The ball screen revolution has taken a turn this season. Pick-and-roll play, having held a prominent role in European basketball for decades, has now risen to prominence as the  go-to action of choice for coaches over recent years. As it stands, 43% of all half-court possessions in the 7DAYS EuroCup this season have been used by ballhandlers in pick-and-roll situations or created by one of their passes.

While that percentage has risen slightly from last year, efficiency has dipped noticeably. Teams converted possessions derived from pick-and-rolls at a 0.95 points-per-possession rate last season – which is fr better than this season's 0.92 league average. Much of the strain on pick-and-roll efficiency can be traced to the ballhandlers themselves. Not only have EuroCup defenses done a better job guarding the ball, but they have forced opposing ballhandlers to look for their own offense, rather than pass to the roller, more often than in the past.

As a result of all that, having a ballhandler who can create well for himself and others has become a luxury for many teams.

The table above lists the top pick-and-roll weapons in the EuroCup referencing their score-pass balance, overall point production, and the points per possession they have created in pick-and-roll situations this season. It provides a somewhat interesting glimpse into not only who has excelled this season, but what they excel at. It also paints a pretty clear picture of which teams are getting the most out of their playmakers as three pairs of teammates appear in the top 10 above. 

Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana notched its first win of the season in Round 7, but Yogi Ferrell's assertiveness in creating points off of pick-and-rolls has been a bright spot all season and is a big reason that his team is one of just four to average more than 1.0 point per possession overall. Not only has his quickness given opposing teams headaches, but Ferrell has tried to get pretty ambitious with his passing at times – often to great effect, as his sterling efficiency suggests.

Besides Ferrell, Joe Young of Promitheas Patras is the only other player scoring in double-figures while looking for his own shot in pick-and-rolls this season. He may not be the most productive passer on this list, but he's posted gaudy scoring numbers in terms of both production and efficiency. His ability to stop and pop or make short-range jumpers forces defenses to pick their poison.

Quickly rising through the ranks of European hoops, Kendale McCullum is still learning how to pick and choose his spots at this level which makes his production as a passer stand out. He and Ziga Samar have both served as x-factors for Veolia Towers Hamburg at points this season.

Known primarily for his scoring ability early in his career, J'Covan Brown of Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv has come a long way as a facilitator over his 11 seasons as a pro. Teenager Juan Nunez of ratiopharm Ulm is coming from the other end of the spectrum, posting the highest pass-score ratio of any player on the list just eclipsing his countryman, Ferran Bassas of Gran Canaria. While he has room to mature as a decision-maker and improve as a shooter, his natural passing talent is obvious.

No single playmaking style dominates the discourse in the EuroCup as aggressive scorers like Kyle Allman of Joventut Badalone, probing passers like Josh Adams of Cedevita, and balanced playmakers like Yago Dos Santos of Ulm have all put up numbers steadily this season. With pick-and-roll efficiency down overall, such solid guard play can be more of a differentiator than it has been in recent years – no matter how one defines it.

### Looking Ahead

The standings got really crowded in Round 7. With four teams at 5-2 in Group B, the scheduling quirk that has top-ranked Buducnost VOLI Podgorica playing second-ranked Gran Canaria and third-ranked Turk Telekom Ankara in back-to-back weeks will provide some much needed clarity in the pecking order of contenders as we head into the second half of the season.

Stats Review: Pick-and-roll trends

Two classic 7DAYS EuroCup teams will meet on Tuesday night when Gran Canaria (5-2) welcomes Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (5-2) to the Canary Islands in Group B. This will be the seventh time these teams have met each other in the EuroCup and the Spanish team has won all six previous encounters. Granca comes off an 81-88 road win at Turk Telekom Ankara behind 21 points by Vitor Benite. The visitors also won last week, at home against Trento, 73-58, led by Marko Jagodic-Kuridza's 20 points.

Gran Canaria leads the league in assists (20.9 apg.) and Buducnost is the best team under the boards (44.0 rpg.). Granca boasts the third-best offense in the competition, while Buducnost stands 15th with a difference of almost 5 points between them. Gran Canaria has better shooting percentages from all ranges and also commits fewer turnovers. The visitors have better numbers in defensive categories such as steals and blocks. It will be a battle of two styles on Tuesday.

Game News

AJ Slaughter (13.1 ppg.) and Benite (10.3 ppg.) are the only two players on Gran Canaria averaging double figures in scoring, but three more players average 9 or more points: Khalifa Diop, Damien Inglis and John Shurna. If they can all be at the right place at the right time so that assist wizards Andrew Albicy and Ferran Bassas can feed them the ball, the hosts will be halfway there. Alpha Kaba is one of the most determinant players in the EuroCup at the moment (13.4 ppg., 12.0 rpg.) and he's well-covered by Trae Bell-Haynes (11.6 ppg.) and Cameron Reynolds (11.1 ppg.). The visitors will need Marko Jagodic-Kuridza and Petar Popovic to step up and give the team a much-needed boost that could lead to a prestige road win and the first victory over Granca since they started playing each other in November 2010.

