Who would you pick as the best backcourt combination in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague?
Over the past few years, the consensus would probably go in favor of Vasilije Micic and Shane Larkin of back-to-back champion Anadolu Efes Istanbul, but the pair's injury struggles this season remove them from the current picture. So, how about heading across the same city and finding the league’s all-time leader for assists, Nick Calathes, alongside three-point shooting specialist Scottie Wilbekin for Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul?
Another duo to consider is FC Barcelona's backcourt partnership of do-it-all guard Tomas Satoransky and the dynamic Nicolas Laprovittola, or perhaps you’d prefer the league’s leading assist provider Darius Thompson and long-range marksman Markus Howard at Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz? Or you could even extend the search to a trio of talents at AS Monaco in the form of Mike James, Jordan Loyd and Elie Okobo. And don’t forget league leading Olympiacos Piraeus, led by Kostas Sloukas and Thomas Walkup.
But one player would reject all those options, and instead pick… himself.
After Wade Baldwin recorded 24 points and 8 assists to power Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv past his former club, Baskonia, on Thursday night, supported by 17 points from teammate Lorenzo Brown, the shooting star was not shy in expressing his opinions when he was asked about the secrets of their success.
“It’s simple,” said Baldwin. “Lorenzo is the best point guard in the EuroLeague and I’m the best combo [guard] in the EuroLeague. We have five more games left, and if we don’t finish out and make the playoffs, that statement holds no weight. But right now, we’re playing like the best duo in the EuroLeague.”