The power forward will make his EuroLeague debut when he first steps onto the floor.
Efes wraps up move for Mike Daum
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Anadolu Efes Istanbul has announced the signing of Mike Daum on a one-plus-one-year deal. Daum (2.06 meters, 28 years old) arrives at Efes from Derthona Basket. So far this season, he averaged 14.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in nine Italian League games, as well as posting 12.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in three Basketball Champions League fixtures.
Making his EuroLeague bow
Daum will get a chance to make his Turkish Airlines EuroLeague debut when he first takes to the floor with Efes, having so far spent his professional career playing in Spain, Italy and his native United States, where he played in the G League.
After spending four years at South Dakota State University, where he was named an honorable mention All-American by AP in 2017, 2018 and 2019, Daum played three games in the Summer League with the Portland Trail Blazers before heading overseas. At South Dakota State, Daum became just the 10th player to ever score 3,000 points in NCAA Division I history, a feat he achieved on February 23, 2019. Since then, only one further player has accomplished this achievement.
His first stop was at Obradoiro, where he averaged 9.0 points and 3.7 rebounds in 23 Spanish League games in the 2019-20 season. He then built on those numbers during his second year at Obradoiro in 2020-21, as he posted 9.7 points 4.4 rebounds in 30 Spanish League fixtures.
In the summer of 2021, Daum opted to leave Spain and head to Italy by joining Derthona. In 36 games in his first season in Italy, 2021-22, Daum had career-high numbers of 12.2 points and 5.7 rebounds. Last year, 2022-23, saw a bit of a drop, with Daum posting 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in 32 Italian League games, before increasing his numbers again so far this season.
Mike Daum at Efes
Efes has moved quickly to address the injury of Derek Willis, who underwent finger surgery on Saturday, November 25, and will be out for between six and eight weeks. As such, the addition of Daum gives Efes head coach Erdem Can a ready-made option who can come into the rotation.
In the early part of this season, the 28-year-old big man has averaged 64.2% on two-pointers and 34.1% from three-point range in the Italian League, while his numbers stand at 66.7% from both inside and outside the arc in the Basketball Champions League. His free-throw rate in the Italian League is 81.0% through nine games and 66.7% in three Basketball Champions League clashes.
Daum has shown that he can make the step up everywhere he has gone, so now he will get a chance to test himself at the highest level in Europe by playing in the EuroLeague.