Dazzling Dozen: 12 EuroLeague prospects to watch in 2021-22

Here are a dozen talents born 2000 and later to keep an eye on for the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season, which tips off on September 30.

Sep 28, 2021

This list breaks down by teams some of the top youngsters who will be playing in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this season. If you like this content and other material on the Taking The Charge substack, make sure you subscribe so you will not miss any articles.

ALBA Berlin

Jonas Mattisseck 2000

Malte Delow 2001

The duo of Mattisseck and Delow are both in Berlin’s rotation of guards though this is a decisive season for both. Mattisseck is actually a year older than Delow, born in 2000 to Delow’s 2001. Mattisseck really stepped up in the 2019-20 season but did not take a big step forward at all in 2020-21 while Delow really opened the eyes of some for actually moving past Mattisseck in the rotation. The elder talent may be under unspoken pressure as the top young German guard for Berlin and probably has a higher skill set - mainly on defense and playmaking - than Delow. But Delow really has picked up his all-around game. The coaching change from Aito Garcia Reneses to Israel Gonzalez might be a factor in all this as well. Christoph Tilly (2003-born) is another name that might pop up this season depending if Berlin’s big man injury situation lingers during the season.

AS Monaco

Rudy Demahis-Ballou 2002

Demahis-Ballou could see a major boost in playing time in the French ProA league, but he might have trouble getting on the court over long stretches in the EuroLeague. The point guard is in his second season with Monaco after coming over from the CFBB institute. The 1.90 meter playmaker grew to hold his own in the ProA last season while also showing the U21 Espoirs league is not strong enough for him - averaging 16.0 points on 58.8% 2-pointers and 40.0% 3-pointers, 4.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.4 steals. Coach Zvezdan Mitrovic also showed he trusted Demahis-Ballou, as he played double figure minutes in seven of the last nine EuroCup games last season for the champions Monaco. Demahis-Ballou also gained additional confidence this past summer by guiding France to the silver medal at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021 and collecting 5.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists.

Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz

Arturs Kurucs 2000

Kurucs has been with Baskonia since 2015 and he returned to his native Latvia in 2019-20 to play on loan for VEF Riga in the Basketball Champions League, and he produced to a solid degree (10.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists) and was allowed to make mistakes and develop. He came back to Spain and last season was only a limited role player, scoring 2.0 points in 30 Spanish league games and 0.7 points in 21 EuroLeague games. The younger brother of Rodions Kurucs of 7DAYS EuroCup side Partizan NIS Belgrade, Kurucs has already played for Latvia’s senior national team and will be fighting to make an impact with Baskonia this season. He will not turn 22 until mid January.

FC Bayern Munich

Jason George 2001

Bayern last season had three youngsters on the fringes of their pro team but they have sent Sasha Grant and Matej Rudan on loan to Italy and Mega Belgrade, respectively. That leaves George as the only talent left fighting to make Andrea Trinchieri’s team. The swingman picked up 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 22 German league games last season but only played in four minutes in two EuroLeague contests. He mainly dominated the third division ProB (20.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists). George will play the entire 2021-22 season at 20 years of age, and he might actually fit better into this Bayern team with his length and athleticism. One other player to note: the 2000-born Joshua Obiesie is new with Bayern after playing the last three seasons with s.Oliver Würzburg. But the point guard went undrafted in 2019.

FC Barcelona

Just a note here because people will be looking at this list and wonder where Rokas Jokubaitis (2000) and Ibou Badji (2002) are. This is list is tailored more towards players who can still be drafted - hence the aforementioned note about Obiesie - and Jokubaitis was picked in the 2021 NBA Draft. And Badji is definitely a name to watch, it’s just unclear how much he will play.

Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

Tarik Biberovic 2001

Biberovic almost under the radar played 34 Turkish league games last season (averaging 7.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists) as well as picking up 16 appearances in the EuroLeague (2.9 points and 1.5 rebounds). The 2001-born swingman is a tremendous all-around player - one of the best youngsters coming up in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s youth ranks. He won’t turn 21 until January 28, and this could be the season when he moves from fringe role player to someone who actually is called upon to be the scoring option over stretches in games - at least domestically.

LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne

Victor Wembanyama 2004

Matthew Strazel 2002

It seems that everything has already been written about the enticing talent that is Victor Wembanyama. He won’t turn 18 until January and he already has an embarrassment of riches in his game. Everyone knows of his skillset, the main focus this season will be how he deals with the increased physical nature of the EuroLeague as well as the expectations that have been thrust upon him. While Wembanyama will be debuting in the EuroLeague this season, the 2021-22 campaign will actually be the third for the guard Strazel. He averaged 3.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 20 EuroLeague games last season to go with 5.5 points and 2.2 assists per game in the French league. Strazel is armed with a quick first step as well as a scoring mentality which will help him play with another playmaker though he lacks the size at 1.82 meters.

Panathinaikos OPAP Athens

Eleftherios Mantzoukas 2003

Mantzoukas came over to Panathinaikos during last season from Promitheas and first had to find his way with his new team and start to prove himself. Mantzoukas came up through the Promitheas system and his rise was highlighted by breaking the single game scoring mark in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament (49 in January 2020). But expectations are much higher in Athens than Patras and Mantzoukas will have to learn from the bench behind the likes of Ioannis Papapetrou and Okaro White. But the youngster will be playing the entire season at just 18 years of age. Expect him to play much more domestically than in the EuroLeague.

Real Madrid

Carlos Alocen 2000

Tristan Vukcevic 2003

This is year two for Alocen at the Whites, and expectations will probably be higher for the point guard, who collected 4.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists in the Spanish league and 3.9 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in the EuroLeague last season. Alocen is a calming influence on the game, but it remains to be seen just how much he can score - picking up double figures in points just 10 times in 66 games in 2020-21. Alocen, who will only turn 21 in late December, did tally 11 points in Real Madrid’s win over Barcelona in the Spanish SuperCup final. Alocen has not been receiving big minutes early in the Spanish campaign and he did not play in Madrid’s third game of the year. So it remains to be seen exactly how he will be used this season. Vukcevic actually saw more minutes in the first two games than Alocen - 16 to 13 - and he provides good energy as a big man off the bench. Vukcevic, who will not turn 19 until March, appeared in 18 Spanish league games last season (3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds) and 3 EuroLeague contests (2.3 points, 1.7 rebounds). The 2004-born point guard Juan Nunez will also see time on the court over the season - especially if any injuries occur.

Zalgiris Kaunas

Marek Blazevic 2001

Blazevic is starting his second season with Zalgiris after coming over from Rytas Vilnius, where he rose up through the youth ranks and helped the club win the Adidas Next Generation Tournament title in 2018. The 2.09 meter big man played in the 7DAYS EuroCup with Rytas in 2019-20 (4.1 points, 3.0 rebounds) and then a relevant role in the Lithuanian LKL league last season (6.5 points and 4.8 rebounds) while getting some first exposure to the EuroLeague (2.0 points, 1.2 rebounds in six games). Zalgiris head coach Martin Schiller will not be counting on production from Blazevic, who turned 20 in September, but the youngster would be well served to showcase what he can do. In Zalgiris’ first three domestic games this season, Blazevic was a DNP twice while collecting 9 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assists and 3 steals in 17 minutes against Dzukija. The 2002-born guard Mantas Rubstavicius meanwhile is dealing with an injury early in the season, but he is someone who might get some minutes after he returns.

What do you think? Do you think any of these guys will really stand out? Do you think someone not mentioned will make an impact? Leave a comment! Be part of the discussion!

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