Avi Even explains: How Elijah Bryant became a EuroLeague MVP candidate
The former Maccabi Tel Aviv figure was a guest on the latest episode of "Double Dribble" and discussed, among other things, the rise of the Hapoel Tel Aviv star: "Few know how to work correctly."
In the latest episode of "Double Dribble," panel members Dror Hofman, Roi Zuckerman, and special guest Avi Even discussed, among other things, Hapoel Tel Aviv star Elijah Bryant.
"Elijah was, in the opinion of many, perhaps the MVP of the season, certainly in the regular season," said Hofman, referring to the American's long journey—from Hapoel Eilat, through Maccabi Tel Aviv and Anadolu Efes, to Hapoel Tel Aviv. "Suddenly, at a relatively late age, he becomes a top 10 EuroLeague player. How amazing is it for Hapoel Tel Aviv to have such a player, especially heading into his second year?"
Avi Even shared:
"I must say a phrase here: consistency cannot lie. A super professional, hungry. I'll tell you a story: we were debating whether to bring him to Maccabi Tel Aviv at the time and we wanted to bring him, and Giannis Sfairopoulos told me: 'Avi, he can't play pick and roll.' Now, he does pick and roll in fluent Greek. We told him, 'If he could play pick and roll, he wouldn't be playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv. Let's bring him to Maccabi Tel Aviv, work with him on pick and roll, and try to develop what he is missing.'"
Even spoke about Bryant's work with Yair Shevach:
"It is important to have a good coach, but it is more important to have a hungry player. That a player understands. Because there are many players who work hard, there are guys who don't work at all, but few work correctly and understand what they need to do to be better. That is one of the most significant things a coach has: to understand what are the small things that need to be worked on to become a better player. You can't work on everything, after all. You need to try to create some kind of vision: 'Okay, if he works on 1-2-3-4-5...'"
