There’s a new wave of stars coming to the VTB United League. With the season opener only eight days away, Dmitry Gerchikov profiles five of the biggest names to join the League over the summer.
Sergio Rodriguez
Team: CSKA
Position: Point guard
Age: 31
Country: Spain
In the search for a replacement for Milos Teodosic, who left for the NBA, the Moscow Army Men may have secured the most valuable asset on the market. Rodriguez is one of the smartest, most experienced playmakers in Europe and fits perfectly in CSKA’s system. When needed, he can switch up the tempo or take over when a possession begins to sputter. Depending on the situation, Rodriguez is comfortable knocking down jump shots and driving to the rim. Unlike Teodosic and your typical Spanish guard, Rodriguez is quite calculated and rarely shows signs of panic, no matter the circumstances. Because of his composure, teammates are likely to look to him for leadership when the game is on the line.
During his season in Philadelphia, Rodriguez added a lot of muscle, which should give him an edge on the European stage. Playing alongside CSKA’s athletic forwards, Sergio promises to show more versatility, which would provide Itoudis with more options to go small on offense. CSKA’s offense may not be as flashy without Teodosic, but don’t expect a drop in productivity. As far as defense goes, Rodriguez is definitely an upgrade. Check out the highlights below for a glimpse of his playmaking ability in the NBA.
Marko Simonovic
Team: Zenit (Russia)
Position: Small forward
Age: 31
Country: Serbia
Simonovic was a revelation last season in the EuroLeague. As the most experienced player on Crvena Zvezda’s roster at the tender age of 30, he was charged with leading and mentoring one of Europe’s youngest squads. He was also expected to spark the offense, despite never averaging more than 10 points per game in international competition! On top of it all, Simonovic had only limited exposure to the EuroLeague in two previous seasons.
But the Serb rose to the occasion, demonstrating leadership qualities and a tremendous work ethic. Beyond executing coach Dejan Radonjic’s game plan, Simonovic enforced discipline on the court, barking out instructions and functioning almost like a player-coach at times. Crvena Zvezda just missed the EuroLeague playoffs, but everyone took notice of the plucky squad from Belgrade, highlighted by Simonovic’s breakout performance.
Zenit was the most aggressive suitor in the offseason. To complement his run-and-gun style, Vasily Karasev was determined to secure Simonovic’s basketball smarts and composure. Coupled with his Slavic heritage and experience playing outside of Serbia (Germany and France), Zenit is confident the forward can quickly become a leader on a revamped roster.
Joe Ragland
Team: Lokomotiv-Kuban (Russia)
Position: Guard
Age: 27
Country: USA
In 2013, Italian club Cantu went from prince to pauper overnight. After coming up a little short, head coach Andrea Trinchieri went in search of new opportunities. Foreign players who’d already tasted the EuroLeague didn’t want to play in a less prestigious competition and also departed. Together with a much smaller budget, Cantu’s options were limited entering the offseason. New head coach Stefano Sacripanti, however, took on the challenge with gusto. He’d seen worse at his former club Juvecaserta, where debts had mounted and youth players were sometimes brought in to shore up the roster.
His enthusiasm carried over to the fans, who were also cheered by the arrival of a new star. Joe Ragland showed up late in the 2012-13 season on loan from Murcia, but somehow managed to drag Cantu into the Italian league semifinals! Not surprisingly, he was re-signed for the following season, where he lit up the Eurocup and earned an All-Star Game invite. By the summer of 2014, he’d attracted the interest of powerhouse Emporio Armani Milano, who inked the American guard to a two-year deal.
But his debut season in Milan did not go as planned. Poor team chemistry, an unbalanced roster and confusing coaching decisions impacted his performance, though he did enjoy the occasional big game. Once he moved to Turkish club Karsiyaka, Ragland rebounded quickly, learning and thriving at the point guard position.
Lokomotiv-Kuban is counting on that versatility. After losing Matt Janning, Krasnodar doesn’t have anyone who can both run the offense and help out in transition. Ragland will be happy to fill his predecessor’s shoes–and play some bruising defense–if Sasa Obradovic can convince him to give 100% on every possession. Loko fans can also look forward to plenty of highlights: When Ragland is hot, he’s known to do serious damage.
Jamar Smith
Team: UNICS (Russia)
Position: Shooting guard
Age: 30
Country: USA
Smith is absolutely a star, but several run-ins with the law nearly derailed his career while in college. As a sophomore at the University of Illinois, Smith nearly killed a friend while driving intoxicated. Suspended for one year by the university, Smith violated probation a few months prior to his return and was kicked off the team for good. Slapped with 18 more months of probation, Smith had to work his way back from the bottom. After two years in Division II, he spent his first three seasons in the pros bouncing around the D-League, South America and Europe before finally latching on at Brose Baskets. Since then, he has thrived, winning a championship in France with Limoges then signing with Unicaja, where he joined a long line of talented American guards (Rowland, Calloway, Granger). This past season, Smith helped lead the Spanish club to a Eurocup title, defeating Valencia in the championship game.
UNICS is looking to do the same in 2018 and hopes Smith can help get them there. No one expects the 30-year-old to replace Keith Langford, but he should be a reliable option on offense. Smith has battled and overcome his personal demons, built a career in Europe and is ready now to take the VTB United League by storm.
James Anderson
Team: Khimki (Russia)
Position: Small forward
Age: 28
Country: USA
Anderson tried to be a poor man’s LeBron James at Darussafaka and mimic his success with Zalgiris several years ago. He was a one-man wrecking machine in Lithuania, winning the devotion of the Zalgiris fans for his energy and effort. After helping the club win the Lithuanian double, he left for the NBA as a hero.
Darussafaka fans were not as distraught to see him go. To begin with, Anderson often tried to do too much on the court. Second, even a cursory glance at the statistics reveals he was not very productive last season. What worked in Philadelphia did not translate as well on the Turkish courts. With Darussafaka exiting the EuroLeague, Anderson’s departure surprised no one.
Khimki signed the forward with 250 games of experience in the NBA knowing that his up-tempo, physical approach would fit in Georgios Bartzokas’s system. Able to play several positions and knock down shots, Anderson will be perfect for when Alexey Shved needs a breather or someone to draw defenders. He’s not afraid of the pressure or expectations, which is very, very important for a revamped team with big ambitions.
