MIES (Switzerland) - Another summer passes in a flash, and another summer ends with Unicaja as the double BCL and FIBA Intercontinental Cup champs.
This time, we head into a landmark season, as this is BCL Season X, powered by Ameresco SUNEL! That not only sounds like such a big number, but it also serves as a vivid reminder of how time flies when you are having fun.
The cast of characters is already locked in, and there is no doubt when you look through the list of teams and rosters, this one is going to be monumental. Blink too many times and you might miss it.
Some of you might not have had the chance to keep up to date with the teams and transfers this summer, but don't worry, we here at BCL HQ have got you covered. To get you back up to speed, we put together a list of players to watch in Season 10.
Let's call it a Player Power Rankings, but add the disclaimer that this is written before a ball has been tipped in anger, and we have included players who have yet to play a game in the BCL.
This is a subjective list of players to whet your appetite and give you an idea of who to look out for this season, not an official ranking based on stats and performances this season.
#15 Juan Toscano-Anderson (Pallacanestro Trieste)
Don't mind us as we casually drop an NBA champion onto the list at #15.
JTA, of course, became the second Mexican to win the NBA - with the Golden State Warriors in 2022 - and with over 200 career games in the NBA under his belt, arrives at Trieste with the kind of profile that raises the bar for the entire club.
He's also a two-time LNBP champion in Mexico and was the league MVP in 2018.
If you aren't familiar with who this player is from his days with the Warriors, take it from us, you will want to keep your eyes fixed firmly on this guy in transition and also when he's making incisive cuts to the basket away from the ball.
Lest we need to remind you, JTA was in the NBA Dunk Contest, so you already know to expect plenty of action above the rim.
#14 Jeremiah Hill (Elan Chalon)
Obviously, we had to include one of the stars of the QRTs.
Elan Chalon are back in the BCL for the first time since Season 2, and Jeremiah Hill is a major reason why. He dropped 26 points and 3 assists in the Final to take down heavy favorites UCAM Murcia, but it wasn't just in the Final where Hill went to work.
The Cameroon international put up 21.3 points, pulled 3.0 rebounds, and dished out 4.7 assists to steer Chalon to the promised land of the Regular Season.
Hill also helped Cameroon to a fourth-place finish at FIBA AfroBasket this summer, recording some impressive numbers in the process: 15.7 points, 5 assists, and 4.8 rebounds made Hill one of the standout players at the tournament.
Make no mistakes, Jeremiah Hill will be one of the most electric playmakers to watch in the BCL this season.
#13 Jordan Walker (Rytas Vilnius)
Another shifty playmaker comes in at #13, with Rytas' new recruit, Jordan Jelly Walker.
Walker played out of his mind at times for Promitheas last year, recording 20.0 points, 4.9 assists, and 2.0 rebounds across all competitions.
When he's really cooking, Walker can access a completely different place in the space-time continuum.
At times when you are watching him, you just never expect any shot he takes to miss. Who can forget his 54 point outing against Wurzburg that broke the BCL scoring record?
We did tell you that this would be a list of players to watch in Season 10, and Jordan Walker playing in Giedrius Zibenas' offense is guaranteed box office.
#12 Chris Silva (AEK BC)
Critics are already hailing former Miami Heat big man Chris Silva as one of the signings of the season in the BCL. Silva has already slotted in seamlessly to the AEK rotation and looks like a man on a mission.
If you want to know what brand of basketball to expect on the floor from Chris Silva, just imagine Brad Pitt in the movie Snatch asking you if you like 'dags', only he's asking you "D'ya like Dunks?".
If your answer is, "Sure, I like dunks", then Chris Silva is your man.
Silva absolutely dominated the painted area for Bnei Herzelia last season, with 15.5 points on 52 percent shooting. He also dished out 2.5 assists per game, so don't be shocked when you see him sucking defenders into his orbit and dishing the rock to teammates like RaiQuan Gray (more on him later).
After all, we do know that Coach Dragan Sakota likes his bigs passing the ball.
#11 Hugo Besson (Tofas Bursa)
We don't really need to tell you about Hugo Besson, do we?
At times last season, Besson played like a French Jason Williams for Manisa in the BCL. Every week, he was dipping into his bag and showing us something new. It wasn't just for show either, Tofas have got themselves a real one here.
Besson put up 16.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists for Manisa across all competitions and is yet to find a defender he doesn't want to school on the twister matt.
Tofas have partnered Besson with Alex Perez in what should be one of the BCL's most entertaining and also most lethal backcourts.
If you enjoy watching guards with handles and the ability to make tough shots, Tofas might just be your team this year.
#10 Isaiah Wong (Dreamland Gran Canaria)
Welcome to the BCL Dreamland Gran Canaria and welcome to the BCL Isaiah Wong!
The Indiana Pacers selected Wong with the 25th pick of the 2023 draft and although he only played the one game for the Pacers, Wong eventually found his way to the Charlotte Hornets where he recorded 6.0 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 20 games.
From there, the pathway took him to Zalgiris and a promising rookie season in Europe with 6.5 points per game across 30 games for the Lithuanian giants.
At 1.93m, Wong is going to be one of the tallest guards in the BCL and he also possesses one of the quickest first steps you will see.
GranCa will be hoping to make an instant impression on the BCL and Isaiah Wong will be a major part of that.
#9 Rokas Giedraitis (La Laguna Tenerife)
At #9, we have another man who doesn't really need much introduction.
Rokas Giedraitis' resume does that for him. Giedraitis has already enjoyed a career that has taken him to two EuroBaskets and a FIBA Basketball World Cup with Lithuania, seen him represent clubs like Rytas Vilnius, Alba Berlin, Baskonia, and Crvena Zvezda, and collected countless shiny trophies and awards along the way.
This latest step in the journey takes Giedritis to the sunny climes of Tenerife and the moment you hear the two names, La Laguna Tenerife and Rokas Giedraitis you just know they will fit together like hand in glove.
#8 Tyson Perez (Unicaja)
Tyson Perez might well have been the difference between Unicaja winning the BCL and not winning the BCL last May in Athens.
The levels he reached physically and in terms of reading the game were otherworldly during the entirety of that Final Four.
We know the way that Ibon Navarro manages the minutes and rotation of his players means you can never be sure from week to week who is going to be the star of the show.
We also know they have lost some key pieces and are undoubtedly in somewhat of a rebuild. What we can be sure of is that Tyson Perez is going to be absolutely integral to that rebuild.
#7 Will Cummings (Galatasaray MCT Technic)
Will Cummings did it all for Galatasaray last season and despite all the changes in their roster over the season, his steadying and reliable presence always kept them competitive to a high level.
And when everything finally clicked and they powered their way to the Final of the BCL, it was Cummings at the wheel in almost all of the key moments.
His numbers were 14.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.4 rebounds across all competitions, and we can surely expect the same or better this year.
In the BCL alone, those jumped to 16.7 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.2 rebounds, enough to earn him a berth in the Star Lineup Second Team.
Don't be suprised to see Cummings knocking on the door of the Star Lineup First Team this year.
#6 RaiQuan Gray (AEK BC)
If Chris Silva has been hailed as one of the signings of the season, then AEK keeping hold of power forward RaiQuan Gray certainly has to be seen as another one of the coups of the summer in the BCL.
At the Athens Final Four last May, Dragan Sakota told everyone listening to the pre-tournament press conference that his goal was to build a team like Unicaja. The continuity of keeping players like RaiQuan Gray goes a long way to helping him achieve that goal.
In his rookie season in Europe, Gray recorded 10.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, whilst shooting 51 percent from the field.
He is only going to get better from here.
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