By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Sure, his buzzer beating shot from a distance of 20 meters made him become the talk of the town, not only in ACB, not just in Europe but, why not, probably in many other places around the world. Yet that was just the cherry on top of the pie. Perhaps a fitting way for Sergio Llull to close a February that was fantastic enough to make him MVP of the month in Liga Endesa.
True, it was that insane three-pointer against Valencia that stands above all other highlights the player of Real Madrid has provided us during the previous month. But his general performance was as substantial as it was spectacular. Sergio Llull averaged 22.3 ranking points in his games in February, and won the MVP for the second time in his career. Which was the first? 4 years ago, and a February, again. Obviously he decides to elevate his game to extreme levels with every Leap Year.
Llull scored 18 points, dished 8.3 assists and grabbed 2.3 rebounds per game to lead Real Madrid to three victories, against San Sebastian, Estudiantes and, of course, Valencia. In the meantime he was remarkable for his team in the Copa Del Rey where his “clutch” abilities came in handy, especially during the semifinal against Laboral Kutxa, where he scored the last 8 points of his team, to check Real Madrid’s ticket for the Final.
What is more amazing about Sergio Llull is that he sometimes looks…. perfect. While providing a large number of assists, he finished his games with an average of 0.7 turnovers. A quite enviable assist/turnover ratio. Moreover, he is constantly incredibly dangerous offense when simultaneously being a defensive exterminator, exceptionally balancing his duties on both ends on court. Perhaps in a way that no other does in Europe, right now.