Luke Sikma explains ALBA's collapse, reflects on free agency, makes Final Four picks / News - Basketnews.com

Luke Sikma talks to BasketNews about ALBA Berlin's four-year EuroLeague presence, his expiring deal with the club and the teams he thinks are the favorites to win the EuroLeague.

Credit: Kolbert-Press/Christian Kolbert/dpa - Scanpix Credit Kolbert-Press/Christian Kolbert/dpa - Scanpix

Over the last few seasons,Luke Sikma has arguably developed into one of the most enjoyable EuroLeague players to watch. He's also grown into a centerpiece for ALBA Berlin's system.

2-pointers this season

54%19,8Points made:19,8Accuracy:53,9%Place in standings:8Record max:28Record min:12Most made 2FGs:Christ KoumadjeTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Starting from his court vision and understanding of the game, the 33-year-old versatile player makes everything easier for his teammates whenever he's playing.

The 2019 EuroCup MVP has been in Europe since 2011. After spending more than half a decade in Spain, starting from the country's second division (La Palma) and moving up to Burgos, Tenerife (then Canarias), and Valencia Basket, he came to be acknowledged as a household name in Berlin.

Apart from his own growth, for which he's received a lot of credit, Sikma has seen ALBA's rise from a EuroCup contender to a EuroLeague club that aspires to be a permanent member of the elite competition. The German side was promoted to the big stage after making the 2019 EuroCup finals.

No special invitation, no wild card, and no long-term license were required at the time. After four years, certain things have changed. ALBA are on an expiring deal with the EuroLeague, as the two-year wild card they received in 2021 will soon need a re-validation. Sikma falls under the same category since the four-year extension he signed in 2019 will expire next summer.

In any case, an important summer is coming up for both the club and the player. But Sikma says he hasn't made any thoughts or plans about the future.

"I just play out the season and will make that decision at the end of the year," he recently told BasketNews.

His reasoning has largely to do that it's easy to lose focus on the task at hand.

"That has always been my style and it's not going to change this year," he explained.

Luke Sikma

MIN:22.5PTS:7.64 (52.81%)REB:5.24As:4.82ST:1BL:0.12TO:2.52GM:33ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023

Sikma didn't want to reveal if ALBA have tried to extend his contract or asked about his intentions.

"I'm going to keep that in-house. That's not my place to speak," he responded with a smile.

Being the team's captain for the past two seasons, Sikma is hopeful that nothing major has changed in his relationship with the club.

"I know my role on this team, both on and off the court. That hasn't changed. It's a place I've had six straight years and really enjoyed coming to work.

I appreciate that and I feel like I owe it to the club to just focus on doing the same thing every day. I will take those next decisions as they come," he stressed.

When the next campaign tips off, Sikma will be 34, heading into what appears as the last chapter of his career. Even though he doesn't know where he will be playing, he's still aware that certain developments might influence his decision. One of them is whether ALBA will secureanother EuroLeague wild card or license.

"Maybe that's one of the factors," Sikma laughed.

"That's also the reason why I don't make these decisions now. So many things can change and so many variables go into that. So, the easiest way is to focus on playing the season. Once we hit summer, I can make a decision," he clarified.

Although the season will be over in two months and regardless of the outcome of the German league playoffs, ALBA Berlin's pattern remains the same: a solid BBL run, usually leading to the title, and a poor EuroLeague trajectory punctuated by some impressive and sometimes surprising wins. It has been like that since 2019 and nothing has changed along the way.

The 2022-23 campaign ended on a high note just because ALBA Berlin won four of their last six games (Bayern, Efes, Panathinaikos, ASVEL). If it hadn't been for that late surge, the team's overall record would have been far worse than their final 11-23 tally.

If one takes into account that ALBA got off to their best start ever, racking up three straight wins, it's clear that the Germans came out victorious only on four of the next 25 occasions (4-21). At some point, they had accumulated 12 consecutive losses.

Credit imago images/Matthias Koch-Scanpix

"We started fast and that got the expectations really high," Sikma admitted, looking back on how everything started.

"It's hard not to get caught up in the hype. It was a new situation for a lot of us to see ourselves at the top of the leaderboard. That made us lose sight of what got us there. Once we got on that losing streak, it was tough to get out."

The Seattle-born point forward thinks the schedule in the EuroLeague and the BBL doesn't help much.

