By Dionysis Aravantinos / info@eurohoops.net
The 24-year old center is having a great year for Olympiacos Piraeus and his latest performance against Panathinaikos OPAP simply says it all. Nikola Milutinov led his team with a monster double-double -flirting with a 20/20 game- past Rick Pitino’s side in a historic rebounding effort.
At the half-time break, Milutinov had already registered a double-double, but he did not stop there. He not only scored 18 points (5/8 FG) (8/10 FT), but he also grabbed the most rebounds in Olympiacos’ team history in the EuroLeague with 18, which is also a EuroLeague season high. Dino Radja held the previous record for Olympiacos with 17 boards. Milutinov also scored a game-high 41 PIR, marking one of the best EuroLeague performances of the year. It’s also significant to note that he did not commit a single foul.
Panathinaikos OPAP’s head coach, Rick Pitino praised Nikola Milutinov in the post-game conference, stating that he is NBA ready: “He is a great player. He is young, he has great moves, great handle. He is terrific. If you trap him, he knows how to play and pass the ball. So far, from what I’ve seen, he is really impressive. He is a game-changer, outstanding and I give him a lot of credit. He could play in the NBA, there’s no question on my mind. He can play at any level. He is a rebounder that reminds me of Buck Williams and Charles Oakley; tough basketball players that have great feel of the game.”
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