With a great start in the 7DAYS EuroCup season, Turk Telekom can aim even for the EuroLeague with coach Erdem Can leading the charge.

As one of the most important clubs in Turkish basketball history, Turk Telekom was struggling to meet expectations in recent years despite its quality rosters with experienced players. The team, which made a fresh start with their new head coach Erdem Can this summer, has managed to be one of the best teams in whole European basketball so far.

[MORE...](https://www.eurohoops.net/tr/trademarks-tr/1436536/erden-can-returned-to-turk-telekom-aiming-high/)

Erdem Can returned to Turk Telekom aiming high by Eurohoops

### Mihai Silvasan, Cluj head coach

"We expect a really hard game, against a team that scores a lot. For example, they scored more than 100 points in their last two matches. Anyways, they are a team that we want to beat. This is our thought. We prepared well and we will do our best to get a victory in front of our fans."

### Stefan Bircevic, Cluj player

"We need to show more attidude and focus. We need to play better and not allow them to score easy baskets. Of course, we will do our best to win this game and I hope our fans will be there for us, like they always do."

Fans of high-scoring games may be in for a treat when U-BT Cluj-Napoca (3-5) and ratiopharm Ulm (4-4) meet. Cluj’s average of 86.8 points per game is the second-highest in the EuroCup and Ulm is fifth in that category with 86.6 per game.

Pre-Game quotes: Cluj vs. Ulm

U-BT Cluj-Napoca v ratiopharm Ulm (2022-12-21T17:00:00.000Z)

A pair of 7DAYS EuroCup newcomers with aspirations of reaching the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague face off at Copper Box Arena on Wednesday night, as the London Lions take on Paris Basketball in a first-ever meeting between the two. The first installment of this derby brings a lot of intrigue for basketball fans around Europe.

Both of these EuroCup newcomers made plenty of headlines in the offseason as they took their projects to the next level. London opted to revamp its entire roster and bring in a higher level of talent, while Paris kept faith with its existing young stars but nevertheless looked to improve by adding more ready-made players ahead of its EuroCup debut.

The signings of former NBA players Sam Dekker and Kosta Koufos by London were heard throughout Europe as a sign that the club's EuroCup project is for real. It wasn't just the arrivals of Dekker and Koufos that caught the eye, however, as Vojtech Hruban, Tomislav Zubcic and Ovie Soko also joined one of the most eye-catching rosters in the competition.

London Lions Top Plays from 09/30/2022 to 12/20/2022

London Lions top plays in 2022

Paris, meanwhile, felt confident in the trio of Kyle Allman, Juhann Begarin and Ismael Kamagate, who had featured together for the team in the French League last season. To add some experience to the mix, the team moved to sign France international Axel Toupane and ex-NBA player Tyrone Wallace. Like London, there were plenty of people were eager to see how Paris would do in Europe's second-best basketball competition.

Fast forward a few months and the two teams are currently in the playoff places in Group B. Paris occupies fourth position with a record of 5-3, while London is in seventh place after going 4-4 in its first eight games. It has been a curious start to life in the EuroCup for both Paris and London, as the French side are 1-3 at home but 4-0 on its travels, whereas the Lions are 2-1 on their home court and 2-3 on the road. It should be interesting to see how they react in this Round 9 matchup, as both teams lost last week after three-game winning streaks.

Paris Basketball Top Plays from 09/30/2022 to 12/20/2022

Paris Basketball top plays in 2022

Paris fell 71-74 at home to Promitheas Patras in Round 8, one day after London got blown out in Turkey against the leader in Group B, losing 102-74 to Turk Telekom Ankara, but with plenty of players performing well at present – Dekker and Koufos for London, and Allman, Begarin and Kamagate for Paris – there is the opportunity for one of the teams to get back on track with a win.

It remains to be seen if either London or Paris can do enough to reach next season's EuroLeague, but the first edition of this derby could be the start of a beautiful rivalry between two teams looking to make a name for themselves in European basketball.

A new derby begins as London takes on Paris

London Lions v Paris Basketball (2022-12-21T19:30:00.000Z)

Fantasy tips: a new EuroCup season starts! 

