The Euroleague’s 50 best players: 10-1

8. Cory Higgins, SF, CSKA Moscow

Nationality/College: American (Colorado)

2017-18 stats: 13.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals per game (CSKA Moscow)

Career synopsis: Higgins was undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft, but made the Charlotte Bobcats after a strong summer league performance. He spent parts of two seasons with them at the end of the bench, and most of 2012-13 was spent with the Erie Bayhawks in the G-League. He then came to Russia, where averaged 19.3 points per game. A one-year stint in Israel yielded similar results, and that encouraged CSKA Moscow to sign him in 2015 — and one Euroleague title and three Final Fours later, that seemed like a good call.

Representative Highlight Play:

What’s his skill set?: Higgins is one of the most explosive players in Euroleague – his quick first step off the dribble helps him attack the rim at a high level, and he’s a difficult check in transition. He also defends at a high level, helping Kyle Hines make CSKA’s switching defense go by rotating to fives or defending on ball against the quickest guards. He’s also never shot below 41.3 percent from 3 while in Russia, and his footwork on the move is reminiscent of J.R. Smith.

What makes him special?: Higgins might be the most underrated player in Euroleague. He gets lost when discussing CSKA because of their other stars, but he’s the lynchpin that allows them to run such a dynamic offense by routinely handling small-ball 4 duties on defense, and presenting a dangerous tertiary ball-handing option. Many Euroleague teams would happily take Higgins as a lead guard, but he instead picks off the scraps on CSKA’s bench units behind Sergio Rodriguez and Nando De Colo. He deserves more love, because he’s one of the league’s strongest two-way players.