3x3 EuroLeague: All eyes on Istanbul & Monaco, disappointing rookies, and the biggest surprise / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images ,ZUMAPRESS, AFP-Scanpix Credit Tolga Adanali/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images ,ZUMAPRESS, AFP-Scanpix

BasketNews brings you a new 3x3 EuroLeague edition, where three of our colleagues will give three answers to three questions.

Yogi Ferrell

Team:Panathinaikos AthensPosition:SGAge:28Height:183 cmWeight:81 kgBirth place:United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

For the very first edition, Orazio Cauchi, Giorgos Kyriakidis, and Donatas Urbonas trio will have a look at both previous and upcoming weeks in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and share their thoughts on what to expect from this double week.

This time our guys will cover everything from the most anticipated game to the biggest surprise of the season so far.

Of all these 18 double-week games, which one do you wait for the most?

Giorgos: It would have to be the duel involving Fenerbahce and Barcelona on Tuesday night.

The hosts have been very inconsistent to say the least, as they blew out UNICS Kazan, came one three-pointer shy of winning in Madrid while struggling in the Turkish League.

Djordevic's team has allowed the second-fewest points (68.6 PPG) and the lowest average performance index rating in the League (68.4). Still, those numbers might not amount to anything when they go up against league leaders FC Barcelona.

The Catalan side has not always performed at high standards, but they are still one of two unbeaten teams in the competition. If Barca manage to win that one, too, even though it's pretty early, they will consolidate their position on the top.

On the other hand, Fenerbahce, coming off a Turkish League loss to Bursaspor, will be dealing with the toughest double-week schedule for any team since right after Barcelona, they will be traveling to Piraeus to be hosted by Olympiacos. Should they fall to 2-5, things could get very uncomfortable in Istanbul.

Orazio: This week's double round is filled with some very interesting matchups. The one that I want to see is definitely Fenerbahce vs Barcelona.

O.J. Mayo

MIN:10.42PTS:0 (0%)REB:0As:0ST:1BL:0TO:1GM:1ProfileEuroLeague2021/2022

The Turkish club just lost a very close game against Real Madrid, but for me, they showed great improvement. Now they'll have to face Barcelona, the only unbeaten EuroLeague team, along with AX Armani Exchange Milan.

Coach Jasikevicius is putting together a great effort, and Nikola Mirotic is having an impressive start of the season.

Another game that I'll be curious to watch is AS Monaco vs CSKA Moscow on Friday with Mike James playing against his former club. It'll be fascinating to see what kind of effort James will put in.

Donatas:Get your popcorn ready. It can’t get any better than watching Mike James facing CSKA Moscow for the first time after terminating their cooperation in September.

I suggest marking Mike James’ career-high, which is 37 points. That might be rechecked on Friday. Mike attempted 12, 13, and 14 fields goals, respectively, every time he played his former team for the first time.

I expect something around 15-20 shots from Mike on Friday. I feel it can go both ways: either he’ll destroy CSKA or his own team. But no matter what, that will be an exciting event to watch in Monaco.

Four former NBA players made their EuroLeague debut last week. Which one of them has the most potential to succeed this season?

Giorgos: On paper and judging by his early NBA accomplishments, O.J. Mayo looks like a solid choice.

He was selected third in the 2008 Draft and posted excellent numbers throughout his overseas career, not to mention his time in China.

Most often than not, NBA and CBA numbers don't mean much when it comes to performing in the EuroLeague. But in a backcourt also featuring Lorenzo Brown, Marco Spissu, and Isaiah Canaan, Mayo can provide instant scoring, even if that would entail taking the ball off Mario Hezonja's hands.

Yogi Ferrell is in a similar situation. With Perry, Nedovic, and Papapetrou dominating the on-ball play, he needs to make room for himself. In the game in Tel Aviv, he showed some glimpses of creation, dishing out three assists.

I think he can be effective as long as Priftis reshuffles his backcourt rotation, assigning fewer minutes to Kendrick Perry. Armani Milan seem to have figured things out, which means that Daniels will have the time to make himself a part of the team.

Besides, Messina only used him for 69 seconds in the game vs ASVEL. Faried came in as a replacement for injured Nikola Milutinov, but he looked far from ready to produce quality time on the court. As an undersized center who can't space the floor, I don't think his role will change dramatically in the coming weeks.

Orazio: I believe that Yogi Ferrell has probably the potential to be a game-changer for Panathinaikos.

He has the scoring skills and the talent to create that kind of offensive firepower that Panathinaikos is missing so far. But it's going to take a while. He has never played in Europe before, and he joined a team that has been built in not exactly the most logical way possible.

Especially in Dallas, he showed that he could score even at the NBA level, and I believe he has the ability to translate that to the EuroLeague level. Faried is more of a system guy at this point, especially for a team like CSKA Moscow.

He'll provide some quality minutes, but I don't expect from him a major contribution. For O.J. Mayo, my main concern is that he has been away from a very competitive level of basketball for several years now, and with UNICS, he needs to contribute right away, something that he may not be ready to do from the beginning.

Donatas:I have doubts about all of them. I would say Troy Daniels, but since Devon Hall stepped up during his absence, it won’t be easy for Troy to return.

My bold guess would be Yogi Ferrell. Despite questionable defense and long-range shot limitations, he might have the best numbers. Kendrick Perry found a hard time adjusting to the EuroLeague level so that Ferrell might get the most minutes out of all these former NBA players.

What has been the biggest surprise so far?

Giorgos: To begin with, the most important pleasant surprise is that no team has had any COVID-related problems and absences until now, which would result in the postponement of games, as it happened last season.

Other than that, I think very few expected Anadolu Efes to have such a slow start in the season. Besides, three away losses in as many games far from Istanbul are in no way a disaster.

However, this double week includes two more tests for Ataman and his players: against Panathinaikos on the road and Zalgiris at home. Last year, Efes registered their first win at OAKA in 15 years. The Greens of Athens and Kaunas are expected to play their hearts out to improve their position in the standings.

If the reigning champs can pull it off in those two games, it will be most helpful, especially in a period when they lack consistency both at the domestic and the international front.

Orazio:I've been very impressed by ASVEL so far. I wasn't super high on them before the season but watching the team in this first part of the season, I'm starting to change my mind.

Okobo and Jones have been simply amazing in the backcourt, and Kostas Antetokounmpo is providing a solid contribution close to the basket. They were able to beat Efes, and they almost beat Milan too.

Some numbers will definitely go down a bit with the continuation of the season, but they're deep enough to make a run for the playoffs.

Donatas:ASVEL. It’s a team to follow if you like underdogs. They have a fantastic backcourt with Chris Jones and Elie Okobo as their go-to guys.

I like Okobo especially, who will be another French player to join Real next year if he continues playing like this. They have solid veterans like James Gist, David Lighty, or Antoine Diot. They give playing opportunities for their young players. They’re coached by a hard-working head coach TJ Parker.

Also, Tony Parker is behind this project. Even Tony would admit that the start of the season was surprising. Nobody expected them to start with three wins in a row. Moreover, they challenged the best EuroLeague team so far and thoroughly deserved defeating AX Armani last week.

Support BasketNews so we could make even better content.