The 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season reaches its halfway mark this week with Round 9. The competition will take a break after this round and return on January 10, 2023. That means this is our last chance in 2022, fantasy managers, to win a weekly prize in the Fantasy Challenge, powered by Ardu Prime. Here are some recommendations for Round 9 among players in the 10.5-12.5 credit range. 

**Derek Willis, Umana Reyer Venice (12.5 credits) –** Willis has shown his full potential during the last four rounds, in which he has been close to unstoppable. Over that time, Willis has averaged 14.8 points on 8-of-16 three-point shooting, 8.8 rebounds and a PIR of 20.0, with at least 16 in each game. He definitely is a rock-solid fantasy choice. 

**Andrija Stipanovic, U-BT Cluj-Napoca (10.5 credits) –** If you are looking for a cheaper, experienced center, Stipanovic may very well be your man. Over the last three games, Stipanovic has averaged 10.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and a PIR of 14.7. He has even made 6 of 11 free throws, after starting the season 2 of 10.

Derek Willis, Andrija Stipanovic, Onuralp Bitim, Zoran Dragic and Ondrej Balvin are featured in this week's article.

EuroCup Fantasy Challenge tips: Round 9

**Zoran Dragic, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (10.8 credits) –** Dragic finally returned to action and made his 2022-23 EuroCup debut in Round 6. Since then, Dragic has averaged 12.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and a PIR of 14.3, all that without shooting the ball particularly well (40% 2FG, 36.4% 3FG). He will only get better and better. 

**Ondrej Balvin, Prometey Slobozhanske (11.5 credits) –** Balvin surprised a lot of people with a monster performance in Round 8, going for 23 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a PIR of 34 against Cluj. Balvin had a PIR of 23 against Bourg in Round 7, too. He is an experienced center who will rebound the ball even better from now on.

**Onuralp Bitim, Frutti Extra Bursaspor (11.8 credits) –** What's not to like about Bitim? Bitim is charismatic, talented, physical and always full of energy. He's been posting huge numbers over the last four rounds: 21.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 7.8 fouls drawn and a PIR of 24.8, getting at least 20 in each game. Fantasy gold! Buy him now!

Sam Dekker Top Plays of the 2019-20 Regular Season

2019-20 EuroCup highlights Sam Dekker

A new 7DAYS EuroCup campaign starts and of course, that means that EuroCup Fantasy Challenge returns for its sophomore edition! 


Fantasy tips: Many players in shape!

Some of the EuroCup’s best defensive sides will be challenged by the best offenses – and vice versa – in Round 9 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season.

When Turk Telekom Ankara (6-2) visits Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (5-3), it will mark Group B’s most dangerous attack against that group’s premier defense. Turk Telekom has averaged 86.1 points per game and Buducnost has allowed a EuroCup-low 72.0.

In Group A, the duel between Umana Reyer Venice (5-3) and Prometey Slobozhanske (4-4) is similarly a showdown between different styles. Prometey leads the EuroCup in scoring with 88.5 points per game and Reyer has allowed the fewest points in the group, 74.3 per game.

Turk Telekom is 1-1 this season when it has failed to score at least 80 points and is 4-0 when it has amassed more than 82. Turk Telekom’s 60.5% two-point shooting is second-best in the EuroCup as is its 39.5% shooting from behind the arc. Jerian Grant, who is second in the competition with 6.4 assists per game, runs the Turk Telekom attack.

Buducnost leads the competition by holding opponents to 48.7% shooting on two-pointers as well as a EuroCup-low 26.5% on threes. Led by Alpha Kaba’s power inside, Buducnost is third in the EuroCup in blocked shots, too, with 3.4 per game, and it tops the charts with 43.0 rebounds per game. The Montenegrin side has held opponents below 70 points three times already this season and has only allowed a team to reach the 80s once.

Buducnost vs. Turk Telekom = great defense vs. great offense  

Buducnost vs Turk Telekom great defense vs great offense

The Reyer-Prometey game is a battle of styles and pace. Prometey is not only the top-scoring club in the EuroCup, but the table-topper in steals (10.5 spg.). It also takes good care of the ball with just 12.6 turnovers. And there is potential for more points as the team’s 31.1% three-point shooting is second worst in the EuroCup. Prometey lost the only two times it failed to score 80 points so far this season.

