Fansided

The Euroleague’s 50 best players: 20-11

By Trevor Magnotti

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)
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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
8 of 11
Next
ISTANBUL, TURKEY – APRIL 13: Scottie Wilbekin, #1 and head coach David Blatt of Darussafaka Istanbul MVO of the Final celebrates at the end of the 7DAYS EuroCup Basketball Finals game two between Darussafaka Istanbul v Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar at Vokswagen Arena on April 13, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Tolga Adanali/EB via Getty Images)
ISTANBUL, TURKEY – APRIL 13: Scottie Wilbekin, #1 and head coach David Blatt of Darussafaka Istanbul MVO of the Final celebrates at the end of the 7DAYS EuroCup Basketball Finals game two between Darussafaka Istanbul v Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar at Vokswagen Arena on April 13, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Tolga Adanali/EB via Getty Images) /

14. Scottie Wilbekin, PG, Maccabi Tel Aviv

Nationality/College: American (Florida)

2017-18 stats: 17.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.3 steals per game (Darussafaka)

Career synopsis: After helping lead Florida to a Final Four in 2014, Wilbekin tried to catch on with the Philadelphia 76ers, playing in Summer League with them before signing with Cairns in Australia. He earned a training camp deal with Philly in 2015 but missed the team, instead signing with Darussafaka in Turkey, where he has spent the past three seasons. He helped Darussafaka get to Euroleague this season by winning the 2018 Eurocup, winning both Regular Season and Finals MVP in the process.

Representative Highlight Play:

What’s his skill set?: Previously a pedal-to-the-medal defensive stopper and game managing point guard, Wilbekin’s scoring has been one of the most improved traits in all of European basketball over the past two years. He’s gone from pure point guard to leading scorer for a Eurocup champion, and he got there through an ever-improving isolation game. A primary scorer who can also provide quality defensive possessions is very valuable at any level of basketball, and Wilbekin has proved that he can do both at a high level.

What makes him special?: No one has broken out more than Wilbekin over the past year, as he took over the scoring load from Will Clyburn’s departure and turned in one of the most impressive seasons in all of European basketball last year. Now he moves to Maccabi, who despite showing signs of life last year, are desperate to reclaim some of the success they had under Wilbekin’s former coach, David Blatt. He’ll be asked to manage a team that’s going to have several other volume scorers around in Kendrick Ray and DeAndre Kane, and how he manages the balance between scoring and distributing might end up being the difference in what would be Maccabi’s first playoff appearance since 2015.

Home/NBA