The Euroleague's 50 best players: 20-11

The Euroleague’s 50 best players: 20-11

BELGRADE, SERBIA - MAY 18, 2018: Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul's Marko Guduric (L), Jan Vesely (2nd R) and Zalgiris Kaunas' Beno Udrih (2nd L) and Antanas Kavaliauskas (R) in action in their 2017/2018 Euroleague Final Four Semifinal B basketball match at Stark Arena. Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS (Photo by Stanislav KrasilnikovTASS via Getty Images) /

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BELGRADE, SERBIA – MAY 18: Jan Vesely, #24 of Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul during the 2018 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague F4 Semifinal B game between Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul v Zalgiris Kaunas at Stark Arena on May 18, 2018 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Luca Sgamellotti/EB via Getty Images) /

11. Jan Vesely, C, Fenerbahce

Nationality/College: Czech

2017-2018 stats: 11.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals per game (Fenerbahce)

Career synopsis: A lot of NBA fans consider Vesely a failure after the sixth overall pick in the 2011 Draft failed to make a dent in Washington’s rotation. But he’s always been a productive Euroleague player, from his time prior to the draft with Partizan to his post-NBA career with Fenerbahce. Like Kalinic, he’s been instrumental in the Turkish club’s ascendance to the top of Euroleague, and his one title and two All-Euroleague First Team appearances are a pretty good consolation for not making a second NBA contract.

Representative Highlight Play:

What’s his skill set?: Vesely is the Meta Knight of Eruoleague basketball — he has weaknesses, and really only has one move, but ohhhhh dear, if you end up on the receiving end of that one move, you’re toast. Vesely with a head of steam rolling towards the rim is unstoppable, and his acrobatics in finishing lobs are unmatched. He’s an acceptable defender, good but not great, but his real value is as the surest two points in the league if he’s within three feet of the rim.

What makes him special?: There’s no more iconic image in Euroleague than the one shown in the video above — Vesely, fresh off throwing down the hammer against a defenseless big man, celebrating with fists clenched, back hyperextended, and a primal howling scream that echoes throughout the arena. He isn’t Euroleague’s best player, but if he’s having a particularly good night, he is the league’s most demoralizing. As Zalgiris found out in last year’s Final Four, there isn’t a defense you can draw up that accounts for Vesely riding your center like an escalator towards the rim and nearly taking the basket with him on the way down.

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