EuroBasket watch: Three Sacramento Kings moving forward
Three Sacramento Kings: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Georgios Papagiannis and Arturas Gudaitis, are all set for the Round of 16 with their teams in the EuroBasket. Find out how each closed out the group stage.
The do-or-die games at EuroBasket 2017 are coming, and the knockout stage is getting closer and closer. All three national teams with players connected to the Sacramento Kings are moving forward to the Round of 16. In the next round, Georgios Papagiannis (Greece) will face Arturas Gudaitis (Lithuania) while Bogdan Bogdanovic and Serbia will be facing either Montenegro or Hungary.
THE LEADER
Bogdan Bogdanovic stepped up when needed, and it is safe to say that he is the go-to guy for Serbia. His team finished with four wins and just one loss in Group D, and he had a vital role in every single game. After a solid all-around performance in Gameday 4 against Great Britain (18 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, five steals), he didn’t hold back against Belgium.
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In the last game from the group stage, Bogdan was more of a playmaker than just a pure shooter as he found his teammates in the right spots at the right time frequently. Nine times to be exact, as Serbia won 74-54. The numbers? 15 points, one rebound, nine assists, and two turnovers in a little more than 30 minutes of play.
The 25-year old Serbian averaged 19.8 points, 5.2 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in five games in the first stage.
GAINING MOMENTUM
Georgios Papagiannis’ situation in Greece’s rotation is a bit strange. But he tries to make most of the opportunities he gets. At times, he is just a raw talent while at other times he looks like a diamond polished to shine brightly. After a good effort against Slovenia on Gameday 3, Georgios got just five minutes in the loss to Finland. But he managed to bounce back on Gameday 5 as Greece won 95-77 against Poland, moving on to the Last 16.
Big George had possibly his best game at the tournament against Poland. He finished with eight points, eight rebounds, two assists, a steal, a turnover, and three blocks.
His average stat line is the following: 3.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 5 games from the group phase.
THE ENERGY GUY
One could not know what to expect from Arturas Gudaitis, right? Come on, be honest, because I know not everybody is following the development of a second round draft pick acquired in a trade. However, the Lithuanian forward deserves praise for his effort in bringing energy from the bench.
Gudaitis had his best game of the tournament on Gameday 2 with 16 points in 15 minutes, followed that with three points in 15 minutes on Gameday 3 against Italy before finding his way back on. Against Ukraine, on Gameday 4, he was efficient with seven points in 11 minutes and saved his worst game for last.
Against Germany, he played just eight minutes and finished with only two points. However, Lithuania won 89-72 and went on to finish on top of the group with a 4-1 record.
Over five games, Arturas averaged 5.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 11.5 minutes per contest.
The knockout stage starts on September 9th.