The European championships begin tomorrow in Finland and Israel. The VTB United League will be represented by 17 players as two dozen teams look to capture continental gold.
Nando De Colo (CSKA)
National team: France
Status: Leader
In the absence of Tony Parker and other NBA stars, De Colo is the unquestioned leader on a French squad in transition. Warm-up games prior to the EuroBasket only underscored his importance to the team. De Colo was the top scorer in the final exhibition game vs. Germany, dropping 20 points, and appears to be in top shape entering the tournament. Alongside Fournier, Lauvergne and Heurtel, France will pose a formidable threat with De Colo in charge.
Leo Westermann (CSKA)
National team: France
Status: Back-up point guard
Normally, Westermann is the #3 point guard in France. But head coach Vincent Collet uses three guards in the starting lineup–De Colo, Heurtel and Fournier–opening up a roster spot for Westermann. He’s done a solid job as back-up. The CSKA signing showed off his passing ability in the exhibition games, nearly recording a double-double (10 points, nine assists) against Montenegro on August 19.
Sergio Rodriguez (CSKA)
National team: Spain
Status: Key contributor
Rodriguez’s move to CSKA was the biggest signing of the summer in the VTB United League and Europe. And after a year in the NBA, the continental championships will help reintroduce Rodriguez to European basketball. With Spain, he plays back-up to Ricky Rubio, though the duo split minutes almost evenly in exhibition games. Don’t expect that to change in the tournament. Spain has outstanding depth in the backcourt with at least two excellent options at each position.
Marko Todorovic (Khimki)
National team: Montenegro
Status: Back-up center
Montenegro has a lot of depth at center, led by Orlando Magic big man Nikola Vucevic. Todorovic backs him up, averaging 10-15. Despite limited playing time, Todorovic finds ways to impact the game. In the final warm-up vs. Turkey, he played a big part in Montenegro’s second-half surge. But he’s not likely to steal Vucevic’s spot in the starting lineup any time soon and will open EuroBasket 2017 in the Magic center’s shadow.
Martins Meiers (UNICS)
National team: Latvia
Status: Back-up to Porzingis
After a solid season at VEF, Meiers earned a deal with UNICS over the summer. He hasn’t had as much luck on the national team. Meiers is stuck behind Knicks center Kristaps Porzingis on the depth chart and rarely sees the court when the Latvian sensation is healthy. When he does get a chance, however, Meiers looks sharp, showing why Kazan wanted him in the offseason. Despite issues with his knee, Porzingis is headed to EuroBasket. Should he struggle to stay on the court, Meiers could play a very important role for Latvia.
Kristaps Janicenoks (VEF)
National team: Latvia
Status: Veteran sniper
After three years away, Janicenoks returned to the VTB United League and VEF over the summer. He’ll be asked to replace sharp-shooting Janis Blums, who signed a deal in Spain. Both veterans play key roles on the Latvian national team, bringing experience to an otherwise young, untested squad. So far, Ainars Bagatskis has given Blums more playing time, but it’s a long road at EuroBasket and Janicenoks is certain to have opportunities.
Andrejs Grazulis (Parma)
National team: Latvia
Status: Back-up forward
The Grazulis signing stood out among Parma’s flurry of American signings. His invite to the Latvian national team was also something of a surprise. But he made it through training camp and completely deserves a spot on the roster. Seeing the court at EuroBasket, however, could be a stretch. Latvia has a formidable frontcourt in Porzingis, Smits, Bertans and Timma and those four will likely split the lion’s share of the playing time.
Russian national team
The Russian national team has the League’s biggest contingent at EuroBasket. With the exception of Timofey Mozgov and a contract-less Dmitry Kulagin, the other 10 players are signed with League clubs. CSKA is sending five players to the tournament: Andrey Vorontsevich, Semyon Antonov, Nikita Kurbanov, Vitaly Fridzon and Mikhail Kulagin. Krasnodar will add three: Dmitry Khovstov, Vladimir Ivlev and Evgeny Baburin, while Khimki contributes a pair in Alexey Shved and Andrey Zubkov. It’s been a long time since Russia brought this much star power to EuroBasket and fans are hopeful the team can advance past the group stage for first time since 2011.
