Record tying, record breaking, shot making, and competition shaking. Saben Lee had a 43 point explosion for Manisa Basket against FMP in the Basketball Champions League. Emmet Ryan called the game and was simply in awe of a remarkable performance from one of the sport’s emerging stars.
Manisa Basket may not have Saben Lee for much longer if the rumours are to be believed. On Wednesday night in Belgrade, they weren’t worried about the future. They and the rest of the Basketball Champions League just got to enjoy an explosion from Saben Lee.
Making an entrance
Saben Lee has simply exploded on the scene since arriving in Turkey. After four NBA seasons where he didn’t exactly see much action, he moved to little known Manisa Basket in the summer. The Turkish side, from the country’s west coast, was as new to the Basketball Champions League as Lee.
With their American superstar, they’ve made everyone in European basketball take notice. Lee made his entrance a week prior to this explosion. He became the first ever player to record a 30 point, 5 assist, and 5 rebound line in his debut away to UCAM Murcia.
This second outing, against a FMP side that had downed Peristeri a week ago felt like a sterner test. For Manisa as a whole, it certainly was. For Saben Lee, it was Wednesday and it was time to go to work.
Bravery and brains
I was on commentary for this game and that provides a different perspective than most. It requires a dual focus, essentially on the moment and on the wider context of play. Saben Lee made my job a lot easier because the game quickly became about him.
Anyone can score in the right circumstances. It is Lee’s ability to do so with variety at the Basketball Champions League level that is making people take notice. There were shades of Keith Langford in his play. Being brave enough to draw contact gets you so far. Knowing what type of contact is getting you the foul call is another level.
Danilo Tasic was his primary victim here, with the big man for FMP eventually fouling out. Lee was also quite clever on the defensive end. Now, he’s not getting confused for Aleksa Avramovic anytime soon, just to be clear. Still, his positional awareness on his three steals was impressive.
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Who are we looking at?
Let’s get the records out of the way here. His 43 points tied the best ever single game outing in the Basketball Champions League. The record is shared with Keifer Sykes, who managed the feat for Avellino against Banvit in 2019. He’s the first player to score 30 or more points in his first two games in the competition. Naturally, he also has the most cumulative points of any player through their first two games.
For Manisa Basket, his role is quite similar to that of Mike James with AS Monaco. That goes for him being a point guard who likes to have another primary ball handler on the floor. Likewise, he is going to be the focal point of whatever offensive system he’s in and get a lot of touches. Saben Lee can create but he’s a scorer first. James has averaged around 5 fouls drawn per game since joining Monaco. Lee’s game is suited to doing the same.
Lee also expects a lot of minutes. While he barely got on the floor in the NBA, he racked up 40 minutes against Murcia and 35 against FMP. It’s not just about importance. Getting touches and getting a feel for the game leans towards him benefitting from being on the floor longer.
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Yes, the other thing
As hinted at the top, there’s a chance that Saben Lee won’t be hanging around Manisa Basket or the Basketball Champions League for long. Euroleague rumours are flying. First the word was Fenerbahce. Now it’s Maccabi Tel Aviv. His Wikipedia has even been updated to say he’s a Maccabi player already.
That’s tomorrow’s issue. Right now, Saben Lee is a force of nature in the competition he is in. Granted, I’m greedy. If Lee stays in the Basketball Champions League, I’ll get to call more of his games. Even allowing for wanting players to play at the highest level suited to their talents, take a moment to breathe.
There’s a joy in watching a player go Super Saiyan at a level of basketball. Mike James and Shane Larkin both played NBA ball. Nobody’s going to seriously argue that they were more fun to watch there, for us as viewers, than in Euroleague. Likewise, Lee might well be a Euroleague grade player but he’s a lot of fun to watch in the Basketball Champions League. That, in itself, is something worth enjoying.
Saben Lee has been in takeover mode for two weeks. If that’s all we get of him in a Manisa Basket jersey, it’s been a fun fortnight.
