G - Scottie Wilbekin - FBB - 10.9 - vs PAO
Scottie has started the Euroleague 2023/24 season very well, shooting with high FG% and scoring an average 16.5 pts with just over 26 min playtime. After the injury of Tyler Dorsey, we expect him to spend most lots of time on the court and take many shots to help his team win. PAO's backcourt doesn't intimidate with its size and defensive skills, so we expect Wilbekin to find enough space and make a few buckets that will give him a PIR ≥ 17.
F - Chima Moneke - BKN - 11.2 - vs BAY
What a start for Chima Moneke at his new team! After 2 games, Chima has an average PIR 19.5 playing 23 min. on average. Against BAY we expect Moneke to find no easy playing against opponents (Ibaka, Booker, Gillespie) that have the size or the skills to give him a hard time. However, we expect BKN to fight for their fans to celebrate the first win at home and it seems that Moneke will be one of those that will lead the way to win! A PIR ≥ 17 is definitely within reach.
F - Luka Mitrovic - CZV- 9.6 - vs ASM
Mitrovic has been playing a bit over 20mins and posting over 15 PIR in both games so far. With a price tag below 10 credits, we think Mitrovic is a good bet for continuing on the same trend. Despite its underwhelming start, ASM is a Final-4 finalist and cannot be easily dismissed. However, this is a double week and with an away game coming up, CZV will put all its emphasis on winning the home game to take some of the pressure off. We expect Mitrovic to be on heavy duty and lead his team's efforts against a very talented frontcourt.
C - Damien Inglis - VBC - 9.5 - vs MTA
A solid season start for the Euroleague rookie Damien Inglis! So far, Damien plays 4 min. above his EuroCup average, achieving an average PIR 12.5 against tough, tall and experienced opponents (J. Motley, G. Papagiannis, D. Hall, D. Motiejunas) and providing to his team significant support to enjoy 2/2 wins at home! We cannot find a single reason to believe why the outcome will not be the same against MTA, so we will put our faith in Inglis for this round considering it as a value for money option (an expected PIR > 14 for 9.5 crd).
C - Johannes Thiemann - BER - 9.2 - @VIR
Thiemann has been the anchor in BER's offensive game , posting double digit points and a good number of boards in every game in the season so far. After aiding his country get the gold in the latest FIBA World Cup performance, he seems ready to lead his club's efforts towards a competitive Euroleague season. His in-and-out game will be much needed to match VIR's versatile frontcourt. His has exceeded a PIR of 15 in both Euroleague matches this season and we don't see why he can't do the same once again.