With the EuroLeague season tipping off this Thursday, it’s time to bust out the crystal ball.

I took a look at some of the top contenders for the major awards: MVP, Best Defender, Rising Star, Coach of the Year, and the two All-EuroLeague teams.

Hit me up on Twitter @LosCrossovers with your own predictions, and don’t forget to check out EuroLeague games live or on-demand on FloSports.TV.

MVP: Sergio Llull | G | Real Madrid

One thing you should know about EuroLeague: Don’t bet against Sergio Llull.

His reckless style drew critics early on, but once the trophies and the money and the bodies pile up to a certain height, you can’t really dispute the man’s greatness.

Llull won a EuroLeague title in 2015 and a regular season MVP in 2017. He tore his ACL in August 2017, but because he’s Sergio Llull, he came back just eight months later to help Real Madrid win a second EuroLeague championship in four years.

I initially picked Tornike Shengelia (Baskonia) as my MVP, and he should have a great season. But the more I’ve thought about it, I can’t pick against a healthy, hungry Llull.

And man, why would you ever want to?

Sergio Llull is napalm in a basketball jersey. He plays with so much passion and energy and raw emotion, it’s a miracle his ACLs didn’t explode years ago.

There’s a reason he’s sponsored by Red Bull — sometimes he’s more daredevil than basketball player.

No one else in EuroLeague is capable of stirring up an MVP-worthy narrative like Llull can. He’s productive, sure. When he won MVP in 2017, he averaged 16.5 points and 5.9 assists in just 28 minutes per game.

But when Llull gets hot, there’s not a player in the world like him, and that leaves an impression on voters.

My two favorite Llull memories: No. 2, when he went crazy against eventual champions Fenerbahce in the 2017 Final Four, prompting this classic halftime quote from MVP Ekpe Udoh:

Ekpe Udoh halftime interview: "We have to slow down Sergio..." *Looks at scoreboard* "19? Jesus Christ." #F4GLory pic.twitter.com/buddbDVRk1

— Austin Green (@LosCrossovers) May 19, 2017

And No. 1, this shot. Llull is famous for his “mandarinas” — the Spanish word for “oranges” and Llull’s favorite term for his long-range bombs.

This one, against Valencia, is my favorite.

Sergio Llull, everybody.

Best Defender: Kyle Hines | C | CSKA Moscow

Sir Kyle Hines has won two of the last three Best Defender trophies, and unless there’s voter fatigue, I think he’ll win a third.

Before Draymond Green became the poster boy for undersized fives, Hines helped usher in the worldwide small-ball revolution as a 6-foot-6 center dominating games for Olympiacos. 

Hines won back-to-back EL titles in Athens and added another in 2016 with CSKA. He’s 32 now, but the CSKA captain is still a multi-positional monster. He is the rare defender who can smother guards on the perimeter and swat shots at the rim.

Injuries limited him at the 2018 Final Four, but if Hines is healthy, he’ll be a force.

Rising Star: Yovel Zoosman | SF | Maccabi Tel Aviv

After a two-year stranglehold on the Rising Star trophy, Luka Doncic is in the NBA, and someone else can win the award for best player under 22 years old.

I’m going with Yovel Zoosman, a versatile 6-7 wing for Maccabi Tel Aviv. Zoosman played 112 EuroLeague minutes last season as a 19-year-old, and after a great summer, he’s ready for a bigger role with Maccabi.

Zoosman won MVP at the 2018 U20 European Championships, often looking like a man among boys. He averaged 14.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.3 steals per game as he led Israel to the gold medal.

Zoosman’s game will translate well to the pro level. He’s a smart, athletic, and long-armed defender who will likely draw some of the toughest assignments every game.

If he can hit outside shots with consistency, Zoosman will be a good two-way contributor at age 20. In EuroLeague, that’s special.

Coach of the Year: David Blatt | Olympiacos

After missing the Final Four for the first time in three years, Olympiacos fired their coach. They replaced him with David Blatt, the 2014 EuroLeague champion and Coach of the Year. 

Blatt was one of the hottest names on the coaching market, and he clearly played a big role in the club’s offseason signings. Olympiacos got an infusion of youth, athleticism, and scoring in the summer, and I think they’ll add a few wins to last season’s 19-11 record.

Blatt’s resume speaks for itself, and it’ll be good for Olympiacos to have a fresh voice in the locker room. With a better and more exciting team, Blatt and Olympiacos will have the red side of Athens rocking.

All-EuroLeague First Team

Kevin Pangos (FC Barcelona), Sergio Llull (Real Madrid), Nando de Colo (CSKA Moscow), Tornike Shengelia (Baskonia), Kyle Hines (CSKA Moscow)

Nando de Colo, CSKA’s smooth shooting guard, is an automatic inclusion at this point. He made All-EL First Team each of the last three seasons, and he was Second Team in 2015.

He’s one of the best scorers in EuroLeague history, and he does it with insane efficiency (last season: 56.9% 2FG, 49.2% 3FG, 95% FT). With CSKA looking like a top two team yet again, he’s probably gonna make it.

Kevin Pangos was the toughest choice because EuroLeague is loaded at point guard. Plenty of guys (Mike James, Shane Larkin, Nick Calathes, Sergio Rodriguez) could play themselves onto the first team, but I’ll go with Pangos.

He’s a great passer, he shoots almost 50 percent on threes and he could lead Barca back to the playoffs after missing out the last two seasons.

At power forward, Toko Shengelia should repeat as a First Team selection. He was a beast for Baskonia last season, and at 27, he’s in his prime. I’m expecting an MVP-caliber season from Toko.

All-EuroLeague Second Team

Mike James (AX Armani Milan), Alexey Shved (Khimki Moscow), Georgios Printezis (Olympiacos), Jan Vesely (Fenerbahce), Brandon Davies (Zalgiris Kaunas)

All of these guys could be First Team if they stay healthy and make the playoffs.

Mike James is the most explosive athlete in Europe. He’ll bring a ton of energy to Milan, and he might lead the league in scoring. Milan should be much better than in recent seasons, but it’s still tough to imagine them making the postseason.

Alexey Shved was last season’s top scorer, finishing with 21.8 points and 5.2 assists per game. He has complete freedom offensively, and he’ll put up crazy numbers again, but his lack of defense will probably keep him off the First Team.

I went with three power forwards/centers at the other spots because Printezis, Vesely, and Davies will likely be the best players on playoff teams.

All three should have great seasons, but watch out for Davies in particular. He broke out at the end of his first EuroLeague season last year, averaging 17 points per game in the playoffs to help Zalgiris reach the Final Four.

With another year to adapt to the EL level, Davies is ready for a dominant season.

Austin Green is an international journalist and scout covering EuroLeague and NBA prospects in Europe and Australia. You can follow him on Twitter @LosCrossovers.