Greg Monroe presented some great moments at the BBC, but Bayern Munich's huge chin will settle for attempts to improve at Euroleague in hopes of one day returning to America • Tonight against Maccabi Tel Aviv he will try to prove he still has something to sell

• Greg Monroe. He certainly has more to sell

  Photography:

  IP

Greg Monroe is not the only NBC player to come to Euroleague last summer, he is not even the only top 10 pick in the Draft and has opted to go to Europe in recent years, but he is the oldest of those who left the best league in the world and traveled to the Old Continent.

There are quite a few selected high places in the Draft, but did not rise to a significant professional career and therefore "dropped" to Europe. In Monroe the situation is completely different.

The chin has opened up a great career in the NBA and has provided several successful seasons, marking one of the league's best highs. He played five seasons in his first team Detroit, four of which scored in double digits and is considered one of the league's most outstanding rebounds. In 2015, the Milwaukee Bucks signed a three-year contract for $ 50 million.

After a good first season with the Bucks, something in the relationship between Monroe and coach Jason Kidd has been marred and he has not even opened in the quintet once in the 2016/17 season. From here, the dive began. From the summer of 2017 he switched five teams, one of them (Boston) playing twice and one (Philadelphia) playing just three games.

"Weak outside the bow"

"Monroe has been a victim of the changes happening in the BBC in recent years," claims Ben Pickman of Sports Illustrated. Off the bow (threw only 17 threes throughout his career; YM). As it seems, he just didn't have a place in the league this season, so he had to move to Europe. "

Monroe's weak defense also stood out to him. Despite his large body size - 2.11m, more than 120kg and a huge 2.19m - in almost every team he played, the team's defensive ratings were significantly lower in his minutes on the field, and never reached To an average of blocking per game.

In the summer he signed at Bayern Munich in an attempt to reinvigorate his career. For the third year in a row, the Bavarians have brought in talented players with a career in retreat, and have not found their place in the NBA. Predeceased by Derrick Williams and Jared Cunningham.

Monroe. Will you be able to get back up? // Photo: AP

"Of course, it's a risk to sign a player like Monroe who has never played in Europe and earned millions in his career," explains journalist Robert Hoysel of the popular Big Magazine. "By budget, Bayern cannot afford stars that have already succeeded in Euroleague, so it brings in talented players who are in decline and want to come back. up".

Pickman does believe that success at Euroleague, considered the second best league in the world, could bring Monroe and his team back to the NBA. "Of course the fitness they have in the latter part of the season will be an important factor, but there are plenty of examples, such as Akfa Udo winning the championship with Penerbahcha and returning. That's what can happen with Monroe as well, perhaps in a similar role to what he had last season, when he cost minutes A few here and there. "

Professionally, Bayern received more of the same. Despite the failure in recent years, Monroe has not changed anything. Offensively, he provides an average of 13.1 points in Euroleague, more than any of his teammates, but there is nothing to talk about on defense.

Despite the significant physical advantage over most of his Euroleague rivals, his average blocking is 0.9 per game. Perhaps also because of him, Bayern is the third-worst defensive team in the factory (out of 18) with an absorbance average of 83.3 points. Last season, the Bavarians held the tenth defense in Tiba Euroleague (out of 16) with an uptake average of 80 points.

Tonight, Monroe will meet two players with the same goal - give them a good season in Tel Aviv and return to the NBA - Tariq Black and Quincy Acey. They are not as talented as they are and do not have a rich resume like his, but unlike him, they also excel on the other side. The pitch.