Buducnost looks for first EuroCup win against Granca

Gran Canaria v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2022-12-13T20:00:00.000Z)

Dolomiti Energia Trento (1-6) hosts Veolia Hamburg Towers (3-4) on Tuesday in a Group B duel. After winning its first game in Round 6, Trento fell on the road at Buducnost VOLI Podgorica last week, 73-58, despite Darion Atkins's strong game (16 points, 7 boards, 3 steals and 4 blocks). Hamburg was back on the winning track last week with a 98-91 success at home against Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv. Yoeli Childs was a one-man army with 20 points and 11 rebounds in that game. This will be the third time these two teams meet in the EuroCup. Last season, Hamburg swept their two encounters.

On paper, the visitors seem to have the upper hand going into the game. They are the fourth-best team in the league under the glass and second in offensive rebounds (13.7). Trento seems to have better shooting percentages overall, but it is the worst team on the defensive glass. On defense, the hosts rank third overall in steals (8.4) but they seem to be lacking in the offense department, so Trento will have to try to circulate the ball well and look for good shooting options. Hamburg is playing against a team that seems to be in a rough patch, but the visitors would be wise not to lower their guard because Trento has already demonstrated that it can win at home.

Trento will rely on Diego Flaccadori (13.2 ppg.), who has played well lately, Drew Crawford (11.8 ppg.) and Atkins (11.0 ppg.). They form the most assertive trio for Trento in offense, but the team could use a bit of help from names like Trent Lockett and Andrejs Grazulis, who average more than 20 minutes on court and could up their contribution. Childs (14.9 ppg.) is the leader for Hamburg alongside James Woodard (12.8 ppg.), Lukas Meisner (12.5 ppg.) and Kendale McCullum (12.2 ppg.) to form a lethal quartet that should earn the team more wins this season.

Trento will want to keep winning against Hamburg

Dolomiti Energia Trento v Veolia Towers Hamburg (2022-12-13T19:00:00.000Z)

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv (3-4) welcomes the winless Slask Wroclaw (0-7) to Shlomo Group Arena on Tuesday evening. For both teams, coming away with a win is vital, as Hapoel is on a three-game losing run and Slask is still seeking its first victory of the season.

In Round 7, Hapoel came close to snapping that run as it took Veolia Towers Hamburg to overtime, but in the extra period it came up short, losing 98-91. The team is continuing to find scoring from Xavier Munford, who has averaged 21.3 points over his last three games, while Chinanu Onuaku and Tomer Ginat both had back-to-back double-point games in Rounds 6 and 7. Hapoel is 2-1 at home, having lost its only game in Tel Aviv to Buducnost VOLI Podgorica in Round 6, so it will lean on its fans as it looks to get back to winning ways.

For Slask, its journey in this year's 7DAYS EuroCup has not gone to plan so far, having gone 0-4 at home and 0-3 on the road to start the season. Its most recent defeat came at home to Paris Basketball in Round 7, losing 69-77, yet head coach Andrej Urlep will hope for a similar night from forward Conor Morgan, who had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double. Three other Slask players – Lukasz Kolenda, Aleksander Dziewa and Ivan Ramljak – finished with a double-digit number of points against Paris, but it will be important that the team's leading scorer, Jeremiah Martin, improves on his 2-point night in Round 8.

Hapoel, Slask out to reverse bad fortunes in Round 8

Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv v Slask Wroclaw (2022-12-13T17:30:00.000Z)

Two teams with 4-3 records in Group A of this year's 7DAYS EuroCup come head-to-head on Tuesday evening when Frutti Extra Bursaspor hosts 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys at Tofas Spor Salonu.

Bursaspor is back on its home floor, where it is 2-1 after suffering a 78-65 road defeat at Umana Reyer Venice in Round 6. Onuralp Bitim had a very impressive performance, scoring 24 points and finishing with a PIR of 30, but Anthony Clemmons was the only other player to score a double-digit number of points with 12. Ahead of the visit of Lietkabelis, it will be important that Derek Needham and Zach Auguste improve on their Round 6 tallies of 6 and 8 points, respectively. Should Bursaspor's key players all shine, it might be a long night for the visitors.

