5 things we learned from Eurocup 2016-17

5. Amar’e Stoudemire isn’t done with basketball

Amar’e looked absolutely cooked last season for the Miami Heat. After hanging on with the Knicks and Mavericks for a few years after knee issues took their toll on the six-time All-Star, Stoudemire had perhaps his worst professional season with the Heat, averaging just 5.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in 52 appearances. In the aftermath of the 2010-11 season, Stoudemire’s body slowly began betraying him, as his defense fell off a cliff and he couldn’t stay on the floor. Last season, that hit an all-time low, as he struggled to make an impact offensively as well, and ultimately was played off the floor in the playoffs, despite starting 36 games in the aftermath of Chris Bosh’s continued struggles with blood clots. Stoudemire averaged just 9.2 minutes per game in nine contests in the Heat’s second-round run, and retired from the NBA over the summer.

But that didn’t mean he was done with basketball. Stoudemire signed with Hapoel Jerusalem in the fall, and made the transition to the Israeli league. In the European game, the 34-year old found new life. Stoudemire made the All-Eurocup team, averaging 12.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game and helping to lead Hapoel to the Eurocup semifinals. Stoudemire’s game at this stage proved to be perfectly suited for this level, as his length and what’s left of his mobility allowed him to be a monster in the pick-and-roll and in the post.

Stoudemire also flashed a previously untapped wrinkle to his game — a 3-point jumper that he only attempted 127 times in 14 NBA seasons. It was just 11 attempts, but Stoudemire hit 54.5 percent from deep this year, adding a dimension to Hapoel’s offense to further his effectiveness. More importantly, Stoudemire was able to cope with his defensive liability, in the more one-on-one nature of the European game. Without having to defend all over the floor, Stoudemire could just focus on stopping post scorers under the basket, which allowed him to be less of a negative.

And of course, we can’t forget that he had a few hijinks as well.

The NBA may be done with Amar’e Stoudemire. And Amar’e may be done with these refs. But he’s not done with basketball, quite yet.

4. Alexey Shved won MVP, and finally justified the hype

Alexey Shved’s three NBA season’s didn’t go particularly well. As a member of the Timberwolves, 76ers, Rockets, and Knicks, Shved showed flashes of the scoring profile that got him on the map in the 2012 Olympics, mixed with long stretches of turnovers and inefficient shooting. Despite a fun 16-game stint in garbage time for a very, very bad Knicks team in 2014-15, Shved flamed out and headed back to Russia, spending the last two years with Khimki Moscow.

Back in Europe, Shved absolutely adjusted to the European game, and proved that he’s one of the continent’s most special scorers. He had one of Eurocup’s most prolific offensive seasons ever, averaging 22.1 points and 5.2 assists per game as Khimiki’s de facto point guard. He proved lethal as a pick-and-roll scorer, able to turn the corner off the pick or rise up and fire if his opponent went under the screen. He started slow in the regular season, missing two games with an ankle sprain, but caught fire in the top 16 — 25.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, 43.5 percent shooting on 3-pointers, and an average player index rating (the European PER) of 25.6, a full seven points higher than any other player averaged for the entire season. He hit an exclamation point in Khimki’s win against ratiopharm Ulm, with 32 points and 8 assists — burying the German squad in an avalanche of eight 3-pointers to secure a quarterfinal spot.

From December on, Shved was unquestionably the best offensive player in the competition, and solidified himself as one of Europe’s most terrifying scorers to play against. We’ll see what happens in the future. He’s clearly a Euroleague-level player, and CSKA Moscow could come calling this summer — but for right now, Shved may have declared himself as the best former NBA player in Europe.