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Rising rookies join EuroLeague point guard tradition at World Cup

Rising rookies join EuroLeague point guard tradition at World Cup

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23 August 20234 Mins read

Rising rookies join EuroLeague point guard tradition at World Cup

It would be a rare elite international tournament that didn't feature EuroLeague Basketball point guards as focal points, but the upcoming FIBA World Cup presents fans with something rather unique – a new generation of floor leaders who will follow up that showcase by debuting in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague just a few weeks later.

Sylvain Francisco of France and LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, Yago Dos Santos of Brazil and Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, Justus Hollatz of Germany and Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Dimitris Moraitis of Panathinaikos Athens, Ziga Samar of Slovenia and ALBA Berlin, and Matteo Spagnolo of Italy and ALBA are all 25 years old or younger and all headed to their EuroLeague debuts in October by way of the World Cup.

In so doing, they join a distinguished line of predecessors who have defined the virtuosity of playmaking in the European game this century.

Long line of iconic playmakers

The last two generations have seen the torch passed from one set of iconic floor generals – Dimitris Diamantidis, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Theodoros Papaloukas, Pablo Prigioni and others – to another with names like Vassilis Spanoulis, Milos Teodosic, Sergio Rodriguez, Nick Calathes and Ricky Rubio.

All led their clubs and countries to success while synthesizing the singular style of team play that distinguishes the ever-more-admired European game.

Not forgetting that some of that old guard – Sergio Llull of Spain and Real Madrid, Nando De Colo of France and ASVEL – and some EuroLeague playmakers in their primes – Maodo Lo of Germany and EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, Aleksa Avramovic of Serbia and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade – remain leaders on their national and club teams, this World Cup offers EuroLeague fans a chance to glimpse a new raft of playmakers they will likely be following for years to come.

Given their ages, this sextet of EuroLeague rookies-to-be may or may not play major roles at the World Cup, but the fact is they were all chosen for both their national and club teams for reasons that go beyond potential. Dos Santos, Hollatz, Samar and Spagnolo, for instance, have all proven themselves at the EuroCup level already, showing again how that competition continues to lead to greater things.

More than just EuroLeague rookies in World Cup

And while those six are yet to debut in the EuroLeague, they are far from alone as young Euroleague Basketball point guards to watch in the World Cup. Due to play major roles for their countries are already-established EuroLeague playmakers like 22-year-old Rokas Jokubaitis of Lithuania and FC Barcelona, the 2021-22 EuroLeague Rising Star Trophy winner and 23-year-old defensive ace Alessandro Pajola of Italy and Segafredo Virtus Bologna. From the EuroCup, 19-year-old Juan Nunez of Spain and ratiopharm Ulm and a pair of 26-year-olds, Andres Feliz of Dominican Republic and Joventut Badalona and Petar Popovic of Montenegro and Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, will be at the controls for their national teams, too.

Needless to say, knowing that these young playmakers have studied their iconic predecessors over the years, if they can come close to emulating them, too, both their countries and clubs will have new household names with the ball in their hands very soon.