After a one-year break from the EuroLeague, Sasha Vezenkov returns from the NBA as the top player in the league. Following the EuroLeague GMs' vote naming him the best signing of the 2024 offseason, 39 basketball respondents across Europe ranked him first in the BasketNews EuroLeague Players Ranking 2024.
For the third consecutive year, BasketNews presents its EuroLeague players ranking, featuring insights from 39 general managers, head coaches, scouts, non-EuroLeague players, BasketNews crew members, and select media from across Europe who ranked the best players in the competition.
Respondents were asked to evaluate players based on their performance during the 2023-24 season, their current level, and projections for the 2024-25 season, considering their role, potential, injury status, and any other significant elements that could affect their performance.
Survey participants were provided with a list of nearly 100 EuroLeague players, and after compiling the results, we proudly present the BasketNews Top 30 EuroLeague Players ranking.
Facundo Campazzo
| Team: |
Real Madrid |
| Position: | PG |
| Age: | 33 |
| Height: | 179 cm |
| Weight: | 75 kg |
| Birth place: | Cordoba, Argentina |
The ranking scale used by the voters was as follows:
- 5: EuroLeague MVP contender
- 4: All-EuroLeague 1st Team-caliber player
- 3: All-EuroLeague 2nd Team-caliber player
- 2: A starter on a Top 8-caliber team
- 1: The best of the rest
If voters felt a player did not deserve a spot among the Top 30, they were free to withhold their vote.
In cases where players in the Top 10 received the same number of points, those with more MVP votes (the highest on the ranking scale) were given the advantage and ranked higher.
Media votes accounted for approximately 50% of the survey, while the remaining portion was contributed by basketball players, coaches, and front-office personnel.
10. Nikola Mirotic
- Points: 140
- Position in the BasketNews Ranking last year: 2 (-8)
- MVP votes: 6
Nikola Mirotic was ranked 2nd in both 2022 and 2023, but this year, he slightly dropped towards the end of the top 10.
Two factors likely contributed to this slide: Milan's failure to make the playoffs last season and Mirotic missing nearly 40% of the regular season.
Despite these setbacks, Mirotic remains an elite scoring force. He still delivered impressive averages of 16.9 points (63.8% from two, 41.8% from three) and 5.7 rebounds last season.
If Milan makes its way back to EuroLeague's upper echelon, Mirotic's stock is bound to rise again.
9. Dzanan Musa
- Points: 140
- Position in the BasketNews Ranking last year: 13 (+4).
- MVP votes: 7
With EuroLeague stars aging and the league's average player age rising, questions are swirling about who will become the next faces of the competition. However, two young standouts are making their case to carry the torch.
Dzanan Musa and Markus Howard are the only players under 25 who averaged 10+ points per game last season. Musa's accomplishment is particularly impressive given that he plays for the star-studded Real Madrid, a yearly title contender.
Over the past two seasons, Musa has tallied the third-most points in the league (1117), trailing only Mike James and Markus Howard. His efficient scoring, highlighted by 59.7% shooting from two-point range and 39.0% from three, sets him apart in this top 3.
8. Wade Baldwin IV
- Points: 140
- Position in the BasketNews Ranking last year: 8 (-)
- MVP votes: 11
Wade Baldwin confidently declared himself as the top guard in the EuroLeague, and the stats back him up.
Last season, Baldwin led the EuroLeague in the second half by points created through scoring and assisting (31.9 PTS+AST, per BBallytics), propelling Maccabi to a strong regular season finish, 20-14.
Only an injury prevented him from potentially being a decisive factor in the playoff series against future EuroLeague champions Panathinaikos.
Baldwin's consistency at the top level is evident, as he created 31.7 points in the second half of the 2022-23 season, trailing only Darius Thompson that year.
7. Shane Larkin
- Points: 141
- Position in the BasketNews Ranking last year: 10 (+3)
- MVP votes: 10
Shane Larkin may have missed the EuroLeague playoffs in back-to-back seasons, but he's consistently proven that he belongs to the Creme de la Creme.
Last season, Larkin led the EuroLeague in regular-season efficiency (20.12 EFF), ranked in the top six for scoring, and top seven for assists.
