Are local players a thing of the past? What do the numbers tell

2022-01-31 18:46
Credit: ZUMAPRESS.com-Scanpix
Credit ZUMAPRESS.com-Scanpix

Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade is the most "local" team in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this year - 69.7% of its playing time was consumed by Serbian players.

It's the biggest locals' contribution since the 2016-17 season (Zvezda were leaders as well). The last time the team had a bigger contribution from local players, without Crvena Zvezda, was Neptunas Klaipeda in the 2014-15 campaign (84.4%).

However, this is not good news for the leading team's playoff hopes, as EuroLeague's history shows.

Local players make up less and less of European team rosters and while it may upset some fans, data shows that local guys and winning usually do not go hand in hand.

And just to be clear: the word "local" means a player, having blood ties to the country, not naturalized sportsmen.

So, the only time when locals played more than 60% of all the possible minutes and that team became EuroLeague champions, was back in 2011. In that year, Panathinaikos were crowned as EuroLeague champs.

There were 4 other instances when championship teams had locals playing 50% or more playing time. And those were the Greek teams (Olympiacos and Panathinaikos 2 times apiece). In all 4 cases, the American players' minutes included less than 25% of the total time.

Credit BasketNews

On the opposite side, in 2017, Fenerbahce became EuroLeague winners with local players competing for only 4.4% of all possible minutes. CSKA Moscow stand second here, with 9.1% locals' playing time in 2008.

The locals' contribution in the last 4 championship squads was less than 20%.

Last year, Anadolu Efes generated only 9.5% - the third lowest result in EuroLeague's history among all champions - in the playoffs and Final Four.

Coming back to the Red Star, what does history show about their chances?

Well, since the modern EuroLeague start, only 4 times teams have advanced to the playoffs, having locals play 70% or more time: PAF Bologna (00-01), Cibona VIP (00-01), and Partizan (07-08 and 08-09).

Crvena Zvezda, Zalgiris Kaunas, and LDCL ASVEL Villeurbanne are the clubs with the most playing time by locals (all above 50%) this season.

While FC Barcelona, Anadolu Efes Istanbul, and Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz are at the end of this list.

On top of that, the Basques have local athletes' contribution in minutes played of only 0.5% - the lowest result in EuroLeague history. The only Spanish player, Alejandro Barrera, spent 22:45 minutes on the court throughout the entire 2021-22 campaign.

Credit BasketNews

BasketNews' Darius Garuolis also analyzed EuroLeague numbers since 2000 and found out which countries (and their teams) tend to rely more on their local players.

According to the big data, there are three leading countries: Croatia (68.6%), Serbia (61.6%), and Lithuania (56.2%).

Looking at the clubs, that have played at least 10 seasons in the strongest continental league, the contribution record of local players' minutes belongs to Cibona. The latter is followed by Partizan and the third is Zalgiris in this statistical category. The worst result applies to Baskonia.

Other interesting numbers/facts:

  • The 2002-03 EuroLeague champions Barcelona are the only team to win a tournament without American athletes.
  • CSKA became the EuroLeague champs in 2018-19, when Americans played 51.1% of all the possible minutes - the biggest number of all champions.
  • It's no secret that Maccabi love American players. Out of top 10 teams in American athletes' minutes played, the Israeli powerhouse captures 6 spots, but only once made the playoffs.
  • Last year, Armani Exchange had 61.5% of its playing time consumed by American players - most of all Final Four participants.


Comments:

Arunas
Nice. It was fun reading it.
2022-01-31
+2
Reply

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