The 2020-21 Basketball Champions League season is different from previous ones in many ways, with a few exceptions, we are seeing the same incredible level of three-point shooting as always in this league!
There is of course a very objective way to measure the quality and effectiveness of a three-point shooter, and their shot percentage cannot be aligned. But why someone is your favorite can be a whole different question, and sometimes it boils down to subjective criteria you can't even explain.
We'd like to hear your opinion on the three-point shooters we have in the BCL this season and, to get the ball rolling, we've asked our experts to weigh in.
Igor Curkovic picked D'Angelo Harrison, Axel Julien and Sasu Salin. Diccon Lloyd-Smeath picked Matt Lojeski, Thad McFadden and Kyle Wiltjer. Dimitris Kontos picked Andrew Andrews, Vitor Benite, R.J. Hunter and Steven Gray (list in alphabetical order, not by preference).
Happy Casa Brindisi had a tough task finding somebody to replace Adrian Banks' scoring this season. But they somehow ended up with an upgraded package, because D'Angelo Harrison can score in bunches, while also spreading the defense all the way to halfcourt with his endless range.
Harrison went 12-of-24 from beyond the arc in his last two BCL games, so it's probably better for you to judge him by those two games, instead of the 0-of-7 start over the first two games. Harrison gets Brindisi 22 points per game in the Basketball Champions League, and 19 in the Italian League, while having four games with four triples over there.
The most impressive part about his shooting stats is that he's gone 29-of-29 from the charity stripe in the BCL this season! Still, it's only the most impressive part because we aren't tracking shot distance (yet) here. Once we do, don't be surprised to see D'Angelo leading the league in shots made from 30 or more feet.
Don't go all "what!? He's not even the best shooter of his own team!" and pointing fingers towards David Holston. I am the biggest Dave Holston fan of all the Dave Holston fans, and I'd put the ball in his hands any time when the game is on the line.
But, at the same time, Julien does the damage without you even noticing it. Julien shot 37 percent from deep in France two seasons ago, then went to 38 last season and 39 this season, while jacking up five attempts per game. At the same time, he's 12-of-27 from deep in the Basketball Champions League, good enough for 44.4 percent.
Those are just the numbers, but the feeling suggests that he's not missing a lot of them. Don't know if we can find the numbers, but I'm fairly certain Julien never missed a shot after going for a right-hand dribble pull up.
Okay, he definitely did. But you get the picture, you're so focused on stopping Holston and Alexandre Chassang that Julien flies under the radar and ends up with 16 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals - those are his actual season averages, by the way.
Here's the deal: With everybody talking about Giorgi Shermadini and Marcelinho Huertas as the biggest threat of Iberostar Tenerife, and then Bruno Fitipaldo fitting in so perfectly with them, you kind of lose track of the fact that Sasu Salin in probably the MVP of the season for Tenerife.
His shooting takes up a lot of gravity for defense, allowing others to work. And if you take your eye off of him, you're done - 17-of-32 from deep in BCL this season; 45.2 percent in Liga Endesa over 17 games, including 17-of-31 in his last six over there... He's a fire emoji, for sure.
This season saw him put up 34 points against Galatasaray, which was the most points he scored in a game since 2009, when he had 35 for Espoon Honka against Lappeenrannan NMKY. He was 17 back then...
Great shooters are the most acute weapon a team can have. If their opponent knows that they can’t afford to leave an inch of space for them to get a shot off, it opens the floor for everyone else. What they also do, is make the game look so simple on offense - and all of these are exactly what Matt Lojeski brings to AEK.
Everyone knows that AEK will set that pindown for Lojeski. Everyone knows that he will time his cut, use his strength to create separation, then accelerate through the screen and let the shot go. As soon as it leaves his hands, everyone knows it’s going in as well. That doesn’t mean there is anything that anyone can do to stop it.
He’s so experienced and surgical with what he does that he’s become immune to every type of defensive coverage. If they trap the screen, he’s finding the screener for an open dunk, if they try to “Top-Lock” and deny him the screen his positional size advantage means he can seal position under the rim.
His timing makes it really difficult to fight through, and if you go under, well, nah, let’s not even talk about going under.
AEK made the Final again in Athens and during the entire Final Eight tournament, Lojeski was at his best exactly when AEK needed him. When it gets to the crunch this year, you already know what he’s going to do and you already know that nobody can stop it.
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