Reyer slows the pace down and attempts just 60 shots per game, which is 8.4 fewer than Prometey. Reyer also attempts 3.7 fewer free throws per game than Prometey's 22.8. Only twice has Reyer allowed an opponent to score more than 80 points this season and it lost both times, most recently 90-87 at Joventut Badalona last week.

The Reyer duo of Jayson Granger and Marco Spissu will be charged with slowing things down and running the Reyer offense, while their counterparts D.J Kennedy, Caleb Agada and Gian Clavell look to push the ball at every opportunity. 

Fans of great tactical basketball should buckle up because these two games on Wednesday night promise to be something special.

Reyer vs. Prometey = great defense vs. great offense  

Reyer vs Prometey great defense vs great offense

Top offenses face elite defenses in Round 9 showdowns

Umana Reyer Venice v Prometey Slobozhanske (2022-12-21T19:00:00.000Z)

Buducnost VOLI Podgorica v Turk Telekom Ankara (2022-12-21T18:00:00.000Z)

Ahead of the exciting 7DAYS EuroCup contest between the London Lions and Paris Basketball at Copper Box Arena on Wednesday night, it has been confirmed that popular British rapper K-Trap will entertain the fans in attendance by performing at halftime.

Tickets for the game have almost sold out, with there being a lot of excitement among London’s fans as the team prepares for its first-ever meeting against Paris.

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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CmMi9KLMjT5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CmMi9KLMjT5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; 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London comes into this game with a record of 4-4, while Paris is 5-3. Both teams suffered defeats in Round 8, with London losing on the road at Turk Telekom Ankara and Paris falling at home to Promitheas Patras, so grabbing a win on Wednesday night will allow one of the two EuroCup newcomers to get back on track in Group B.

UK rap star K-Trap to perform at halftime of London vs. Paris

### Promitheas vs Hapoel 

Round 9 action tips off in Greece on Tuesday when Promitheas Patras (5-3) hosts Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv (4-4). Rebounding could be critical as Hapoel is among the best on the boards – its 38.9 rebounds per game are third-best in the EuroCup, while Promitheas has been outrebounded by 10.6 rebounds per game. 

### Brescia vs Bursaspor

All signs point to a low-scoring affair when Germani Brescia (3-5) and Frutti Extra Bursaspor (5-3) duel. Both are in the top half of the competition in points allowed, rebounds allowed and assists allowed, which put pressure on these teams’ respective offenses to produce. 

### Lietkabelis vs Joventut

7bet Lietkabelis Panevezys (4-4) brings a perfect home record into its clash with Joventut Badalona (5-3). Lietkabelis is one of two teams in the EuroCup with a 4-0 home record. These teams split home games in the regular season last season.  

### Cluj vs Ulm 

Fans of high-scoring games may be in for a treat when U-BT Cluj-Napoca (3-5) and ratiopharm Ulm (4-4) meet. Cluj’s average of 86.8 points per game is the second-highest in the EuroCup and Ulm is fifth in that category with 86.6 per game.

### Buducnost vs Turk Telekom

When Turk Telekom Ankara (6-2) visits Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (5-3), it will mark Group B’s most dangerous attack against that group’s premier defense. Turk Telekom has averaged 86.1 points per game and Buducnost has allowed a EuroCup-low 72.0. Turk Telekom takes a 3-0 road record to the Montenegrin capital. 

### Bourg vs Cedevita

The teams with the best and worst records in Group A will clash on Wednesday with Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse (6-2) locking horns against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (1-7). Both teams are coming off losses; Bourg looks to bounce back after losing a high-scoring affair at Ulm in Round 8 while Cedevita lost a nail-biter against Germani Brescia. 

### Hamburg vs Gran Canaria

Two of the premier offensive rebounding teams in the EuroCup will meet when Veolia Towers Hamburg (3-5) hosts Gran Canaria (6-2). The hosts’ 13.1 offensive boards per game are the second-most in the competition and Gran Canaria is right behind at 12.3 

### Slask vs. Trento

Slask Wroclaw (0-8) hosts Dolomiti Energia Trento (2-6) in a game between the bottom sides in the Group B standings. While Slask is coming off a 30-point thrashing in Tel Aviv, Trento edged Veolia Towers Hamburg at home. However, Trento is 0-4 on the road and Slask is 0-4 at home. 