Lietkabelis enters this game full of confidence following back-to-back wins at home against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana and Germani Brescia in Rounds 5 and 6. The problem for Lietkabelis is that it is 4-0 in Panevezys but 0-3 on the road. It is therefore key that the team's main contributors, such as Jamel Morris, Gyorgy Goloman and Benas Griciunas, come to the fore against Bursaspor in Round 8. Another key element to any success Lietkabelis has could be the performance of Kristian Kullamae, who had just 4 points in his team's win over Brescia but had averaged 16.3 points in the previous three games.

Fascinating battle in store when Bursaspor, Lietkabelis meet

Frutti Extra Bursaspor v 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys (2022-12-13T17:00:00.000Z)

### Hamburg's Samar shined in OT win

Another player with 9 assists in Round 7 was Ziga Samar of Veolia Towers Hamburg. The 21-year old playmaker had the best game of his debut EuroCup season so far. He tied his personal best with 14 points while playing 36 minutes in Hamburg's come-from-behind 98-91 overtime win over Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv.

Ziga Samar (14 points) Highlights vs. Hapoel Tel Aviv, 12/07/2022

Hamburg's Ziga Samar: Highlights vs Hapoel Tel Aviv

### Palmer paced standings leader Bourg

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse boosted its record to 6-1 record, the best in the 7DAYS EuroCup right now, after James Palmer came up huge in a 92-85 win over visiting Prometey Slobozhanske. Palmer paced Bourg with 23 points and 9 rebounds, 3 of which came on the offensive glass. That was one more offensive rebound than Palmer had going into Round 7. This marked his third consecutive game with 20 or more points, but his 9 boards came only a week after he did not pull down a single rebound. 

James Palmer Jr. (23 points) Highlights vs. Prometey Slobozhanske, 12/06/2022

Bourg's James Palmer: Highlights vs Prometey Slobozhanske

### Drobnjak stepped up for Buducnost

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica guard Igor Drobnjak had his best EuroCup game ever, setting several career highs in a comfortable 73-58 win over Dolomiti Energia Trento. Two of them came in long-range shooting and scoring as Drobnjak hit 3 of 6 three-pointers on the way to 15 points. He also distributed a personal-best 6 assists, after having made 4 in the season's first six games of 10 total  in his previous 12 EuroCup appearances.

Igor Drobnjak (15 points) Highlights vs. Dolomiti Energia Trento, 12/07/2022

Buducnost's Igor Drobnjak: Highlights vs Dolomiti Energia Trento

### Inglis was Gran Canaria's difference-maker

Before it walked away with an 81-88 road victory to halt Turk Telekom Ankara's five-game winning streak, Gran Canaria had squandered a 20-point lead the hosts went ahead 78-77 with 3:12 left. But Damien Inglis, a former EuroCup champion with AS Monaco in 2021, rescued the visitors with back-to-back turnaround jumpers in a 1-7 run that put Gran Canaria ahead for good. Inglis posted the first double-double of his EuroCup career, 14 points and 10 rebounds, and finished the game with a career-high PIR of 28.

Damien Inglis (14 points) Highlights vs. TURK TELEKOM ANKARA, 12/07/2022

Gran Canaria's Damien Inglis: Highlights vs Turk Telekom

### Turk Telekom's Taylor set his scoring high 

On the losing side of that clash in the Turkish capital, Turk Telekom's Tony Taylor came off the bench to drop 28 points, more than any other player in Round 7 and his EuroCup career-high. Taylor, back in the competition for the first time since 2015, also netted a personal-best 5 three-pointers on 10 attempts to go with 5-for-7 two-point shooting. He scored 12 of those points during the third quarter, which Turk Telekom won 27-15, helping his team rally from a 20-point deficit. In the end, however, Taylor's team fell short and saw its five-game winning streak snapped.

Tony Taylor (28 points) Highlights vs. Herbalife Gran Canaria, 12/07/2022

Turk Telekom's Tony Taylor: Highlights vs Gran Canaria

### Toupane owned the defensive boards for Paris

It rare to see a player not listed as a power forward or center grab 10 or more defensive rebounds in a EuroCup game, but Axel Toupane of Paris Basketball did it for the second time this season. In Round 7 against Slask Wroclaw, Toupane had 11 points and 11 rebounds, all of them on the defensive end. He previously had 10 defensive rebounds to go with 16 points in Round 4 against Dolimiti Energia Trento. Most important, Toupane led Paris to a 69-77 road victory at Centennial Hall.

Axel Toupane (11 points) Highlights vs. Slask Wroclaw, 12/07/2022

Paris Basket's Axel Toupane: Highlights vs Slask Wroclaw

### Veteran Gordic led Cluj's offensive explosion

U-BT Cluj-Napoca had an offensive explosion in its Round 7 win over visiting Joventut Badalona, and veteran guard Nemanja Gordic had a big hand in it. In only his third game with the team, Gordic dished 9 assists, tied for the most in all of Round 7, and also took a career-best 3 steals. The 34-yar old guard also scored 11 points and pulled down 3 rebounds in 29 minutes off the bench, running a Cluj offense that posted 98 points against a Joventut defense that ranked first in the EuroCup going into the game.

