Who is staking their claim as the Most Valuable Player in the competition?

MUNICH (Germany) - The MVP debate in basketball is an annual conundrum that will last the test of time with many different factors to consider.

The best player? The best player on the title-winning team? The player who made the biggest impact for his team? The player with the best stats? The player who stepped up the most in the big moments? 

With that said, we thought we would take a look at some potential candidates based on the season so far after reaching the halfway stage of the Second Round. 

We will re-visit the MVP debate at the end of the season when fans get to pick their favorite among a host of other awards.

Ryan EVANS - Bakken Bears

Statistics: 16.2 PTS, 6.8 REB, 3.9 AST, 18.8 EFFPG

Evans is a do-it-all performer for Bakken Bears as he leads his team in points, rebounds and efficiency averages.

The American is in his second season with the club, having helped the Bears reach the Quarter-Finals of the competition last year.

Evans has reached double figures in scoring in all but one game so far, though even then he came up with the game-winner to secure a dramatic 84-83 win at Legia Warszawa.

 
The 29-year-old produced his best display to open the Second Round with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists in a convincing home win over medi Bayreuth.

The reigning Danish league champions are 7-2 in FIBA Europe Cup action this season and with two home games to close out the Second Round, they are well placed to return to the last eight with Evans leading their charge.

Ryan LUTHER - Ventspils

Statistics: 12.3 PTS, 62.7% FG, 10.2 REB, 21.8 EFFPG

Ventspils have been one of the surprise stories in this year's competition having won eight games straight before finally coming unstuck against BC Kyiv earlier this month.

The team ranks first in scoring, rebounding and assists and a key factor of their success has been the dominance of their front-court pairing of Ryan Luther and Klavs Cavars.

Luther gets the edge over his team-mate, but the duo have been consistent performers during the Latvian side's strong run so far.

The American is averaging a double-double in his first season as a pro having finished his college career at the University of Arizona.

Luther tallied a season best of 16 rebounds in just his second game with two double-doubles as well as shooting above 55 percent from three-point range, and Ventspils will be hoping to finally make it to the Quarter-Finals.

Jordan MORGAN - Pinar Karsiyaka

Statistics: 13.5 PTS, 67.1% FG, 6.2 REB, 16.5 EFFPG

It's a sign of a good team when there is not really one standout player when it comes to stats, and that's the case with Pinar Karsiyaka as they continue to look a formidable force in the competition.

The likes of Tony Taylor, Amath M'Baye, DJ Kennedy have all played important roles, while Jordan Morgan is starting to step things up in the competition, as well as domestically.

Morgan leads the team in scoring and rebounding with the 28-year-old registering his first double-double of the competition in their most recent outing to make the Team of the Week.

The American made the switch from another Turkish side in the summer and has become a key contributor for Karisyaka as they have compiled a 10-1 record after making it through the Qualifiers. 

Morgan is a big presence in the paint, shooting above 67 percent inside and is one of many strings on the bow of Karsiyaka in their aim of challenging for the title.

Darko PLANINIC - U-BT Cluj Napoca

Statistics: 17.0 PTS, 62.4% FG, 5.3 REB, 17.1 EFFPG

Momentum is a wonderful thing in sport, and that is something that Darko Planinic and U-BT Cluj Napoca have in their favor right now.

A 9-2 record on the season that started in the Qualifiers and coming off arguably their best win on the road against Ironi Ness Ziona.

Planinic netted a season-high of 23 points in the victory to earn a spot in the Team of the Week and continued his strong record of scoring at least 11 points in every one of his 11 appearances.

The Croatian leads the Romanian side in scoring with 17.0 points per game with 63 percent shooting with the team unbeaten on their home court.

Cluj are well placed to advance to the Quarter-Finals in what would be uncharted territory having previously made the Round of 16 in the 2017-18 season - and with Planinic making his mark, the ambitions will be lofty.

Jeff WITHEY - Ironi Ness Ziona

 Statistics: 16.1 PTS, 80% FG, 8.9 REB, 2.3 BLK, 25.9 EFFPG

Perhaps, the least surprising name on the list given his blistering start to the season as Withey powered Ironi Ness Ziona through the First Round.

Performing at such at a high level was always going to be difficult to maintain, though Withey remains the only player with a rating above 25 in the season efficiency charts.

The American forward started the campaign with three consecutive double-doubles and has scored at least 10 points in each of his seven appearances including a best of 23 in the season-opener.

Withey has also had a big impact on the defensive end with 2.3 rejections per outing, whilst shooting a staggering 80 percent from the field - and more of the same may well be needed for Ironi Ness Ziona.

After going 6-0 in the opening group phase, the team have hit a bumpy patch in the Second Round as they currently sit bottom with three games to turn things around.

Of course, there's a host of other players making their cases. Tayler Persons has been a regular in the Team of the Week in his rookie year at ZZ Leiden, while Kasey Shepherd has been hugely influential for BC Kyiv Basket before picking up an injury.

Then there's Alex Gavrilovic starring for Tsmoki-Minsk, Anthony Ireland has made an immediate impression since joining SL Benfica and Tomislav Zubcic has been a consistent performer for Enisey Krasnoyarsk to name just a few.

FIBA