With the Top 16 only days away, Anadolu Efes Istanbul bolstered its backcourt by signing playmaker Thomas Heurtel, who arrives from Laboral Kutxa Vitoria. Heurtel (1.89 meters, 25 years old), signed until the summer of 2017, and could make his debut with Efes as soon as Friday in the Top 16 opener against Laboral, the club he has played for since the 2011-12 season. He comes off a breakout stretch to open the regular season, in which Heurtel averaged 12.8 points per game and dished 6.7 assists, which ranks him second in the competition in that category. He had some memorable moments, including a career-high 31 points with 8-for-10 shooting from long range in road loss to Neptunas Klaipeda. On the opening night of this season, at home against the same opponent, Heurtel had career-highs of 10 assists and 4 steals. He has 69 Euroleague games under his belt, and before joining Laboral, also played for Pau Orthez and Strasbourg in his native France, as well as Alicante in Spain. As a member of the French National Team he won the gold medal at the 2013 European Championships and the bronze medal at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.