By Antonis Stroggylakis/ astroggylakis@eurohoops.net
We have entered crunch time in the 2022-23 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season and while there’s an unprecedented dogfight among several teams for the available playoff spots, there seems to be a one-horse race in the battle for the MVP. No one can make a stronger case than Sasha Vezenkov as he keeps dominating and watch most of his rivals falling behind.
While Vezenkov seems to be in a league of his own right now, the rest of the MVP Ladder reflects mainly the players who have raised the level of their game to give their teams a necessary push as we enter the most decisive part of the regular season.
Previous 2022-23 MVP Ladders: Vol. 1, Vol. 2 and Vol. 3,
1. Sasha Vezenkov (Olympiacos Piraeus)
Season Stats: 18.2 points (1st overall), 7.2 rebounds (1st overall), 1.8 assists, 22.9 PIR (1st overall)
Team Record: 21-8 (1st overall)
Previous Spot on the MVP Ladder: 1st
The competition for the 2022-23 EuroLeague MVP isn’t even close at this moment as the more the regular season progresses, the more undisputed Sasha Vezenkov’s claim gets. With every round, the gap between him and the other challengers becomes wider, since he retains a quality of consistency that is unmatched by any candidate.
Since the previous edition of the MVP Ladder, Vezenkov has also become the competition’s scoring leader, apart from its top rebounder, while his shooting accuracy remains through the roof at 67% True Shooting. As for the games that Olympiacos played, the star forward stepped up in a big second-half comeback win at Valencia Basket (he had 14 of his 20 points in the last 15 minutes), casually demolished FC Bayern Munich’s defense (18 points on 4-for-6 triples in 20 minutes) and shattered the PIR system (40) at ALBA Berlin.
In the meantime, Olympiacos climbed into the top spot in the standings and now has the second-best offense (121.2 points per 100 possessions) with Vezenkov being a large reason for the team’s fluidity and efficiency; the Reds probably wouldn’t be able to implement such an effective system without someone like Vezenkov and his clinical off-the-ball movement, surgical cuts to the basket, and ability to be immensely productive without dribbling and carrying the ball much in his hands.
The only thing that Vezenkov hadn’t done this season (in EuroLeague) for Olympiacos was deliver a game-winner. And then, that took place in Kaunas against Zalgiris. The 27-year-old buried a difficult, off-balance jumper under pressure to grant his team victory on the road and cap yet another commanding performance of 25 points on 9-for-9 two-point shooting and 8 rebounds.
Even when he hit a freak slump (5-for-16) vs. Barcelona, Vezenkov scored 5 crucial points in the last 2 minutes to push his team toward the win. The endorsement he received from reigning EuroLeague MVP Nikola Mirotic who christened him as his successor was a special recognition of the remarkable season he’s having.
2. Mike James (AS Monaco)
Season Stats: 16.8 points (5th overall), 3.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists (9th overall), 17.2 PIR (7th overall)
Team Record: 19-10 (4th overall)
Previous Spot on the MVP Ladder: 2nd
Mike James’s absence from Monaco’s last two EuroLeague games (and wins at Cazoo Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and vs. Virtus Segafredo Bologna) and the drop in his averages in comparison with the previous MVP Ladder aren’t enough to push him lower than second place. Given his numbers throughout the season and his massive influence on his team’s success, he remains a major contender, albeit now at a larger distance from mega-favorite Sasha Vezenkov.
In James’s last four games, Monaco won three times (over LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv and Panathinaikos Athens) and he produced 11.75, points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists while facing some shooting issues, sinking 17 out of 48 field goals.
Monaco is making a run to get homecourt advantage in the playoffs and James, in his expected return, will need to pump up his game in tricky road trips (at Zalgiris Kaunas, FC Bayern Munich and Anadolu Efes Istanbul) and tough home games (vs. Valencia and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade).
3. Kevin Punter (Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade)
Season Stats: 15.6 points (10th overall), 2.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 14.7 PIR
Team Record: 16-13 (7th overall)
Previous Spot on the MVP Ladder: 4th
Kevin Punter’s performance alone in Partizan’s road victory over desperate-to-win Anadolu Efes could’ve been enough for him to retain his spot on this list. He scored 17 of his team-high 19 points over the last 13:32 of the game and erupted in a fiery crescendo in the fourth quarter with 11 points over 3 minutes to secure the dub against the back-to-back reigning champions.
Partizan is getting closer and closer to locking up a spot in the playoffs after this result with Punter as the go-to guy on offense. Since the previous edition of the MVP Ladder, and his first entry into the top 5, he averaged 18.5 points in a 4-2 run for Partizan with an even increasing reliability of a near-ridiculous 72.3% True Shooting. Reminder: This is the number of a guard who makes it rain regardless of the opponents’ pressure, from all corners, and with jumpers and drives that can dismantle any defense.