There tends to be a lot of chatter during the summer about the lack of competitiveness from the League’s foreign teams. But the regular season often paints a different picture. During the 2014-15 season, for example, Astana, Kalev and VEF finished ahead of Enisey, Krasny Oktyabr and Krasnye Krylia in the standings. Last year, Nymburk stirred the pot, winning 16 of 30 games and beating out Enisey and Krasny Oktyabr for a playoff spot.
Foreign clubs are making an impact this seasons as well. VEF and Astana have exceeded expectations, ranking 6th and 7th in the standings, and enjoy a big lead over Avtodor and Nizhny Novgorod.
The Latvians and Kazakhs have been especially good against the League’s Russian teams, posting 4-4 records.
Here are several reasons why VEF and Astana are looking like legitimate playoff threats.
Interesting free-agent decisions
VEF had the most turnover of any team in the League this summer. Only one player remains from last season’s roster: center Martins Meiers. Riga took a conventional approach, bringing back experienced players (Blums, Skele), inking several underrated foreigners (Richard, Gaddy, Labuckas) and snapping up talented young Latvians (Gromovs, Helmanis, Vecvagars).
The team gelled quickly, stunning Khimki on the road in the first game of the season. Since then, the team has gone through some ups and downs, but has steadily improved. VEF’s biggest issue has been its short bench. Forward Mareks Mejeris recently returned from France, while basketball insider David Pick says the club is looking to add a foreign guard.
Astana has somewhat different circumstances. Over the last 2-3 years, the club has signed its fair share of big-name talent. But Calathes, Caner-Medley and Hayes did not always match expectations, with last season proving especially disappointing. This summer, the front office decided to bring in lesser-known foreigners with high ceilings.
So far, the strategy is working. Americans Odom, Krubally, Miller and Greek Katsivelis have been quite capable of leading the team. But Rob Lowery has been the biggest revelation. An explosive guard, he’s won over the fans with his leadership qualities and style of play.
Schedule
The calendar has been good to VEF and Astana in the first three months of the season. Astana has played eight of its first 11 games at home, where the club historically is tough to beat. So far, the Kazakhs have posted a 5-3 record at home.
Riga, meanwhile, has played seven of 11 on the road, but does have one thing going for it. All four home games have been against other playoff hopefuls (Tsmoki-Minsk, Avtodor, Kalev, Enisey) and VEF has taken advantage, posting a 4-0 record. So far, the team has only faced top-tier competition on the road. Once the tables turn (elite teams visit Riga and VEF has to battle rivals on the road), Blums and co. may struggle more to get wins.
No European distractions
Another common thread for these two teams is their lack of participation in a European cup. Yes, they do compete in domestic leagues, but the demands are remarkably different. The Latvian league, for instance, features bus travel and away games do not take much time or energy. In Kazakhstan, meanwhile, only three teams compete in the top league. Taken together, VEF and Astana have more time to recover, scout and prepare for each game than almost any other team in the VTB United League.
The lack of European competition is perhaps the primary factor separating Astana and VEF and Tsmoki-Minsk. The Belarusians also started strong, but once the continental flights started to add up, the Dragons’ momentum vanished. Even an automatic berth in the Belarusian league playoffs hasn’t helped.
Motivation
For players in Riga and Astana, playing well in the League can lead to exciting new opportunities. VEF, for example, has had plenty of guys move on to bigger clubs after a year or two in Riga: Janis Timma (Zenit), Francisco Cruz (Fuenlabrada), Ludwig Hakanson (Fuenlabrada), Andzejs Pasecniks (Gran Canaria), Dairis Bertans (Darussafaka), E.J. Rowland (Khimki) and many more. Each of these players got a new boost to their careers and earned promotions.
According to Enisey head coach Oleg Okulov, stars on foreign teams are so eager to prove themselves that stopping them can be quite difficult. It’s tough to break through CSKA or UNICS’s defense, but ambitious players know they have an opportunity against smaller clubs. Already this season, Enisey has given up a combined 53 points to Lowery and Miller and 11 4th-quarter points to VEF’s Richard.
Closing out wins
VEF and Astana lead the League in close wins. Both teams have won three times in the final minutes. Riga knocked off Khimki (76-73), Tsmoki-Minsk (88-85) and Enisey (84-81). The Kazakhs took down Avtodor (83-78), VEF (66-64) and Enisey (98-97).
There are a lot of factors at play here: Skill, fresh legs, heady play, and fan support (most of these wins were at home) can work miracles. Even a little luck can go a long way. Just remember Astana guard Rob Lowery’s game-winning shot against Enisey.
Astana and VEF have enjoyed wonderful starts to the season. But it’s way too early to relax with over half of the season remaining. The upcoming months will show how tough these two teams really are: Astana has a lot of long flights, while Riga will be hosting some of the League’s biggest names. How they respond will determine whether or not they are worthy of a playoff berth.
