Who would be the MVP of season 2019/2020 of Belarus Men's National Championship?
Devin Johnson and Brian Starr, Borisfen
Devin Johnson's season statistics: 21 games, 20.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals in 21.5 minutes
From the first games of the season, the Canadian forward began to show his usefulness. Thanks to the size and speed Devin became one of the most dangerous offensive players in the championship: Johnson was often loaded under the hoop, but at the same time on the perimeter the Borisfen’s legionnairecould not be left unguarded – during the entire regular seasonheshot 45.8% from distance!
Johnson will definitely be remembered in Mogilev: he updated the club’s scoring record by scoring 40 points in a game with the Tsmoki-Minsk Reserve team. In that match, he made 13 of 16 shots from the field, including 6 of 6 three-pointers!
At the second stage of the regular season, the forward finally adapted to the realities of the local championship and improved almost all of his statistical indicators. Devin proved to be a real leader and in 14 games against the strongest opponents of the tournament only once fell below the mark of 10 points. In the second stage in group "A" Johnson scored more than 20.4 points, often and successfully attacked from distance (2.9 makes out of 6.9 attempts) – and all this with a time limit (22.7 minutes on the floor). It would be extremely interesting to see the performance of the forward in the playoffs, where he would definitely play more. Unfortunately, 2 weeks ago, Borisfen announced that contract with forward is finished.
Brian Starr's season statistics: 20 games, 16.3 points, 6.8 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 4.0 steals in 27.5 minutes
For the first time, the American defender got acquainted with the Belarusian championship last season and became the main reason why Borisfen played in playoffs. The extension of the contract with Brian looked like one of the main victories of Mogilev in the off-season-2019.
In the current season, Starr got rid of the position of main scorer in the team, focusing on the organisation of the offence. And he succeeded in this. Before the suspension of the season, Brian was averaging 6.8 assists – the best in Mogilev and the second best in the entire tournament. At the same time, the offence of Borisfen became almost the most efficient in the entire history of the championship: «Knights» scored 97.5 points and went on the schedule "hundred-for-a-match". The only team to break this mark at the end of the regular season was Grodno-93 in the 2017/2018 season (100.7 points).
Despite some changes in his role on the court, the defender remained the engine of the team, and it was from his actions in individual matches of Borisfen that the result was determined. So, Starr's energy was not enough in a difficult battle with the Tsmoki-Minsk Reserve: the American shot 0/6 from the field, and the "Knights" barely escaped a loss in Minsk – 57:53.
By the way, it was Brian Starr who was the first to score a triple-double in the Belarusian championship. In the game with Rubon (103:79), the point guard recorded 22 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. Along with Devin Johnson, Starr was the main contender for the MVP regular season title.
Uladzislau Blizniuk, Tsmoki-Minsk Reserve
Statistics for the season: 17 games, 17.6 points, 5.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds in 26.7 minutes
After a bright debut season in the Belarusian championship, Tsmoki-Minsk Reserve experienced a slight decline, and in the current season almost did not rise to the top three. This is not surprising: the team has significantly updated, including changes in the coaching staff.
Uladzislau Blizniuk became the leader of the team. The 21-year-old defender, who was brought up in the Tsmoki-Minsk system, went from sports school and Tsmoki-2 to the reserve team and may soon rise to the main team of the club. Now the point guard shows best averages in his career, while playing not for the youth team, but for the adult one.
In the second part of the regular season - in matches with the strongest opponents – Blizniuk often spent half an hour or more on the floor, organising the offence of the Tsmoki-Minsk Reserve. On average, Uladzislau scored 18.5 points per match, but it is interesting that most of them – 5.5 –in the final quarter. If the Tsmoki could finish second in the standings at the end of the regular season, the defender would be among the main candidates for the title of MVP.
Maksym Miroshnychenko and Ivan Kaliaiev, Grodno-93
Maksym Miroshnychenko's season statistics: 22 games, 13.0 points, 5.7 assists, 2.0 steals in 21.9 minutes
The off-season was not easy for Grodno-93. The team, which last spring for the first time since 2009 did not get into the championship top-3, changed the head coach and updated the squad, but on paper it did not become stronger. This was confirmed at the 2019 Men’s National Cup: in the bronze match, the Grodno team lost to Rubon and became the fourth.
But the start of the regular season certainly surprised many: Grodno-93 suffered its first defeat only 2 months later, remaining the only undefeated team for a long time. Before the suspension of the season, the team of Dmitry Kuzmin were on the second place in the championship, and one of the main reasons for this is the game of defender Maksym Miroshnychenko.
The Ukrainian point guard is spending his third season in Grodno, but he has only just reached maximum efficiency. Maxim plays just 6 minutes less compared to the previous championship, but at the same time he scores the most points both in the team this season and in his career (13.0 points per match). The defender began to take more responsibility in the offence, and an increase in performance is one of the indicators. In addition, the number of shots from the field has increased – Miroshnychenko attacks a hoop more often than all other players of Grodno-93.
Ivan Kaliaiev 's season statistics: 21 games, 12.8 points, 5.5 rebounds in 23.7 minutes
But it would be unfair to single out one of the best players in Grodno-93. Ivan Kaliaiev, who has been playing in the Belarusian championship for a long time and settled in Grodno in 2015, is also one of the team's leaders this season. Many attacks pass through the forward, and thanks to the good shot selection, he consistently scores points.
Confident actions of the forward have repeatedly led Grodno-93 to important victories this season. For example, Kaliaiev scored 23 points in the away games with Rubon (95:92), and in the home battle with Tsmoki-Minsk Reserve (90:89) was close to a triple-double – 16 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.
Maksim Shustov and Yahor Patupchyk, Rubon
Maksim Shustov's season statistics: 25 games, 15.2 points, 7.9 assists in 28.8 minutes
Perhaps the main surprise of the season should still be considered Rubon. The Vitebsk team were in the lead for a long time and had every chance to finish second in the regular season. Ruslan Baidakou managed to build a powerful offence, which is led by Maksim Shustov. The 33-year-old experienced point guard gives away almost 8 assists per game, which is the best in the entire championship. At the same time, the defender often takes over the game in his own style by going by the defenders and shooting fromdistance.
Yahor Patupchyk's season statistics: 25 games, 17.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists in 24.5 minutes
And if Shustov is the leader of the attack, then Yahor Patupchyk is the cornerstone of the Vitebsk offence. The forward has slightly decreased in performance compared to the previous season, but his efficiency has increased due to improvements in other aspects: the field goal percentage, rebounds, steals and even assists. Yahor does a lot of work on both ends of the court, and his ability to score points helps Rubon to win.
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