After signing a four-year extension, Larkin played a pivotal role in recruiting some of Efes' biggest summer additions, moves that are expected to help the team return to the playoffs.
6. Mathias Lessort
- Points: 149
- Position in the BasketNews Ranking last year: 11 (+5)
- MVP votes: 13
Mathias Lessort is the only player to make the All-EuroLeague First Team twice in the last two EuroLeague seasons.
In the modern EuroLeague era (since 2016), only a few players have achieved back-to-back All-EuroLeague First Team selections: Nikola Mirotic, Edy Tavares (3x), Sasha Vezenkov, Jan Vesely, Nick Calathes, and Nando De Colo.
With Partizan and Panathinaikos, Lessort led all big men in key categories, ranking 6th overall in scoring, 1st in PIR, total rebounds, offensive boards, fouls drawn, 2-point shots made, and even 11th in steals.
5. Edy Tavares
- Points: 150
- Position in the BasketNews Ranking last year: 1 (-4)
- MVP votes: 13
People might be accustomed to Edy Tavares' dominance in the EuroLeague, but his impact remains undeniable.
Most EuroLeague GMs would still build a team around him as their cornerstone player, as he continues to influence both ends of the floor at an elite level. Last season, with Tavares on the floor, Real Madrid outscored opponents by 17 points per 100 possessions, according to BBallytics.
His presence in the paint forces defenses to collapse, creating space for Madrid's shooters and boosting the team's 3-point percentage by 5.8%. On the defensive end, opponents' 2-point shooting drops by 4.1%.
4. Facundo Campazzo
- Points: 150
- Position in the BasketNews Ranking last year: 6 (+2)
- MVP votes: 14
Need another irreplaceable Madrid player? With Facundo Campazzo on the court, Madrid outscored opponents by 16.3 points per 100 possessions last season, as the BBallytics data shows.
You won't see Campazzo topping the scoring charts, as he's a pass-first playmaker. But his ability to create offense places him in the top five for points generated through scoring and assists, contributing 26.5 points per game for Real Madrid (per BBallytics).
3. Mike James
- Points: 156
- Position in the BasketNews Ranking last year: 3 (-)
- MVP votes: 23
By securing the MVP award for the 2023-24 EuroLeague season and becoming the all-time leader in total points scored, Mike James has accomplished everything on an individual level. Now, he's focused on something beyond personal achievements.
The basketball people around him have observed a clear focus on one objective: winning his first EuroLeague title. Achieving this would solidify his place in the EuroLeague's GOAT conversation.
James looks obsessed with this goal, as noted by several sources, and it’s the driving force behind his focus during his three-year extension with AS Monaco.
2. Kendrick Nunn
- Points: 158
- Position in the BasketNews Ranking last year: didn't play
- MVP votes: 23
Kendrick Nunn made a meteoric impact in his debut EuroLeague season, lifting Panathinaikos Athens to the winner's podium.
After a few early games to adjust, Nunn found his rhythm and delivered more than impressive numbers. From Round 11 onward, he averaged 17.4 points, shooting 47.0% from two and 45% from three, with PAO winning 73% of their games, per BBallytics.
In the last three playoff games against Maccabi, Nunn averaged 26.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, flipping the series where PAO were behind.
In his first-ever Final Four, Nunn posted 17.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.
Panathinaikos secured the new EuroLeague superstar for two more years, and Nunn’s second-place ranking is a major acknowledgment in such a highly competitive league.
1. Sasha Vezenkov
- Points: 168
- Position in the BasketNews Ranking last year: didn't play
- MVP votes: 27
The MVP is back.
Despite limited playing time in the second half of his NBA rookie season, Sasha Vezenkov’s EuroLeague brilliance remains firmly etched in memory.
Before leaving for the NBA, he averaged 17.6 points (65.5% 2P, 37.8% 3P), 6.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and a 21.5 PIR, marking one of the most efficient performances in recent EuroLeague history.
In his final EuroLeague appearance before the NBA, Vezenkov delivered a stellar 29 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 34 PIR in the title game loss against Real Madrid, leaving a sense of unfinished business.
Now, Vezenkov returns to Olympiacos on a massive five-year deal. His immediate recognition as the league’s top player, even after a year away, speaks volumes about his status and the high expectations surrounding his return to European basketball.
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