### Reyer vs. Prometey 

The duel between Umana Reyer Venice (5-3) and Prometey Slobozhanske (4-4) is a showdown between different styles. Prometey leads the EuroCup in scoring with 88.5 points per game and Reyer has allowed the fewest points in Group A, 74.3 per game. 

### London vs. Paris

London Lions (4-4) take on Paris Basketball (5-3) in what’s been dubbed the Eurotunnel derby. Both teams had won three in a row before losing last week. Paris brings a 4-0 road mark to the British capital, while London is 2-1 at home.

Round 9 at a glance: Last games of 2022 promise drama

Promitheas Patras v Hapoel Vegan Friendly Tel Aviv (2022-12-20T18:30:00.000Z)

Slask Wroclaw v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2022-12-21T19:00:00.000Z)

Veolia Towers Hamburg v Gran Canaria (2022-12-21T18:45:00.000Z)

Germani Brescia v Frutti Extra Bursaspor (2022-12-20T19:30:00.000Z)

7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys v Joventut Badalona (2022-12-21T17:00:00.000Z)

Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse v Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (2022-12-21T18:30:00.000Z)

Two of the top three teams in Group B of the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season faced off in Round 8, with Gran Canaria scoring a hard-fought home victory over Buducnost VOLI Podgorica. While the win itself was important, the way Gran Canaria won may have been even more significant.

Gran Canaria entered the game having allowed 1.10 points per possession created out of pick-and-rolls – the worst mark in the EuroCup at that time by a significant margin. Last week, however, the Gran Canaria defenders put together its best effort of the season by far, holding Buducnost to just 28 points over 36 possessions derived from ball screens. While they had some issues with fouls on those possessions, they did an excellent job extending their hedges and rotating to shooters without giving up easy opportunities around the rim.

Gran Canaria is an interesting case study in the complex relationship EuroCup teams have with the pick-and-roll at the moment. It is the unmistakable cornerstone of many set offenses, serving as the origin of 43% of half-court possessions. However, its value has dipped this season. For the first time in recent history, the average half-court possession has been more valuable than one generated out of the pick-and-roll with, although both are hovering right around 0.93 points per possession.

That makes Gran Canaria's difficulty in getting stops puzzling and outright confounding when considering the graph above, which looks at which teams have done the best job limiting high-quality pick-and-roll outcomes measured in points per-shot. As the graph suggests, Gran Canaria has not only done a good job limiting high-value attempts, but has forced turnovers at a strong rate as well. Their defensive Synergy Shot Quality – the expected value of the attempts they allow as determined by a data-driven model – has actually been slightly better than average against pick-and-rolls this season.

That all begs the question: how does a team whose process is sound find themselves on the wrong end of the leaderboards? While many of Gran Canaria's issues comes on the ball, some of it can be traced to the little things like untimely fouls, slightly late rotations, and a lack of length in spots. However, even if there's a variety of factors at play, it is also apparent that luck has not been kind to Jaka Lakovic's team this season. That readily apparent in the 49% that opposing pick-and-roll ball handlers have shot from beyond the arc against Gran Canaria – an outlier so far beyond league averages that a regression to the mean is basically a formality at this point.

In stark contrast, the four best pick-and-roll defenses this season in terms of points per possession are also in the top six in the graph above. Most teams tend to reap the benefits of what they sow defending the pick-and-roll. Paris Basketball falls in that group to an extent as perhaps this season's second most interesting case, as its shot defense has been sublime. Paris thrives in rotating and protecting the rim and therefore gives up a remarkably low volume of quality attempts while forcing a ton of low-percentage long two-point jumpers. Despite that, Paris rank just fourth in overall pick-and-roll defensive efficiency because its low volume of turnovers forced on opponents leaves it susceptible to teams whose shot-making supersedes the significant impact of Paris's shot defense.

With individual EuroCup teams allowing a broad range of points per possession created out of pick-and-rolls so far – from a low of 0.77 points to a high of 1.05 – plus coaches making constant adjustments to their nuanced schemes and some teams simply getting unlucky, the defensive landscape in the league is fairly blurry at the moment.

If things remain as unpredictable as they are right now with these types of inequities and wild swings, it could make this year's single-elimination playoffs even more exciting and chaotic than last year's.

