Congratulations to the five players selected for the 2022-23 All-EuroLeague Second Team. These five stars were chosen through a voting process that included members of the media, Turkish Airlines EuroLeague head coaches and team captains, and fans.
Two of the stars on the team are returnees from last season: Nikola Mirotic of FC Barcelona and Mike James of AS Monaco. This marks Nikolic’s fifth All-EuroLeague selection, which is tied for the fifth most in competition history. James is a member of one of the All-EuroLeague Teams for the third time. Wade Baldwin of Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, Kevin Punter of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and Darius Thompson of Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz are all such honored for the first time.
Kevin Punter, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade
A magnet for big plays all season long, Kevin Punter led Partizan to its first playoff appearance in 13 years as the team’s go-to guy. He was Partizan’s top scorer and seventh in the league with 16.1 points per game. He also ranked sixth with 2.2 three-pointers made and set a EuroLeague record with 61 consecutive free throws made. Punter shot 44.3% from long range, 91.7% from the foul line and also posted 2.5 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals for an average PIR of 15.0. He came up big in clutch moments, like hitting a game-deciding three-pointer in the playoff-clinching 84-88 road win at AS Monaco and his memorable game-winner with 0.4 seconds left in the 87-89 road win over Real Madrid in Game 1 of the playoffs. This is Punter’s first All-EuroLeague selection.
Nikola Mirotic, FC Barcelona
After missing the first 10 games of the season with an injury, Nikola Mirotic took little time to catch up to speed and continue in his role as Barcelona’s leader and one of the most productive players in the EuroLeague. Mirotic finished the season ranked seventh with an average PIR of 17.1 and scored in double figures in all but three of his 27 appearances. His 15.9 points per game were ninth in the league. Mirotic’s on-court impact is even clearer looking at his per-40 minutes numbers, where he ranked second with 25.5 points and 27.6 PIR. Mirotic was especially efficient in Barcelona’s playoff sweep of Zalgiris, shot in when he shot 66.7% on two-pointers, 50.0% on three-pointers and made all of his free throws The EuroLeague MVP a season ago, Mirotic earns his fifth All-EuroLeague selection.
Darius Thompson, Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz
When it came to setting up his teammates for baskets, no one did it better and more often this season than Darius Thompson. In his first year in the competition, Thompson led the league with 6.7 assists per game. He ran Baskonia’s top-scoring offense, dishing at least 10 assists in nine games and led all guards with six double-doubles. Thompson’s perimeter play was strong on defense too; he ranked second with 1.7 steals per game. The Baskonia playmaker also posted 12.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game and had the eighth-best PIR on average, 17.1. Thompson is the only player from a non-playoff team who earned All-EuroLeague honors for the 2022-23 season.
Mike James, AS Monaco
The heart of an impressive Monaco outfit, Mike James earned his third All-EuroLeague selection with another outstanding season. He ranked sixth in scoring (16.2 ppg.), 11th in assists (4.6 apg.) and ninth in PIR (16.8), all while setting a career-high with 3.9 rebounds per game. James was red hot out of the gate in leading Monaco to a 5-1 start, for which he was named EuroLeague MVP for October. Four of his 12 20-point games this season came during that stretch. Always aggressive, James led the league in both fouls drawn (5.2 per game) and free throws attempted (5.5 per game) and in the end, led Monaco through a historic campaign and to its first trip to the Final Four.
Wade Baldwin, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv
In his first season in Tel Aviv, Wade Baldwin cemented his status as one of the top guards in the EuroLeague. He was second in the running for the Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy, with his 17.2 points per game only a few baskets short of the league lead. Baldwin ranked fourth in average PIR (17.6) and seventh in assists (5.1 apg.). He got stronger as the season progressed; Baldwin was chosen as the EuroLeague MVP for March after leading Maccabi on a six-game winning streak. He was then the playoff leader in assists (5.8 apg.), ranked second in scoring (19.8 ppg.) and tied for second in PIR (24.0) as Maccabi pushed AS Monaco to five games before bowing out.
Fonte e foto: Eurolega