After reaching halfway through the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, it's time to have a look at who performed the best.
For the festive weekend, BasketNews presents EuroLeague mid-season awards, consisting of six different categories: the biggest surprise, biggest disappointment, the best quote, the best mid-season signing, All EuroLeague mid-season team, and the MVP.
In this article, BasketNews experts Orazio Cauchi, Uygar Karaca, Giorgos Kyriakidis, Donatas Urbonas, and Miguel Lois Vidal had a look at the best signing of the mid-season.
Orazio: I've been really impressed by how Jordan Loyd is leading Zenit St Petersburg, especially with Shabazz Napier and other important players being out with injuries.
We all know that Loyd is a good scorer, but since he arrived at Zenit, he has become a major all-around contributor for his team, providing assists and rebounds, and doing everything he can to keep Zenit in the playoff picture.
Hats off to him and Zenit for how they're performing even under difficult circumstances.
Uygar: Sertac Sanli. It took some time for him to get used to FC Barcelona setup due to a challenging injury problem, but he's getting his groove back.
This is not an easy adventure for him because he is a shy guy and does not particularly interest in being an alfa personality. But he is a silent contributor who became an essential part of Jasikevicius' meticulously designed offensive and defensive schemes.
The worst kept secret is that Efes are missing him a lot. By his absence, the ball movement and shot creation are clearly hampered. So this was two-way damage: Barcelona bolstered its ranks and weakened Efes'. Smart move.
Giorgos: He might be inconsistent, but Elie Okobo remains the signing that nearly brought LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne to a different level. The former NBA guard, in my eyes, was the EuroLeague MVP in the first 8 rounds of the competition, but his impact gradually started to wear off.
At first, ASVEL looked like a legit playoff candidate, standing at 6-2. By Round 10, Okobo averaged 19.9 points on 60% on two-pointers and 48.9% on three-pointers.
"In the beginning, teams didn't really know Elie Okobo. Now everybody has scouted us, and they know who he is, so it's much more difficult," coach TJ Parker said. "They put the best defender on him every night. It's not easy."
Nevertheless, if the French team still stands any chances of going through, it's mostly because of what Okobo did and what he might do in the games to follow.
Donatas: Thomas Walkup. His numbers won't impress anybody, but that's nothing new to Walkup.
However, it's hard to find a better combination of an elite defense, willingness to do anything for his team, and ability to make the locker room happier.
Walkup was the perfect fit next to Sloukas, but when Olympiacos Piraeus also signed Dorsey, that shifted them to the next level. But in my eyes, Walkup's addition changed the course of Olympiacos organization.
Miguel: Guerschon Yabusele. The French forward joined Real Madrid, which was an interesting move by the Blancos.
I knew he could be an important player in Laso's system, but I would have never imagined he would lead Madrid since its first game. Smart on the low-post. I will also give credit to Tyler Dorsey, an essential piece for Bartzokas. He has been electrifying so far.
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