Sportradar's Matt Kamalsky examines the guard play that has helped Jerusalem and Besiktas claim the top spots in their respective groups
Stats review: Jerusalem, Besiktas and their climbs to first place
Stats
4 Mins read
There are new teams in first place in both Groups A and B following Round 10 of the BKT EuroCup. With multiple teams jumping into the playoff picture, the stars appear to be aligning for plenty of drama around seeding from top to bottom down the stretch.
Hapoel Midtown Jerusalem has emerged at the top of Group A following its victory over Veolia Towers Hamburg, which extended its winning streak to seven games. Besiktas GAIN Istanbul has leapt to the top of Group B, moving the ball at a high level in recent weeks to finally dislodge Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse thanks to the tiebreaker earned with its Round 5 victory.
That pair has one key thing in common in addition to their new spots atop the standings: offensive efficiency. Hapoel ranks first and Besiktas second in overall points per possession scored through 10 games. The success of both teams on that front starts in the pick-and-roll. As the table above suggests, both have been very effective in ball screens, with Besiktas posting league-best efficiency numbers and Jerusalem ranking first in points created per game.
With 40% of all possessions in the EuroCup originating in pick-and-rolls and those looks resulting in 0.97 points per possession, there’s no diminishing their impact on the league landscape. That is especially notable for Jerusalem, which has generated 51% of its possessions in the half-court through pick-and-rolls en route to one of the better offensive starts in the EuroCup this decade. With Jared Harper ranking among the league’s most prolific shot creators, Cassius Winston thriving when it is his turn on the ball, and Khadeen Carrington providing a secondary option, Jerusalem’s guards are the league’s most prolific unit looking to score off the dribble, with Justin Smith being the main beneficiary of that off the ball.
For Besiktas, it is how selective its secondary ball handlers are that stands out. With its group of guards using the second-lowest percentage of their possessions, but scoring with near-record efficiency, the likes of Jonah Mathews, Berk Ugurlu, and Anthony Brown have made the most of their opportunities in the two-man game, even if none of them are especially prolific. With Ugurlu and Devon Dotson doing a lot of the distributing within this offense and four big men who all finish consistently as rollers, Besiktas has gotten a lot done by committee.
The success of both clubs scoring out of ball screens has keyed their rise to the top of the standings. How they fare from here will be a point of interest in the coming week as Jerusalem will take on the team that it leapfrogged to the top of Group A in Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, while Besiktas visits London Lions in Group B.