MANISA (Türkiye) - Gameday 4 is in the rear-view mirror and now that we know which four teams have a chance at lifting that beautiful black and gold trophy, that also means that we have cut the list down to eight of the strongest candidates to win the MVP award on Sunday.
Dusan Makitan and Ignas Urbonas have already etched their names in the early history books of this competition. Makitan averaged 18.3 rebounds and 12.0 rebounds as he guided Igokea m:tel to the title in Year 1.
Urbonas steered Rytas Vilnius to the title in Year 2 with 19.6 points and 6.6 rebounds. What's more, he did it playing a year young, so he's back again to defend his crown.
To figure out who might join that list this year, we need to set out some simple criteria:
(1) Is his team in the Semi-Finals? (2) Is he the reason why? (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? (4) If his team wins the trophy, will he be the reason why?
#8 RAUL DUMNICI
(1) Is his team in the Semi-Finals? Obviously... (2) Is he the reason why? Kinda. He exploded for 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists on Gameday 3 and without those points, Ludwigsburg probably don't win the game, but Gameday 1 was a quieter night for Dumnici, with 9 points and 1 assist, so, we can't really credit him for that one. (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? 16.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists says almost. He will need a big game and for Ludwigsburg to advance to the Final if he wants to climb this list. (4) If his team wins the trophy, will he be the reason why? Tbc...but he does have a teammate higher up list with a stronger claim at this point of the tournament.
#7 ENES AKMAN
(1) Is his team in the Semi-Finals? Obviously... (2) Is he the reason why? He's absolutely one of the reasons. Tofas play with the hustle and intensity that coaches love to see and Akman is one of the leaders, if not the leader of this team for hustle. (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? Absolutely. 18 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists can definitely win you an MVP award if you maintain those type of numbers for the whole tournament. (4) If his team wins the trophy, will he be the reason why? It's hard to win the MVP award as the hustle guy. Usually these kind of awards end up with the go-to-guy or the playmakers running the show but if Akman keeps up his production levels and Tofas win the title, he's in with a great shout.
#6 GABRIELIUS BUBNYS
(1) Is his team in the Semi-Finals? Obviously... (2) Is he the reason why? If he's not there, it's only one or two other players for Rytas who could be. (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? Oh yes! 17.5 points, and 6.5 rebounds on 58 percent shooting and 56 percent shooting from three-point range. Those are as MVP as it gets. (4) If his team wins the trophy, will he be the reason why? He could be for sure! The only reason why Bubnys wouldn't be the reason Rytas win the trophy is because he has a teammate who is further up this list who knows a thing or two about being the main man on a YBCL trophy winning team.
#5 DAAN PIETERS
(1) Is his team in the Semi-Finals? Obviously... (2) Is he the reason why? If he's not, it's because of his teammate higher up this list. (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? Pieters probably has the numbers to win two MVP awards at this point in the tournament; 18.0 points, 7.5 assists, 6.5 rebounds, 25.0 efficiency rating per game. (4) If his team wins the trophy, will he be the reason why? Just read the (2) answer again...
#4 DANIEL BIEL
(1) Is his team in the Semi-Finals? Obviously... (2) Is he the reason why? Yes. Ludwigsburg do things by committee, but Biel's all-action style and contribution all over the court has been the biggest, single driving force behind their ascent to the Semi-Finals. (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? It's tough to get MVP numbers on a team like Ludwigsburg who share the load like this, but 9.5 points and 8.5 rebounds means averaging nearly a double-double and that can win you and MVP award. Especially when you factor in 3.0 assists and 3.0 steals to go with it. (4) If his team wins the trophy, will he be the reason why? Yes. At this point, if Biel continues his production levels and Ludwigsburg win the YBCL, Daniel Biel will have been the main player with a claim to be the reason why.
#3 YUCEL CAGIN BASARAN
(1) Is his team in the Semi-Finals? Obviously... (2) Is he the reason why? Yes. Basaran has not only run the show on offense, but also been the first pressure point in their maniacal, crazy defensive intensity. (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? Again, yes! 16.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 5.0 (!) steals... those are MVP-like numbers right there. (4) If his team wins the trophy, will he be the reason why? If Tofas are to get past the defending champs, Rytas, then Basaran will have to continue putting out this kind of performance levels. And if they get to the Final and want have a chance of winning it, their point guard will need to be the one leading the team on both ends again. So, yes, absolutely.
#2 IGNAS URBONAS
(1) Is his team in the Semi-Finals? Obviously... (2) Is he the reason why? Yes and no. Urbonas has been efficient and ruthless whenever he's needed to be and Rytas won both games so far because he has been getting the job done, but he also has a teammate on this list who has, thus far, probably been even more impactful. So, why is Ignas Urbonas #2 on this list we hear you ask? Well, we will tell you in a second. (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? Always. As we have come to expect from Urbonas, the production has been big in terms of numbers and also efficiency. 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists on 85-50-75 shooting splits... What are we even talking about here? (4) If his team wins the trophy, will he be the reason why? Yes. The reason why Ignas Urbonas comes higher on this list than teammate Gabrielius Bubnys for now is because we know what he does when the big games start coming. In the Semi-Final and Final last year, Urbonas found a whole new gear and there is no reason to expect anything different this year. Starting with Tofas Bursa on Saturday.
#1 TIM WAERNIERS
(1) Is his team in the Semi-Finals? Obviously... (2) Is he the reason why? Yes. From the get-go Waerniers has the definition of cool and deadly for Filou Oostende. 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, whilst shooting 70 percent from the floor on Gameday 1, announced to everyone in Manisa what kind of tournament Waerniers was intending to have. He hasn't slowed down yet. (3) Does he have the numbers to be the MVP? Yes. 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists on 71-44-89 shooting splits. He has the best scoring numbers and the highest efficiency points of any player in the Semi-Finals. (4) If his team wins the trophy, will he be the reason why? Yes. If Oostende win the YBCL, Tim Waerniers will almost certainly be the MVP. It's really that simple.