Stats review: Pick-and-roll defense

Checking in from Italy is Dolomiti Energia Trento playmaker Toto Forray, who has returned for his [EuroCupBasketball.com](http://EuroCupBasketball.com) column once again. Forray joined Trento in 2011 and has played for the team ever since, becoming its team captain in 2016. He helped Trento reach the EuroCup Semifinals in 2016 and is currently in his seventh season in the competition. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Forray returns with a very special blog entry, in which he discusses more than just his team's run in the 7DAYS EuroCup. Argentina plays the World Cup final on Sunday, but Trento faces EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Italian League action an hour later. But don't worry, Toto will find a way to know the score, with a lot of people informing him from the stands.

 

Hello again, EuroCup fans! Winning a couple of games is just what we needed after so many losses. The game against Hamburg was key for us, because we are going to fight for a playoff spot against them. If they had beaten us, they would have a three-game advantage over us, and it would be difficult to rally back from that. So, this is why this game was so important for us. Now we know we have an actual chance to advance to the playoffs, especially if we beat Slask Wroclaw next week. We play against Milan in the Italian League at home on Sunday, and then we will give everything we have in Poland.

Now we know we have an actual chance to advance to the playoffs!"

We needed an adjustment period, but above all, the last break we had in the EuroCup helped us be in a better physical condition, and that allowed us to play better. We lost some close games and that was one of our weaknesses as a team, but we improved that during the break. When we beat Gran Canaria, it had been over one year since we won a EuroCup game, and we finally did it. Moreover, we beat a really good team like Gran Canaria while being short-handed, because we missed a couple of players in that game.

 

We made a lot of good signings this season, and I wanted to talk to you about Matteo Spagnolo. He has a lot of athleticism, good court vision and has all the skills to become a great scorer. He can attack the rim and finish strong, but he needs to work on his court vision to become an unbelievable player. He is a very humble kid who listens to us, asks a lot of questions and tries to understand the game. He is really determined to keep growing. I have seen a lot of good young players in Trento over the years, but Matteo can be a star. Now it is up to him. He has all it takes to be a star, and he practices really well. He has the right mindset and a great chance to get there.

Toto Forray keeps going strong in his seventh EuroCup season, all with Dolomiti Energia Trento.

2022-23 EuroCup Regular Season highlights: Toto Forray, Trento

So, you know I am Argentinean, right? Well, we need to talk about the World Cup and the final against France on Sunday. I have only been able to watch two games until now, because of this and that. When we lost against Saudi Arabia, we were coming back from Turkey. I missed the second group-stage game because we were playing, and I also missed the third game because we were traveling again. I was able to watch the knockout games against Australia and the Netherlands, that's it.

 

… And I will miss the World Cup final, because we play against Milan at 17:00 CET and the game is at 16:00 CET!

 

It is hard not to watch such an important game, but I am following our national team's run and all the celebrations after the games. Like every Argentinean, I am paying a lot of attention and I am looking forward to each of our games. You may be wondering what someone does in a situation like this. Well, the game is one hour earlier than ours, so I will know the halftime score before we play against Milan. And then we play at home, so a lot of people will be telling me the score, for sure.

A lot of people will be telling me the [World Cup final] score, for sure."

When we played against Poland, everywhere I looked there was someone telling me the score of that game! This is Trento, I have been here for many years; they know who I am, so everybody was informing me about it. I had to tell people "Hey, that one over there already told me", and stuff like that. Every time the ball was stopped, someone looked at me and told me how Argentina was doing. It was a lot of fun, and I expect the same – or even more – on Sunday! I am sure all Argentinean basketball players are going through the same stuff. I saw that Luca Vildoza was in the same situation in a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague game in Belgrade, right at the end of the game.

 

The game against Slask will be our last EuroCup game in 2022. It was not our best year, but we are finishing strong, especially if we beat Slask. We have to carry that momentum into 2023. The team has a lot of confidence now and in the last few weeks, and we are aware that this game in Poland is very important for us. Slask kept a core of players from last season and we lost convincingly against them last season, but that should give us extra motivation to do better this time. Trento tifosi, we will give everything on the floor and try to win as many games as we need to make it to the playoffs, which would be great for the club. And you saw the playoffs last season – it was insane! We have to get there, and after that, anything can happen.