By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Shved averaged a league-high 20.7 points plus 4.0 assists while shooting 61.5% on two-pointers and 90% on free throws. After being chosen as the 7DAYS EuroCup MVP last season, Shved has kept its momentum going and now has the best scoring average by any player in the EuroLeague since 2004.
In his recent interview with EuroLeague, he notes his gratitude for the award and more.
When asked what does this award mean to him, he states:
“Thank you. It is really nice. We played much better than before and this is teamwork. We played really well, won three games moving the ball really well. We just need to keep doing this. Coaches and players trust each other and we are playing better defense, which helps to play much better offense, too. Like I said, we are moving the ball well and playing better than before.”
You finished February with a great win against Panathinaikos. You took off in the second quarter and never looked back. How dangerous is this team when you play defense and run the way you did in that second quarter?
“We really have to go game by game. You can play great one day and the next one, maybe you cannot play the same way. What you need to do is play hard every night, all the time. Against Panathinaikos, we remembered the way we lost over there, by 28 points. We really wanted to beat them at home, with a lot of fans.”
It was also your first game with both Tyler Honeycutt and Thomas Robinson playing together. Is that a good sign, can Khimki be even better with a more athletic lineup?
“Yes, of course. Tyler is an important part of the team. He is so athletic, and can do everything on the court – he can shoot, get rebounds, play good defense and of course, that really helps us. He is a great player and everybody wants someone like that on your team. As for Thomas, he missed a lot of time and we waited on him for three months. He is athletic, too. He can score in the paint and of course, he is important for us. He needs time to be at his best level, but everybody knows how he can play. I know he will come back and start playing the way he did at the beginning of the season. He will help us a lot.”
You are having the best scoring season in the competition since 2004. How important is it for you to have such great confidence from your teammates?
“Yes, you know, it really helps that my teammates trust me and our coaches, too. My teammates pass me the ball for open shots and also set good screens for me to shoot; it is teamwork! If your teammates trust you like that, it is really easier to do well. I want to say ‘thank you’ to everybody! For me, the most important thing is to win games. It doesn’t matter if you score a lot of points and you lose. Scoring is good for me, but it is much more important to win the game.”
Read the rest on EuroLeague Basketball.