Nemanja Gordic (11 points) Highlights vs. Joventut Badalona, 12/07/2022

Cluj's Nemanja Gordic: Highlights vs Joventut Badalona

Round 7 roll call

Look back at all the action in the Regular Season Round 7 by checking out the best photos of the week!

EuroCup, The Top 10 photos of the week, Round 7

ratiopharm Ulm has announced the signing of [Brandon Paul](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/brandon-paul/004945/) until the end of the season. Paul (1.93 meters, 31 years old) joins the team after last playing for Shandong of the Chinese League. In his career, he has averaged 8.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist across 50 appearances in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, and 7.5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 24 games in the 7DAYS EuroCup. Paul last appeared in the EuroCup in the 2021-22 season, as he suited up for Joventut Badalona. He adds experience and shooting to a very youthful Ulm team.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="de" dir="ltr">Herzlich Willkommen in Ulm, <a href="https://twitter.com/BP3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BP3</a>🧡<br>Der 31-jährige Brandon Paul besetzt die vakante Stelle von Matt Mobley.<br><br>Alle Infos jetzt hier 👉<a href="https://t.co/fvyT025PvK">https://t.co/fvyT025PvK</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/uuulmer?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#uuulmer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/weareone?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#weareone</a> <a href="https://t.co/zPIfjSUwND">pic.twitter.com/zPIfjSUwND</a></p>&mdash; ratiopharm ulm (@ratiopharmulm) <a href="https://twitter.com/ratiopharmulm/status/1600807411270287360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

"In addition to his repeatedly proven basketball qualities, Brandon also has the ability, with his personality and experience, to give stability to a young team like ours in important phases of a game and in decisive moments of a season," said Ulm sports director Thorsten Leibenath. "He is very athletic with quick hands on defense and is particularly accurate from the three-point line."

The swingman made his EuroCup debut in 2013-14 with Nizhny Novgorod of Russia, averaging 6.4 points and 2.7 rebounds in 12 games, of which he started 5. Three years later, in 2016-17, Paul played in the EuroLeague for the first time with Anadolu Efes Istanbul. That season, he posted averages of 8.6 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.0 steal across 23 games, with 14 starts. Then, another three years later, he returned to the EuroLeague to play for Olympiacos Piraeus in 2019-20. In 27 appearances, and 7 starts, he averaged 8.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Last season, Paul played in 12 games for Joventut, starting 6 times, averaging 8.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists. He played the first few months of this season with Shandong of China, recording averages of 14.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.2 steals in 6 games.

Ulm brings in swingman Paul

Germani Brescia strengthened its roster on Thursday with the signing of playmaker [Aleksej Nikolic](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/aleksej-nikolic/003703/) for the remainder of the season. Nikolic (1.91 meters, 27 years old) arrives from fellow Italian side Dinamo Sassari for which he averaged 6.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in the Italian League this season. He last played in the 7DAYS EuroCup in 2018-19 for Partizan Belgrade. At Brescia, he will help fill the voids created by the injuries of [John Petrucelli](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/brescia-loses-petrucelli-for-2-months/) and [Troy Caupain](https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/news/brescias-caupain-to-miss-4-months/).

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="it" dir="ltr">𝖶𝖤𝖫𝖢𝖮𝖬𝖤 𝖳𝖮 𝖡𝖱𝖤𝖲𝖢𝖨𝖠, 𝖠𝖫𝖤𝖪𝖲𝖤𝖩 𝖭𝖨𝖪𝖮𝖫𝖨𝖢 ❗️💪<br><br>La Germani aggiunge al proprio roster il 27enne playmaker sloveno, alla sua terza esperienza in Italia dopo quelle trascorse a Treviso e Sassari<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DreamBig?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DreamBig</a><a href="https://t.co/dAKIcg6LE4">https://t.co/dAKIcg6LE4</a></p>&mdash; Pallacanestro Brescia (@LeonessaBrescia) <a href="https://twitter.com/LeonessaBrescia/status/1600846906711998466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 8, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Nikolic began his career in the youth system of Spars Sarajevo before joining Brose Bamberg in Germany as a 20-year-old. He made his EuroLeague debut with that team and has since suited up for Treviso in Italy, Gravelines-Dunkerque in France and San Pablo Burgos in Spain. Nikolc has also been a member of the Slovenian national team, which he helped win the gold medal at EuroBasket 2017.