Kostas Sloukas, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens
The veteran leader of a new-look team, Kostas Sloukas crossed the city from Olympiacos Piraeus to join Panathinaikos, which he promptly led to its first Final Four in more than a decade. The 34-year-old playmaker had a fine season in which he ranked fifth in the league in assists (5.7) and 13th in PIR (16.1). Where he truly set himself apart from the rest was in the playoffs. In the Greens’ three wins against Maccabi, Sloukas averaged 21.3 points with incredible shooting numbers: 77.3% on two-pointers, 46.7% on threes and 100% from the foul line. He averaged a PIR of 26.0 in those games. He was MVP of the Round three times this season (Rounds 14 and 34 and Game 4 of the playoffs). Sloukas joins the late Alphonso Ford as the only players to be voted to the All-EuroLeague Team representing three different clubs.
Wade Baldwin, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv
For the second year in a row, Wade Baldwin has shined on the EuroLeague stage and been named to the All-EuroLeague team. In his fifth season in the competition, the Maccabi standout finished with the league’s third-best scoring average, 17.4 points per game., while his 4.9 assists ranked ninth. Baldwin netted double figures points in 27 of his 30 games and scored 20 or more on 11 occasions. He was chosen as Euroleague Basketball’s MVP of the Month for March, his second time winning the award, after leading Maccabi to a six-game winning streak that saw the team surge up the standings. It all added up to Baldwin posting an per-game PIR of 19.1, which was the fourth-best average in the EuroLeague.
Lorenzo Brown, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv
After injuries sapped Lorenzo Brown of his best form during the regular season, the Maccabi playmaker snapped back to health just in time and, as one of the stars of the postseason, has been recognized by the voters his second consecutive All-EuroLeague Team selection. Brown was the MVP of the Play-In Showdown after he erupted for 29 points on 7-for-8 three-point shooting – both Maccabi postseason records – plus 5 assists against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz to send Maccabi to the playoffs. He then led the Israeli champs with 17.2 points and 5.8 assists for a PIR of 19.2 in the five-game series against Panathinaikos. Brown ranked third in scoring for the playoffs, with 17.2 points per game, and was third for the full season in assists with 6.1.
Mario Hezonja, Real Madrid
The top scorer on the league’s best offense, Real forward Mario Hezonja has earned a spot on the All-EuroLeague Team for the first time in his seven seasons in the competition. Hezonja was one of only two players to qualify for the 50-40-90 club this season as he connected on 52.0% of his two-pointers, 45.2% of his threes, and 91.9% of his free throws. He averaged 13.7 points and 4.4 rebounds while playing in all but one game for Los Blancos. Hezonja was the EuroLeague MVP for December after he led Real Madrid to a 5-0 month. He posted two of his three double-doubles for the season in that month. Hezonja was later the MVP for Round 31 after going for 25 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for a PIR of 33 in a road win at Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade that wrapped up first place in the standings.
Walter Tavares, Real Madrid
The league’s most intimidating defender, Real big man Walter Tavares again was a force in the middle for the team that led the standings every step of the way. The 2.20-meter center ranked second in the league in blocked shots (1.5) and fifth in rebounding (6.6) while contributing 9.6 points on 60.2% field-goal shooting. He was 10th in the league in PIR on a per-minute basis, with an average of 26.8 prorated over 40 minutes. Tavares then raised his numbers in crunch time; he was the playoff leader with 9.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks, and he placed third with a PIR of 21.0 in leading Los Blancos to a 3-0 series sweep of Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz. This is Tavares’s fifth All-EuroLeague selection, which places him in a tie with Nikola Vujcic and Nikola Mirotic for the fifth-most in EuroLeague history.
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