Each month our team will pick five players (usually two guards, two forwards and one big) that we think had a month of great performances and that they deserve a spot in our All-Month Team.
The focus won’t be just on the “mainstream/top tier/NBA talent” prospects but we will go deeper and highlight other players as well. We will also try to not repeat the same players every month and we will look for different players that had a breakout month or a really dominant performance.
We are aware that our teams won’t always be perfect and that sometimes a player that had a dominant month will be left out, either because we couldn’t watch his matches or we just weren’t aware of his performances, but we will try our best to not miss on those prospects too many times.
Oleksandr Kovliar (G | 191 cm | ’02) ~ Kalev/Cramo
Oleksandr has a good season behind him. Kalev/Cramo played in multiple competitions and Oleksandr was one of the most important players in the team. The cherry on top of the cake came now in May when his team Kalev/Cramo won the Estonian league (not to be confused with the Latvian-Estonian League) and Oleksandr was the MVP of the competition. He averaged 13.0 points and 3.3 asists in the semifinal series vs Viimsi and 20.3 points, 5.3 assists in the finals vs Tartu. His shooting percentages in the finals were great too and he deservingly took away the MVP award. He is an athletic guard with very good scoring capabilities. He showed that in the finals series when he was mostly operating out of pick & rolls and taking shots from the top. With his tight handles and aggressive dribbles he managed to create just enough separation for the open look. And while he was creating advantages, he kept his head up and dished assists to teamates too. Great season ending helped him to raise his market value for sure.
Juan Nunez (G | 191 cm | ’04) ~ ratiopharm Ulm
Juan Nunez played an important role for ratiopharm Ulm in their playoff run. They eliminated Alba Berlin and Bayern Munich, two Euroleague clubs, and the season is not over yet for them. Especially in the semifinal series vs Bayern, Juan had performances that we usually see from a veteran and not from a young player. In the four games against Alba he averaged 5.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists while against Bayern his averages were even beter – 14.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Ulm’s coach, Anton Gavel, trusted him important minutes in the crucial minutes when the game was on the line and Nunez did not dissapoint. Of course, there were some mistakes in that period too but overall performance was very positive. His basketball IQ stood out in that period and he punished the mistakes of Bayern’s defense. He made great reads when and how to attack to exploit the defense. Had good shooting percentages and played solid in defense too even though that were his main weaknesses during the season. Performances like these on the highest level definitely deserve a place in our all-month team.
Mathieu Grujicic (G | 194 cm | ’07) ~ ALBA Berlin
Mathieu Grujicic was crowned as the MVP of the German U16 league. Those who watched the semifinal and final match of JBBL know that the award went in the right hands. Grujicic had a really dominant performance in the finals when he stopped the count at 52 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 7 steals while in the semifinals he was a little more “reserved” and had “just” 35 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. He was scoring the points out of different type of plays and showed that he can already be a threat on all three levels. His right mix of athletic tools and scoring instincts were just too much for the level and everything looked easy when he had the ball in his hands. Even though the offensive numbers immediately create the interes, Mathieu is not playing just on that end of the floor but offers defensive versatility as well. He showed that in some possessions at the final tournament but even more of that during the season since he was voted for the “Best defensive player” in the JBBL. A lot to like in the young prospect and it will be interesting to follow his path in the next years.
Sidi Gueye (PF/C | 207 cm | ’07) ~ Real Madrid
Another player that won the MVP award in the month of May and got a place in our team. This time we are talking/writting about the MVP of the Spanish U16 league – Sidi Gueye. He was the main player of Real in their championship run and most teams did not stand a chance against Real Madrid. Just to list you the winning margins in Real Madrid’s games during the tournament: in group phase +92, +87, +45 and in playoffs +43, +37, +22, +48. Sidi finished the tournament with the averages of 16.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks but if we take the averages just for the playoff matches, they look even better – 19.0 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots. His rebounding and shot blocking instincts were amazing and he showed his athleticism with some above the rim plays too. He has a lanky and long body and players with this kind of tools need a little more time to develop their shot and Sidi is not exception here. He is still young and pretty raw in most areas of the game but the tools are there and with the right development plan, he could be one of the best players in his generation.
Mouhamed Faye (C | 209 cm | ’05) ~ Reggio Emilia/Next Generation Select Team
Mouhamed Faye deserved his spot in our team due to his great performances at the final ANGT tournament. He was one of the cornerstone players for NGT Select Team and finished the tournament with averages of 19.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. His best game was against Žalgiris when he had 33 points and 11 rebounds. He did the job in the paint on both ends and showed his two-way upside. He scored the majority of his points at the rim after he got an useful pass or after he created space for the shot with some post up moves. Not many players could compete with him in terms of physicality and he used that very well for his advantage. Mouhamed has room for growth in the technical aspects of the game but his blend of strength and size offers intriguing upside and he is a player worth monitoring.
