP led Maccabi to a narrow 84-83 win against Zalgiris, registering 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks.

"I do a little bit of everything. Defensively, I can guard multiple positions, playing with energy. I've always played like that; since I was a young kid. And then, on offense, I'm pretty versatile. I go out there, shoot the three, post a little bit, stretch the floor, talk, and communicate," Colson told BasketNews ahead of the EuroLeague premiere.

"I want to be that glue guy the coach doesn't want to get off the court. My whole life, I've played every game like it was my last."

You can't ask a better proof on the court than he showcased yesterday.

Darius Thompson

Another Baskonia member. He was just 2 points short of a double-double in his first EuroLeague appearance.

Thompson emerged as a true floor general as he gets in his debut match. Thompson had 8 points, 5 rebounds, a game-high 11 assists, and 19 PIR.

"My biggest thing is trying to find my teammates. They made shots tonight, so they helped me, but this [good start with 11 assists] really goes out to my teammates. We just wanted to get a win," Thompson said after a victorious effort.

An all-around stat line consisted of one more rather impressive number.

Darius Thompson also recorded a game-best plus/minus rate of +20. His result went third in the five-game marathon, as Lukas Lekavicius had +21 against Maccabi, and Nigel Hayes-Davis posted +25 versus Bayern.

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