No (Euro)League for young men: Players under 25 struggling to get significant minutes / News - Basketnews.com

Only 21 EuroLeague players under 25 years of age are averaging more than 10 minutes per game. Baskonia are the second-youngest team and Anadolu Efes the oldest.

Credit: Sonia Canada/Getty Images Credit Sonia Canada/Getty Images

According to a statistical study by the EuroLeague, currently, only three players in the competition under the age of 22 are having consistent minutes: Gabriele Procida and Malte Delow, both from ALBA Berlin, and Jaime Pradilla, from Valencia Basket.

ALBA Berlin, coached by Spanish coach Israel Gonzalez, is the youngest team in the Euroleague with an average age of 26.9 years.

The Euroleague doesn't look like a competition in which young players have great relevance: Only 21 players under 25 years of age are averaging more than 10 minutes per game (of those who have played 20 or more games this season). Markus Howard, Dzanan Musa and Filip Petrusev appear on this short list.

Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, led by Joan Penarroya, is the squad with the second-lowest average age in the competition (27.2 years). In fact, only one ofv their important players (Rokas Giedraitis) is in his thirties. In addition, 24-year-old Markus Howard ranks first in three-pointers made with 79 this season.

Zalgiris Kaunas would have been right there with Baskonia if not for the unfortunate injury to Keenan Evans, having inched close to the league-average age of 29.2 in his absence.

Credit EuroLeague

By contrast, Anadolu Efes Istanbul, champions of the last two editions, is the team with the highest average age (31.5 years). They have kept much of their core intact and added several veterans to the mix as well.

Elijah Bryant and Ante Zizic are the team's only major contributors under 31, so the average age of the Efes roster of major contributors sits at 31.5 as a result.

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