3x3 EuroCup: mid-season awards edition / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: V.Mikaitis, Partizan NIS/Dragana Stjepanovic, imago images/Lobeca-Scanpix | BasketNews illustration Credit V.Mikaitis, Partizan NIS/Dragana Stjepanovic, imago images/Lobeca-Scanpix | BasketNews illustration

Since 7Days EuroCup has reached its midway this week, the usual BasketNews'3x3 EuroLeague edition will be replaced by 3x3 EuroCup.

The rules are not changing. Three of our colleagues gave answers to three questions. This time, Orazio Cauchi, Giorgos Kyriakidis, and Donatas Urbonas presented the biggest surprise, disappointment and MVP of the mid-season.

The biggest surprise of the mid-season

Orazio: I'd say that the biggest surprise has been Buducnost.

Coach Dzikic is doing an amazing job with this group of players. They play at a very slow pace, but they're particularly efficient, especially in the 2-point zone. They take good care of the ball and protect the rim really well, allowing very few free throws.

Justin Cobbs is putting together incredible numbers, averaging 18.6 points and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 53% from 3-point. He has been virtually unstoppable.

Also, Willie Reed, Jacob Wiley, and Dennis Seeley are all doing a very good job so far. They're at the top of their group, beating both Valencia and Virtus Bologna. So far, they've been absolutely impressive.

Giorgos:Last season, Buducnost reached the quarterfinals, where they were marginally left out by eventual winners AS Monaco. This time, the team from Montenegro seems ready to go a bigger distance.

Led off the court by Aleksandar Dzikic, who knows the ropes better than anyone, and by Justin Cobbs on the court, Buducnost have only tripped once, losing ahome game to Gran Canaria.

Cobbs will be 31 in two months from now, and considering that he has spent almost the entirety of his pro career in the EuroCup, the EuroLeague looks like the most probable destination for him in the summer of 2022.

But Cobbs won't be the only Buducnost player to get the attention of EuroLeague teams. Willie Reed, chosen to the All-EuroCup First Team last season, is set to repeat his selection this year as well. DJ Seeley, who played EuroLeague with Bayern in 2020-21, started slow but soon picked up, boosting the team's firepower from the perimeter.

Following the suspension of Jacob Wiley's contract, many assumed that Buducnost would somehow falter, but that didn't happen. Currently standing at 7-2, atop of Group B, Buducnost have every reason to believe that they will be able to overcome any opponent when it really matters.

Donatas: Once, he received interest from Zeljko Obradovic, but his rise turned into a downfall after a season-ending ACL injury.

He didn't play for two years, but now he's the reason why 20% of EuroCup GMs recognized his team as the biggest surprise of the season. I'm talking about my hometown team's stretch four, Gediminas Orelik.

He made his comeback to professional basketball in 2020, but this year he already averages 15.6 points on 56.7% 2-point and 41.3% 3-point shooting, including 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists as Lietkabelis Panevezys stay competitive with every opponent they play.

The biggest disappointment of the mid-season

Orazio: I'd go with the Italian teams. I expect more from them in the second part of the season, especially Virtus Bologna and Venezia.

Virtus indeed had to deal with many injuries, but several of their performances in the Eurocup weren't exactly inspiring. In the last two games, they lost heavily against Gran Canaria, and they struggled a lot to overcome Bourg.

With the return of a couple of players, including Nico Mannion, things should probably go better, but Sergio Scariolo would need to step up his performances.

If they want to be in a good position before the playoffs, the most needed improvement is on the defensive side.

Venezia is also having a difficult season so far, but with the new arrival in Jordan Morgan, they should have a little bit more depth. In the last two games, they won against Cedevita and Promitheas, but coach Walter De Raffaele knows that there's still a lot of work to do. Trento, unfortunately, looks already out of the competition.

Giorgos: Rodions Kurucs was one of Partizan Belgrade's marquee signings.

The Latvian forward joined Alen Smailagic as the second European and former NBA player signed by the Serbian powerhouse that aims to win a EuroLeague spot through the EuroCup.

Smailagic and Kurucs moved overseas at the same time (in 2018), only to return at Zeljko Obradovic's request. However, almost halfway through the season, the former FC Barcelona forward is having a hard time adjusting to the new environment.

He has appeared in only five EuroCup contests with the Serbian side, averaging 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 13 minutes.

His presence usually goes unnoticed, and although an NBA-out clause was included in his two-year contract, it's highly unlikely that any franchise would be interested in a European role player of minor impact.

Donatas:Rodions Kurucs. He was one of the biggest Partizan signings last summer.

Kurucs was supposed to stretch the floor for Zeljko Obradovic, give athleticism and energy to a promising Partizan's squad. But he ended up scoring only 13 points in 5 EuroCup games so far and barely stayed on the floor.

The only positive is that underperforming Kuruc's adds even more potential for the second part of Partizan's season.

MVP of the mid-season

Orazio: Without a shadow of a doubt, my MVP for the first part of the season has been Johnathan Motley.

The American big man has been unstoppable for Lokomotiv, averaging 21.2 points, 7 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 1.3 assists per game.

He just crushed the competition in his first European season. I have no doubt that he will become a major target for many EuroLeague teams next summer because he has all the tools: athleticism, explosiveness, great rebounding skills, and the ability to finish around the rim.

He has been so good that Alan Williams, who dominated the EuroCup last season before a severe knee injury, is now just a backup option for Loko. Give him the award already.

Giorgos:In the recent mid-season survey among EuroCup GMs, Johnathan Motley got 60% of all votes.

He was also voted as the most spectacular player and -by far- the most desirable (45% of votes) for any team. So, it seems that there's not much to discuss here. Lokomotiv Kuban's big man is third in the overall ranking and Index Rating.

His first season in Europe vividly brings to mind what Alan Williams was doing last year with the same team before he got injured.

Despite the fact that Motley's latest performances against group leaders Partizan and Badalona were rather mediocre, he still scored in double digits. I'm curious to see how this season will pan out for him and Loko.

Donatas: Errick McCollum. He's the top scorer of the EuroCup (22.8 PPG). He averaged 28 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in two games against the top teams of the group, Joventut Badalona and Partizan NIS Belgrade.

One of them, a title contender Partizan, couldn't keep up with McCollum and his 33-point show that led Loko to a victory. He scored at least 27 points four times and didn't leave the EuroCup floor with less than 17 points this year.

His scoring and mentorship helped other players, like a EuroCup sensation Jonathan Motley, to step up and shift Lokomotiv Krasnodar to a 6-3 start.

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