While Euroleague is on a short break, RealGM presents Top 10 Euroleague Rookie Rankings. With the season halfway over, RealGM ranked best players who made their debut in Euroleague during the 13-14 season. Like season, Americans dominate the ranking, occupying the top five spots.

- All records and stats through Game 5 of Top-16. 

10. Juan Palacios (Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius, Lithuania)

10 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 25 minutes.

Despite mostly playing against bigger opponents, Palacios did a great job on being aggressive on both ends of the floor and playing a solid defense. Because Lietuvos Rytas didn’t have a Euroleague-level starting center, Palacios had to play out of his position for most of the time and that prevented him from using his strength against weaker power forwards. In the last game of the regular season, Palacios was close to breaking Lietuvos Rytas’ Euroleague scoring record by collecting 26 points against Crvena Zvezda. The current record belongs to Chuck Eidson and Marijonas Petravicius, who scored 28 points in 2007.

9. John Bryant (Bayern Munich, Germany)

8.4 points, 6.9 rebounds in 19 minutes.

John Bryant, who was one of the best big men in Eurocup last season, joined Bayern Munich in the offseason and so far that seems to be working out for both sides. Bryant’s playing time was cut compared to the 12-13 season, but that didn’t stop him from playing a couple impressive games. The 26-year-old big man finished with 15 or more performance index ranking (PIR) points already in seven Euroleague games. Bryant is also one of best rebounders in the league, averaging 6.9 rebounds per game and currently ranking sixth in this category.

8. Lamont Hamilton (Laboral Kutxa Vitoria, Spain)

10.7 points, 4.2 rebounds in 20 minutes.

Lamont Hamilton is clearly not Maciej Lampe, but the Euroleague debutant is doing a great job with his given role. Usually Hamilton gets in the game off the bench and in a short period of time makes a lot of damage for Laboral Kutxa’s opponents. Hamilton ranks fifth in the Euroleague in terms of usage percentage as he finishes almost one of three possessions (29.3%) while he’s on the court. The best example of Hamilton’s efficiency was his performance against Lietuvos Rytas when he managed to score 17 points and grab five boards in only 18 minutes of action.

7. Vladimir Dragicevic (Stelmet Zielona Gora, Poland)

14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists in 28 minutes.

The 27-year-old Vladimir Dragicevic has been one of the biggest surprises in this year’s Euroleague. After coming off the bench in his first disappointing game, Dragicevic started to play like an MVP candidate. Dragicevic collected 18 PIR points in seven consecutive games and every time it seemed like it might has been the Dragicevic’s last great game, the big man extended his streak. During that time, Stelmet won two games and lost three matches by three or less points. Dragicevic was a great example of how patience and good decision-making can lead to achieving amazing results.

6. Bryan Dunston (Olympiakos Piraeus, Greece)

9.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists in 23 minutes.

Bryant Dunston had a couple great seasons in Israel and Italy, and it also didn’t take long for him to adjust in Greece as well. Dunston is one of the major defensive forces in 13-14 Euroleague season, which helped champions Olympiakos to stay among elite. Dunston leads the league in blocks (1.5 per game) and also cause a lot of trouble for Olympiakos’ opponents while he’s on the court. While Dunston is off the court, the opposing team scores 14 points more per 100 possessions comparing with the time when Dunston is in the game. That’s the eighth best result in 13-14 Euroleague season.

5. Matthew Lojeski (Olympiakos Piraeus, Greece)

11.5 points (47% 3FG), 4.3 rebounds in 25 minutes.

Dunston’s teammate Matthew Lojeski proved in his first Euroleague season that he has enough potential to become a Euroleague star. Lojeski is a very versatile guard who’s capable to lead Olympiakos when Vassilis Spanoulis has a bad night. Also Lojeski is a big threat behind the three-point line as he scored three or more long-range shots in five Euroleague games this season. If Lojeski become more persistent (Olympiakos lost both games when Lojeski collected 7 or less PIR points), he could soon be ranked not only among best Euroleague rookies but MVP candidates as well.

4. Justin Dentmon (Zalgiris Kaunas, Lithuania)

16.3 points (46% 3FG), 3.6 rebounds in 25 minutes.

Zalgiris had a difficult task before the start of the season. With a limited budget, Zalgiris had to find a guard who could do it all - score, lead and guide weaker Zalgiris all the way to the Top 16. Apparently, Justin Dentmon was a perfect fit for that position as once he got the green light from head coach Sauliaus Stombergas he started to blossom into an elite Euroleague point guard. Dentmon is one of two Euroleague players who average more than 15 points, three rebounds and three assists per game. Also with Dentmon on the court, Zalgiris’ plus-minus rating jumps up by 23 points (per 100 possessions) comparing with possessions without Dentmon.

3. Derrick Brown (Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, Russia)

12.6 points, 4.4 rebounds in 28 minutes.

During the regular season, Derrick Brown was uncatchable and one of the most mobile big men in Euroleague. No surprise, at that time Brown was named among candidates to win an MVP prize. However, the situation has changed in the Top 16, where Brown is not as efficient as he was in the first round. His statistical figures dropped in every major category, but Brown and Marcus Williams duo still remains one of the most productive in the league. According to in-the-game.org, Williams has already dished out 23 assists to Brown, who scored 46 points out of those plays.

2. Scotty Hopson (Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Turkey)

15.5 points (48% 3FG), 4.2 rebounds in 29 minutes.

Since his very first Euroleague game, Scotty Hopson made a huge impression and apart from last game against Real Madrid, the guard reminded more of Euroleague star than a rookie. That’s why it has been strange to see Anadolu Efes suspending Hopson, who may have saved Istanbul team in one of first three losses. Hopson is currently leading the league among guards in two-point shot percentage and is also one of the deadliest shooters from beyond the arc. Hopson presence also makes a huge different for Anadolu Efes results as his plus-minus rating difference (!) is the biggest in the Euroleague. The difference between Hopson being on the court Anadolu Efes and not in terms of points scored and allowed per 100 possessions is 27.8 points.

1. Malcolm Delaney (Bayern Munich, Germany)

14.8 points (48% 3FG), 2.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists in 28 minutes.

Signing our ranking leader Malcolm Delaney was obviously a great decision for Bayern Munich, who now have a consistent leader and one of the top scorers of the Euroleague. Like I mentioned in an interview with Delaney, the former Virginia Tech standout posted season-high 22 points twice against both last season’s Euroleague finalists, Real Madrid and Olympiakos, and he is confident to have a ball in crucial moments. Delaney is also ranked second in drawn fouls category (6.6 per game) as he’s not afraid to get inside the paint and draw a contact from the opponents. Definitely, Bayern's future Euroleague success will be on Delaney’s shoulders.

Honorable Mentions: Jamar Smith, Brose Baskets; Will Daniels, JSF Nanterre.