BasketNews selected 10 EuroLeague players who positively surprised basketball fans in the first four rounds of the new 2024-25 season. Additionally, Mr. Surprise - the player few saw having such a wonderful start - was selected.
Only four rounds have taken place in the new EuroLeague season so far, but many players have overcome the expectations for them wildly.
Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, who were seen as a middle-of-the-pack team in the power ranking, currently lead the league, while perennial Final Four participants Real Madrid have as many wins as LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, who were second to last the previous year.
Virtus Segafredo Bologna, who were at one stage 2nd in the standings last year, remain the only team without a win so far, while last year's champions, Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, lost to the league's newcomers, Paris Basketball.
BasketNews has assembled a list of the 10 most surprising EuroLeague players who have vastly outperformed the projections and one MVP of the category, who was an out-of-the-blue player for almost everyone.
Mouhamet Diouf
| STATS | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2PT | 3PT | FT | ||||||||||||||||
| Min | M | A | % | M | A | % | M | A | % | REB | AS | ST | TO | BS | PF | PFA | PTS | PIR |
| 18:10 | 14 | 18 | 77.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 13 | 84.6 | 3 | 0 | 1.2 | 1 | 0.2 | 2.8 | 3 | 9.8 | 11.8 |
Mouhamet Diouf is arguably the most unlikely player on this list. At just 23 years old, he was signed as a prospect by Virtus Segafredo Bologna to be the backup for Ante Zizic. A familiar story happened.
9 points and 5.3 rebounds for 9.8 PIR in the Basketball Champions League (BCL) and 7.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 8.1 PIR in the Spanish Liga Endesa (ACB) are respectable numbers but nothing to rave about. Diouf is now registering better numbers in scoring and PIR in the EuroLeague.
Zizic, an established big man in the tournament, has had inconsistent minutes on the court, at least partially due to Diouf's performance.
Diouf even began the Round 3 game against Zalgiris Kaunas in the starting five.
While Virtus Segafredo Bologna remain the only winless team in the competition, Diouf's development has certainly given at least some hope for the passionate Italian fanbase. At the same time, reports started surfacing about shaky Zizic's future in the club.
Diouf is averaging more minutes per game than Zizic, and if he continues to improve, it might be Diouf's frontcourt to take.
