The Olympiacos forward recorded 18 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in the win over Panathinaikos
Sasha Vezenkov responded to MVP debate with complete display in Greek derby
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 29 of 34
Group Regular Season
w
w
w
w
w
l
w
w
w
w
Sasha Vezenkov did a bit of everything on the court against Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens on Friday night.
Having finished with team highs in points (18), rebounds (9) and assists (5), the Olympiacos Piraeus forward's fingerprints were all over the Reds' 76-74 derby victory at the Peace and Friendship Stadium.
The performances of Vezenkov and Kendrick Nunn so far this season have sparked a debate about which player should clinch the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP award. Yet, Vezenkov’s statement outing against Nunn’s Panathinaikos may have just put an end to the discussion.
With five games to go in the regular season, Vezenkov has helped the league leader become the first team to clinch a top-six spot. The 29-year-old forward averages 20.0 points, second only to Nunn's 20.1 PPG, as well as 6.3 rebounds and a league-best 24.5 PIR. In his previous MVP campaign in 2022-23, he was the top scorer of the competition with 17.2 points per game while ranking second in rebounds (6.8) and recording a league-high PIR of 21.2.
With this victory, Olympiacos claimed the head-to-head advantage over Panathinaikos by beating its fierce rival for the eighth game in a row. Some would argue that this victory was the perfect way to avenge Olympiacos’s loss the last time these two teams met, which came in the Greek Cup final in February. But Vezenkov is locked in on the Reds' main objective and has his eyes set on the EuroLeague championship.
“No, no, no,” Vezenkov stressed to EuroLeague TV when asked if this victory serves as revenge for the Greek Cup final defeat. “Because we want titles. We don’t want wins. It’s very important that we won against Panathinaikos, but our goal in this team is to go until the end. We have to be focused, be hungry, be together and go get it.”
Having scored in double digits in all 27 of his appearances this season, Vezenkov has demonstrated time and time again that he is one of the best all-around scorers on the continent. But on Friday, he also showed that he can be decisive in other aspects of the game by protecting the boards on defense and distributing the ball on the offensive end when needed.
His last MVP season was followed by a one-year spell in the NBA. On his return, Vezenkov is proving that his performance in the 2022-23 term was no one-off. And he’s doing so in style – by putting together another MVP-caliber campaign.