The first full month of the regular season has come to an end. Konstantin Kucher shares his impressions of the start of the season.
A powerful start for MBA-MAI and BETCITY PARMA
Perhaps the main discovery at the start of the season was the performance of MBA-MAI and BETCITY PARMA. Even during the offseason, it became clear that both teams had became stronger. This was confirmed by the first games of the season. The teams, which are not part of the elite group, have already won 11 games and secured their place among the leaders.
Moreover, both the Moscow and the Perm teams not only defeated their direct competitors, but also put up a good fight against the Top 5 teams from last season’s season. MBA-MAI defeated Uralmash on the road and only lost to Loko after a hard-fought battle. PARMA has the win over CSKA and lost to Zenit in the very end.
This start was not just a coincidence. Both teams have good potential and are capable of improving further. Therefore, they are unlikely to limit to their current successes and will try to make a serious impact in the fight for Playoffs.
Top 4: a slow start
The usual leaders are having a mixed start of the season. UNICS has had the best start. From the very first games, the Kazan team has shown high-quality basketball, which has led to confident wins. Only after a month UNICS slowed down a bit and lost to CSKA.
The Moscow team, on the other hand, had a difficult start. However, not so far game in Samara, the unexpected loss in Perm, and the loss to Mega in the in-season Cup were followed by series of wins. It is worth noting the team’s ability to play against the direct competitors. CSKA has already defeated all of their main rivals. While the Moscow team had to fight in tense finish against Zenit, UNICS and Loko were defeated by double-digits.
The Krasnodar team is still searching for its game. The team has problems with injuries, Royce Hamm has left the team. There is still no clear picture or accurate understanding of what this team is capable of with Anton Yudin. However, the quality of the players gives hope that Loko will not fall out of the leading group, even despite the recent huge loss against CSKA.
Another unpredictable team is Zenit. In the case of the St. Petersburg team, the main problem has been injuries. Sergey Karasev made his debut against PARMA, but Nenad Dimitrijevic, Andre Roberson and Georgy Zhbanov got injured. During the game, Alex Poythress and Levi Randolph also suffered injuries. As a result, Zenit flew to Krasnoyarsk with a shortened squad and lost to Enisey, who are gaining momentum. The St. Petersburg team remains among the leaders, but this is clearly not enough for a team aiming for the championship title.
Competition at a new level
Overall, the season looks more competitive than the previous one. MBA-MAI and BETCITY PARMA have clearly improved. This is evident not only in their play, but also their results. Uralmash has assembled a powerful roster. The Yekaterinburg team is not playing consistently, but the class of players and the depth of roster will allow to fight for a place in the Top 5. Avtodor, Enisey and Pari NN have not been very impressive so far. But with the return of injured players, they will also improve. Avtodor and Enisey have already shown readiness to compete with the leaders for 2 or 3 quarters. But without a number of key players, they lacked the strength to keep up that pace throughout the game. The Krasnoyarsk team showed high-quality play and defeated the most difficult opponent.
5 clutch shots in a month
The increased level of competition leads to exciting and dramatic finishes at the end of games. The teams set this trend in the first game of the season. Then, Garrett Nevels’ shot brought win to Uralmash in Krasnodar.
Soon after, MBA-MAI forward Pavel Savkov also scored the winning shot. His three-pointer allowed the Moscow team to beat Enisey.
The fierce battle between CSKA and Zenit in St. Petersburg was decided by a shot at the buzzer. Anton Astapkovich sealed the win for the Moscow team.
There were also a couple of other notable moments at the end of tense games. Ilya Platonov’s three-pointer was the key moment in the clash between Pari NN and BETCITY PARMA.
And Artem Antipov’s shot sent the game between Enisey and Uralmash into overtime.
Mikhailovskii and Cheburkin – top scorers
Samara remains the only team that has yet to win in the current season. However, the recent game against MBA-MAI shows that the Volga team may soon break its losing streak.
For now, the main event related to Samara is the brilliant play of its leaders. Right now, Nikita Mikhailovskii and Dmitry Cheburkin top the list of the League’s best scorers. They average 43.2 points per game combined. This is the best scoring duo of players in all European championships.
Both players demonstrate a good shooting percentage. Mikhailovskii successfully completes more than half of his possessions (50.5% – 8.0 out of 15.9). Cheburkin’s numbers are not much worse (48.9% – 7.2 out of 14.7).
Mikhailovskii and Cheburkin performance is becoming the foundation of Samara’s offense. With the return of the injured Mikhail Kulagin, Danila Pochodiaev and Andrey Savrasov, the Volga team should start winning regularly.
BETCITY PARMA and Enisey young talents are fighting for the Young Player of the Year award
Many teams are attracting promising young players to their rosters in the new season. But it seems that the main battle for the Young Player of the Year award will unfold between BETCITY PARMA and Enisey players.
Gleb Firsov has had the most impressive start to the season. In his very first game against UNICS, he set career-high 16 points, and in a recent game against Zenit, he reached the 10-rebound mark for the first time in his career. On average, the Perm team center scores 9.0 points and 4.3 rebounds (eff. points– 10.6).
Lev Svinin’s stats are not as impressive so far (4.5 points and 2.6 rebounds on average, eff. points – 5.6). However, the young forward has secured his place in the starting five. Lev is not afraid to take the initiative and will certainly improve as the season progresses.
Several Enisey young players have made a strong showcase at the start of the season. Egor Ryzhov recorded a double-double (12 points and 12 rebounds) in his very first game. Despite an injury (Ryzhov missed 2 games and is forced to play with a splint on his arm), the center is posting decent stats (7.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, eff. points 7.8).
Artem Shlegel has secured his place in Enisey starting five (5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds on average, eff. points – 5.9). The forward has already scored 10 or more points three times, including setting career-high 13 points.
Artem Antipov was one of the main heroes of the Siberian team first win in the season. The forward was just one step away from a double-double (16 points and 9 rebounds) and set career-high in points and rebounds. Antipov has been playing well since the start of the season, which is reflected in his stats (6.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, eff. points – 8.1).
