Since the mid-season arrival of Madar, Hapoel has been the most dangerous offensive team in the EuroCup
Stats review: Yam Madar has taken Hapoel's offensive efficiency to the next level
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With only two rounds remaining in the BKT EuroCup Regular Season, the pressure is mounting as only four teams have secured their bid for the postseason. While the top seeds in both groups are decided, there is not a lot of certainty beyond that point — especially in Group B where the second postseason bye and every seed still remain up for grabs.
In Round 16, Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv secured what could be a pivotal win in Group A when it defeated first-place Bahcesehir College Istanbul to move into a tie for second place, where it holds a tiebreaker over Dreamland Gran Canaria. After starting the year 4-3, the club has put itself in poll position for an automatic berth in the quarterfinals.
Hapoel’s turnaround can be traced to its rise as one of the EuroCup’s most efficient offensive teams. As the table above suggests, it joins this season’s group leaders a tier above the rest of the field on that end of the floor. While it has a legitimate chance to finish the regular season atop this list, the 1.11 points per possession Hapoel has scored over its last nine games leads all teams as it has been the most dangerous offensive team in the EuroCup following the mid-season addition of Yam Madar.
That efficiency was the difference in the win over Bahcesehir as it shot 56.8% inside the arc and 47.4% from deep to overcome a deficit in the possession battle. With the team's ball handlers scoring more than 10 points per 100 possessions more than the next most effective team in pick-and-rolls, Hapoel's guards have helped their season take a sharp turn that will be fascinating to follow in the coming weeks.
Despite Hapoel’s recent run, there has been no denying Valencia Basket’s complete dominance on the offensive end for long stretches this season. Exceeding 100 points in 10 games so far, it has the most impressive combination of pace and efficiency of any team this decade. Attempting 84 more three-pointers than any other team while leading the EuroCup in three-point accuracy, Valencia remains an incredibly daunting matchup despite a pair of losses following an 11-0 start.
Bahcesehir has been nearly as efficient while taking the opposite approach. Playing at the EuroCup’s slowest pace, the Turkish club has seldom looked to operate quickly outside of obvious fastbreak situations. Generating over half of its possessions in the half court out of pick-and-rolls while leading all teams in pick-and-roll efficiency, Bahcesehir has played to its strengths steadily all year.
U-BT Cluj-Napoca and Buducnost VOLI Podgorica, like Hapoel, have both turned their seasons around after lackluster starts, but both teams find themselves in precarious spots heading into the regular season’s final games. Currently holding the last playoff seed in Group A, Buducnost has been one of the tougher teams to guard thanks to its ability to beat defenses in the midrange. The matchup with Wolves Twinsbet Vilnius in Round 18 could be a win-or-go-home situation depending on how things shake out this week.
Cluj is one of five teams with a 9-7 record in Group B. It does not lean heavily on one-on-one play, but its efficiency when attacking matchups has been a factor in its success on the offensive end. As the only one of the five teams fighting for four postseason spots who will not face one of the other four in the final two weeks, it will be interesting to see how the Romanian champion positions itself down the stretch.