Last season was Roman Sorkin's breakout season at Maccabi Tel Aviv. The wonderful ability of the Israeli chin was expressed in numbers. All over Europe saw the enormous potential inherent in a player who could become a leading Euroleague player.
While Sorkin experienced what could be described as a "rubbing" season in the Euroleague, averaging 21.22 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 points in 3 minutes per game, this past season he has already taken a significant leap forward when he finished with averages of 2.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in 3.6 minutes on the court.
One of the reasons for the center's leap this past season is Alex Poythers' injury early in the season. As a result, Sorkin also got the stage in the Euroleague, and you can't say he disappointed. Sorkin even exceeded expectations and showed everyone that his potential is completely there at the Euroleague level as well. To this day, there are those who say that if Oded Katsch had not brought Poythers back to the playoffs, Maccabi Tel Aviv would have gone to the Final Four in Berlin at the expense of Monaco.
Last February, the Israeli center extended his contract with the Yellows for another two years, and received a very significant upgrade to the salary of 500,<> (the highest earner among Israeli players today, apart from Dani Avdija and Yam Madar).
Roman Sorkin in a Maccabi Tel Aviv uniform. Take a leap forward, photo: Alan Shaver
This move was not in vain. Maccabi Tel Aviv's professional staff intends to give Sorkin a more significant role in the rotation this season. And that's also one of the reasons it was decided not to sign another quintessential center beyond Josh Nivo, but rather a player who could move between positions 5-4, one that would allow Sorkin to get more minutes on the court.
Sorkin himself also understands that he is destined to play a more significant role in the upcoming season, and since the end of the season has worked hard to get ready for it. The main thing he focused on was improving his shooting. At Maccabi Haifa, Sorkin scored a reasonable percentage, but since signing in yellow he has hardly thrown.
In addition to his personal work, and unlike other players who decided not to make the team in the current campaign, Sorkin expressed great willingness to play for the national team from the very beginning. Even over the past two seasons, whenever Maccabi Tel Aviv had a debate about whether to send players to the national team because of the clash with Euroleague games, Sorkin always made it clear that despite the heavy load, if the team approves he would be happy to be on the team.
"It's a privilege to be part of the Israeli national team," the player said recently. "We're all good friends here, and it's fun for me to come every time. This campaign has some new players who have integrated wonderfully. I'm improving personally, too, especially when the team wins."
Roman Sorkin. Enjoying the team,
In recent national team games, Sorkin has shown quite impressive shooting, in contrast to what he has provided so far at Maccabi Tel Aviv. And beyond the percentages, it seems that he is starting to gain confidence in his shooting, which should greatly encourage the Yellows.
If Sorkin does manage to show improved shooting ability in the Euroleague this season, it will be a significant upgrade in his skill set, and beyond that will give Maccabi Tel Aviv a significant offensive tool from the front line, which will give it the opportunity to spread the field more. Sorkin will be able to play outside and not just stand in the paint, allowing Maccabi's dominant guards to penetrate more easily. For Ketch, spacing is the name of the game.
Beyond that, Sorkin's shooting ability will allow the professional team to play with him in a variety of lineups, for example at position 4 alongside Josh Nivo. Since the paint won't be "blocked" for guards who like to penetrate (Wade Baldwin, Lorenzo Brown and Anthony Cleveland), Sorkin's activation will allow for a more efficient game than was done with similar lineups this past season.
Ketch tried quite a few times last season to play with two centers, usually without success. Sorkin's steady shooting throughout the season will make life easier for him and Maccabi, make the team much more lethal offensively and give the Israeli more playing minutes.
Another improvement Sorkin has made in recent months concerns the defensive aspect, both guarding high and assisting guards after pick-and-roll substitutions, while his blocking ability has also improved.
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Tonight (Friday, 21:30 p.m., Sports 5) he will meet Bosnia's Bosnian national team, played by two NBA players, Luka Garza of the Detroit Pistons and Yusuf Nurkic of Portland, in what will be another test of his ability to compete against interior players at the highest levels.
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