By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Serbian forward/center Filip Petrusev is the Most Valuable Player of Round 9 of the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.
Euroleague Basketball confirmed the distinction for the player of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet on Thursday.
Powering the team coached by Giannis Sfairopoulos to a win over AS Monaco in Salle Gaston Medecin, his tally extended from a game-high 25 points to seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal on Tuesday. His PIR of 38 topped all players in action on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Per the press release: “Filip Petrusev enjoyed his best performance since returning to Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in Round 9 as he dominated in a 90-98 road win at AS Monaco to secure MVP of the Round honors.
His round-high 38 PIR is a new personal high in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, surpassing the 36 PIR that saw him take home Round 17 MVP honors in the 2022-23 season – the only other time he has been the MVP of the Round. Petrusev ended up tying his career high in scoring with 25 points, the same total he managed in that Round 17 contest, after going 4 of 6 on two-pointers, 2 of 3 from three-point range and 11 for 11 on free throws. His 7 rebounds are a season high, of which 2 came on the offensive end, and he also had 1 assist, 1 steal and drew 11 fouls, the most of any player this season. In addition, Petrusev’s 38 PIR is the joint highest index rating recorded this season, level with Paris Basketball’s TJ Shorts, who earned Round 5 MVP honors with his 38 PIR night which also came at Monaco.
In second place is LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne’s Theo Maledon, who set a new career best with a 37 PIR but ended up on the losing side in a 94-92 defeat at Olympiacos Piraeus. Maledon beat his previous-best mark of 36, which came in Round 4 of this current season. The French guard erupted for a career-high 31 points, making 4-of-9 two-pointers, 4-of-8 three-pointers and 11-of-12 free throws, as well as grabbing 7 rebounds, dishing 5 assists, making 1 steal and drawing 10 fouls.
Third on the list is ALBA Berlin center Trevion Williams with a 33 PIR, also a career best. In an epic 105-101 win over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, a game that saw ALBA missing eight players, Williams netted a career-high 23 points on 7-of-10 two-pointers, 1-of-1 three-pointers and 6-of-8 free throws, in addition to recording a season-high tying 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 5 drawn fouls.
Milan duo Zach LeDay and Nikola Mirotic complete the best performers in Round 9, each setting new season highs with a 32 PIR. Mirotic had a 28-point, 10-rebound double-double and also dished 1 assist, while LeDay scored a season-best 23 points, pulled down 5 rebounds, made 1 assist and recorded 1 steal.
Individual highs: Theo Maledon, ASVEL, 31 points
ASVEL star Theo Maledon netted 31 points in Round 9, the second most of any player this season. FC Bayern Munich guard Carsen Edwards remains atop the season-long scoring charts with 20.6 points per game.
ALBA’s Trevion Williams pulled down a round-high 11 rebounds. ASVEL’s Neal Sako leads the way in rebounding this season with 8.5 boards per night.
Three players – ALBA’s Matteo Spagnolo, Real Madrid’s Facu Campazzo and FC Barcelona’s Tomas Satoransky – dished 9 assists, the most in this round. Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv playmaker Tamir Blatt is the top assist provider in the EuroLeague with 8.8 dimes per contest.
There were eight players – ALBA’s Gabriele Procida, Milan’s Leandro Bolmaro, ASVEL’s Shaq Harrison, Crvena Zvezda’s Nemanja Nedovic, the Olympiacos duo of Thomas Walkup and Evan Fournier, and Zalgiris Kaunas pair Sylvain Francisco and Ignas Brazdeikis – who recorded a round-high 3 steals each. Monaco’s Mike James is in first place in steals with 1.7 per game.
Two players – ASVEL’s Mbaye Ndiaye and Anadolu Efes Istanbul’s Vincent Poirier – blocked 3 shots in Round 9, which were the most in the league. ALBA’s Khalifa Koumadje is first overall in blocks with 1.8 rejections per night.
ALBA’s Trevion Williams (23 points, 11 rebounds) and Milan’s Nikola Mirotic (28 points, 10 rebounds) recorded the only two double-doubles in Round 9.”
Top 10
Assisted by Carsen Edwards, Devin Booker threw it down for FC Bayern Munich and ranked first in the Top 10 Plays of Round 9.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net