Thomas Walkup has gained a reputation as one of the premier defenders in the EuroLeague. In the previous season, he was viewed as a strong contender for the Defensive Player of the Year title, surpassing even Edy Tavares in consideration.
Starting his third season with Olympiacos Piraeus at 30 years old, Walkup embraced a new chapter last summer by representing the Greek national team, a significant milestone after acquiring Greek citizenship earlier in the year.
With six seasons of EuroLeague experience under his belt, Walkup possesses a deep understanding of the competition. When asked about the most challenging player to defend in the tournament, he promptly provided an answer.
“Mike James is difficult. You have to be on 24/7 when guarding him. You can’t just play five good defenses in a row because if you let him see a good look on the sixth, possessions seven through twenty are going to be really, really difficult for you,” Walkup said in an interview with COSMOTE TV’s Pick n’ Roll show. “You have to always be on to not let him catch that rhythm.”
Thomas Walkup is known as one of the best defenders in the EuroLeague, considered a legitimate DPOY candidate ⛔️
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) October 11, 2023
The Olympiacos guard has now named the player he thinks is the toughest to guard: https://t.co/StawCsGUsRhttps://t.co/E2EaxbrX28