"It's cumulative," he said. "You have 10 guys and you play one game. You get close, exalt yourself, and then you have another game 48 hours later. It's tough to catch your breath."

Sikma added that even though EuroLeague is one of the team's primary goals, he's proud of how ALBA have been able to respond in the BBL, winning most games at the end of double weeks.

Still, it's hard to be motivated when the EuroLeague season is over by February. That has been the case for the past four years. Even in 2021-22, when ALBA Berlin came in 10th in the standings with a 42,9% win share, they only entered the playoff race once the three Russian teams were suspended.

In arecent BasketNews study, the picture of the EuroLeague landscape during the round-robin era emerged. The study evaluated the teams' regular season record, the playoff, and Final Four appearances starting from the 2016-17 season. According to the findings, ALBA ranked as the third-worst team, next to ASVEL and Khimki.

Team 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Total ASVEL 10-18 (15th) 13-21 (14th) 8-20 (14th) 8-26 (18th) 39-85 (31,5%) ALBA 9-19 (16th) 12-22 (15th) 12-16 (10th) 11-23 (15th) 44-80 (35,5%) Total 19-37 (33,9%) 25-43 (36,8%) 20-46 (30,3%) 19-49 (27,9%) 83-165 (33,5%)

Overall, the German team that aspires to become a EuroLeague shareholder and join the other 13 clubs, has barely won 35% of its games. On paper, that's far from the perfect environment its franchise player would hope for.

"The playoff berth? For sure, you want to make the playoffs. Everyone's trying to do that," Sikma noted.

"But every season is different. There can be some bad-time injuries or illnesses. It's a fine line between winning and losing games. In terms of success, we've shown it in the German league, which I know people don't think is as great.

But by playing against a good team like Bayern three years in a row and winning five titles in four years, we've shown that we can win on the domestic stage," he pointed out.

As a competitor, Sikma is willing to compete at the highest level and credits the organization for keeping its focus on the long-term goal.

"There's motivation, but also some variables you can't control, like the salary cap. We know who we are and our goal is to help grow younger players and compete at the European level.

It's a long process. It's not easy to show up. I know it's been four years, but there are a lot of teams that have made the playoffs only once in the last four years as well," he argued.

Sikma concedes that this year was a little bit of a dip, but still, his willingness to be on the court and try to be the best version of himself can be a redeeming factor.

"I want to go out and compete, but more than anything, I love to go out and enjoy myself with my teammates," is the way the player likes to think about the situation.

"I know some people might think that's a joke, but it's also about competing in close games. The memories I've had over my whole career of getting in the trenches with my teammates and playing tough games, fuel my fire.

I want to enjoy basketball. I know it sounds a little bit romantic, but going out and playing the style you love to play, creates memories on the court."

Regardless of whether Sikma will keep creating those memories in Berlin or in a different place, he's still proud of ALBA for creating a distinct, recognizable, style and a unique culture.

It's a brand of basketball that hasn't produced results at the top level, but it can definitely be attractive for the players to play and for fans to watch.

"The EuroLeague is a tough, competitive league and there are teams with more money and longer rosters. We focus on coming in, enjoying, and competing," Sikma underlined.

Credit Regina Hoffmann/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Having played against all the top teams in the competition, Sikma namedReal Madrid, Barcelona, Fenerbahce and Olympiacos as his favorites to make the Final Four.

Of course, since the last two are squaring off, he must choose one.

"It's tough to pick. I love how Olympiacos play and how they move the ball. They have a beautiful style. They came short last year. If they don't win, Fenerbahce is so good as well. So physical, so many weapons. They play as a team as well," he commented.

On the other hand, RealMadrid and Barcelona are the type of teams you just can never count out.

"People have counted out Madrid many times and they ended up making the final. Barcelona have come close and might go and get it this year," he explained.

Would a play-in tournament bring ALBA Berlin closer to the playoffs? Would Sikma be infavor of adding some more games and giving a couple more teams the chance to compete for a spot?

The player's answer is disarming.

"To be honest, I haven't thought about it. It's above my payroll."

Albeit not keen on weighing in on an issue that doesn't affect him directly, in a few weeks, Sikma will have to put some thought into what his (next) payroll and employer are going to be.

Read more: How Luke Sikma's bond with ALBA turned his father Jack into a EuroLeague expert Luke Sikma speaks on Aito's influence, love for ALBA & his own 'Sikma' move Support BasketNews so we could make even better content.