Once the tournament is finished we will have an MVP, an all-tournament starting five, and all kind of individual accolades and accomplishments. But no one will be giving love to the end-of-the-bench guys, the roster fillers, the lucky 12th men who have been awarded the best seats in the house for free.
So, let's have a little contest before the real games begin now that most of the squads have been cut down to the final 12 players. I'll start by proposing a few candidates for the most hapless and cringe-inducing selections:
- Quino Colom from Spain. Throughout the preparation he has averaged 3 points and 2 assists shooting 26% from the field. Unable to guard a chair. Projects as the third PG behind Rubio (stud) and Llull (semi-stud). My best guess is he's been rewarded for leading Spain in the classification stage. Will have no impact and possibly never see the floor after the first round.
- Paul Lacombe from France. An undersized shooting guard who somehow has failed to hit a single three-pointer in any of the preparation games. Not a good defender, either. Has scored less than 3 points per game. Is buried behind Fournier (stud) and De Colo (stud). Can't name a single reason for him to be on the final roster.
- Ariel Filloy from Italy. Surprisingly similar numbers to Colom: less than 3 points and 2 assists shooting 24% from the field. Not really great defence, neither, and Italy already has a lockdown defender in that position in Luca Vitale. Looks like the 4th PG behind Hackett (starter), Della Valle (younger and more versatile) and Vitale (defensive specialist, veteran).
I'm pretty sure almost every country has a worthy contestant for the title of worst 12th man, but these three are the ones I know more about. Your turn.
So, let's have a little contest before the real games begin now that most of the squads have been cut down to the final 12 players. I'll start by proposing a few candidates for the most hapless and cringe-inducing selections:
- Quino Colom from Spain. Throughout the preparation he has averaged 3 points and 2 assists shooting 26% from the field. Unable to guard a chair. Projects as the third PG behind Rubio (stud) and Llull (semi-stud). My best guess is he's been rewarded for leading Spain in the classification stage. Will have no impact and possibly never see the floor after the first round.
- Paul Lacombe from France. An undersized shooting guard who somehow has failed to hit a single three-pointer in any of the preparation games. Not a good defender, either. Has scored less than 3 points per game. Is buried behind Fournier (stud) and De Colo (stud). Can't name a single reason for him to be on the final roster.
- Ariel Filloy from Italy. Surprisingly similar numbers to Colom: less than 3 points and 2 assists shooting 24% from the field. Not really great defence, neither, and Italy already has a lockdown defender in that position in Luca Vitale. Looks like the 4th PG behind Hackett (starter), Della Valle (younger and more versatile) and Vitale (defensive specialist, veteran).
I'm pretty sure almost every country has a worthy contestant for the title of worst 12th man, but these three are the ones I know more about. Your turn.
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