In his first-ever EuroLeague start, a somewhat overlooked world champion shined in his home country of Germany.
World champ Hollatz shined for Efes in German homecoming
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A lot of the attention was given early this season to the eight Turkish Airlines EuroLeague players who had helped Germany win the Basketball World Cup in September. Anadolu Efes Istanbul playmaker Justus Hollatz, the German national team player who received perhaps the least fanfare shined at the time, made his return home on Thursday a breakout occasion.
Hollatz played in six of Germany's nine perfect wins in its march to the World Cup title but played an average of just 10 minutes, contributing 2.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. Until Thursday, neither had the 22-year-old stood out yet for Efes, whom he joined his off-season on loan from BKT EuroCup club Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana.
Hollatz came into the Round 13 game at ALBA Berlin having scored just 6 points to go with 6 rebounds and 4 assists in a combined 44 minutes over eight EuroLeague games. With Efes's current spate of injuries, Hollatz got his opportunities this week.
First, in Round 12, he played 21 minutes at home against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens, tallying 3 points, 4 rebounds 2 assists and 1 steal and staying on court for much of the fourth quarter in that dramatic 71-68 win.
His next stop was Berlin, about an hour and a half from where he grew up in Hamburg.
For the occasion, Hollatz was given his first-ever EuroLeague starting assigning, and he did not disappoint, helping his team rally for an 89-97 victory to complete a double-round sweep despite his fellow world champion, Johannes Thiemann, scored 31 points with a PIR of 40, both new career highs, for ALBA.
Hollatz would stay on the floor for a team-high 36 minutes, which is the most played by any player as young as he is in the EuroLeague this season. He would finish with 9 points to go with 3 rebounds and 8 assists. Beyond the stats, he was also second on the winning Efes team in plus-minus with +11.
Perhaps most impressive about Hollatz's performance, and indicative of how long he played, was that he didn't commit single turnover in those 36 minutes on the court against an ALBA squad that came into the game leading the EuroLeague in both steals and forced turnovers.
This performance will undoubtedly give Efes head coach Erdem Can more confidence in Hollatz. And that will lead to more attention on one of Germany's proud world champions.