EuroLeague Debut Grades: Wallace Earns Poor Marks, Topin Shines

The new EuroLeague season has commenced, featuring numerous player debuts. The official EuroLeague website has assigned grades to American players based on their initial performances.

Jaylen Crowder received the highest grade, an 'A', for leading Villeurbanne to a victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv. Jacob Topin of Hapoel Tel Aviv earned the second-highest mark, '-A', despite his team's loss to Bayern Munich. Topin delivered a strong individual performance with 11 points and a rating of 14. The EuroLeague website noted his significant contribution in the fourth quarter, where he played every minute and was instrumental in Hapoel's 17-point comeback attempt, scoring 2 points, grabbing 2 rebounds, and making 2 steals in that period.

Conversely, Keeton Wallace received one of the lowest grades, '-D', for his debut. He scored 2 points, had 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 turnovers, resulting in a -3 efficiency rating and the worst plus-minus on the court at -17. The EuroLeague website commented that while Wallace showed potential as a defensive nuisance, his shot selection was questionable and he committed two offensive fouls.

The only player to receive a lower grade than Wallace was D.J. Jeffries of Besiktas, who was given an 'F'. Jeffries started the game but played less than six minutes, committing three fouls and finishing with a -3 efficiency rating.