By John Rammas / irammas@eurohoops.net
Eurohoops presents the first edition of the MVP Ladder of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague after four games in the regular season.
We rated the players on a scale of 1 to 10 in five different areas that can reveal the competitive value of each so far this season.
It should be noted that CSKA Moscow forward Toko Shengelia just missed the cut due to his recent injury.
THE CRITERIA
Player’s performance: The individual performance in combination with the demands that existed before the start of the season greatly affects the decision as to who is the MVP. Certain players exceeded initial expectations and others confirmed they belong in the elite of European basketball.
Team’s course: Basketball is a team sport and if someone cannot convert their individual performances into wins for their team, then they automatically lose points in the race for the MVP.
Player’s role: How would each team perform if we automatically removed the MVP candidate from the squad? There are players who are the alpha and omega of their squad, with their key presence providing an advantage on the MVP Ladder.
Consistency: The performance of certain star players varies in big games. Some play consistently at full throttle, without fluctuations. There are also players who specialize in making their teammates better in every game, even if they themselves don’t put up good numbers. As the season progresses, however, their value peaks.
Leadership: The biggest names in the EuroLeague have to step up when their team needs them. Their contribution in those moments – on defense as well as offense – can be as important as their overall numbers. This element, along with other leadership characteristics, adds points and is seriously taken into account when drafting the MVP Ladder.
Honorable mentions: Toko Sengelia (CSKA Moscow), Shane Larkin (Anadolu Efes), Vasilije Micic (Anadolu Efes), Luke Sikma (Alba Berlin)
#5 SASHA VEZENKOV
Olympiacos | Forward | 6 August 1995 | Greece
14 pts | 6 reb | 0.8 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 0.8 tov | 26:39 min | 15.8 PIR | 4 G
Player performance: 8
Team’s course: 8
Role of the player: 8
Consistency: 8
Leadership: 7
Total: 39
Olympiacos during the first four games (3-1) of the season may seem like the definition of a team, however, there are some who stand out from the rest. Sasha Vezenkov is definitely one of them. His game overflows with confidence and everything he does is reflected in both his statistics and the team’s 3-1 record.
He ranks 18th in the Euroleague in scoring on 60% two-point shooting (15th), 13th in rebounds and 15th in PIR. What impact all this has on the game of Olympiacos became clear in the recent victory over Zalgiris Kaunas (83-68), when he scored all of his 12 points in the third quarter, more than the whole Lithuanian team (11), giving the signal for the comeback.