Luca Vildoza announced as EuroLeague's December MVP / News - Basketnews.com

Vildoza is just the second Zvezda player to be named MVP of the Month, after teammate Ognjen Kuzmic in January 2017.

Credit: Nikola Krstic/MB Media Credit Nikola Krstic/MB Media

In a month notable for its turnarounds, one player made the biggest impact on his team's favorable fortunes, Luca Vildoza of Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, who is Euroleague Basketball's choice as MVP for December in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

Free throws this season

77%14,2Points made:14,2Accuracy:76,9%Place in standings:9Record max:20Record min:1Most made FTs:Nemanja NedovicTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Vildoza finished first or second in performance index rating for Zvezda in every full game he played last month when his team went 4-2 and rejoined the playoffs race, where it is tied for eighth place with an 8-8 record.

Despite leaving December's final game with an injury after a few minutes, Vildoza finished with an average PIR of 17.7 and 15.8 points per game, both team highs. Over his five full games before getting injured, Vildoza ranked among the top three players in the league in both PIR and scoring for the month.

Vildoza, 27, becomes just the second Zvezda player to be named MVP of the Month, after teammate Ognjen Kuzmic, the January 2017 winner. Vildoza is now the third player from Argentina so honored, after Luis Scola in December 2006 with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz and Facundo Campazzo in April 2019 with Real Madrid.

Vildoza opened December with 16 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals for a PIR of 17 in Zvezda's 83-74 home win over Virtus Segafredo Bologna.

In Round 12's first-ever Belgrade derby in the EuroLeague, he had 14 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals as Zvezda prevailed 73-76 in a thriller on the court of Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade. His assist on the game's final play gave Nemanja Nedovic an open shot for the game-winning three-pointer.

He followed that with a career-high 27 points and 4 more steals as Zvezda stopped visiting Zalgiris Kaunas 77-73 for its third consecutive victory.

His 16 points and team-high 6 assists were not enough in Round 14 as Zvezda fell at home, 67-71, to EA7 Emporio Armani Milan.

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade / Schedule

Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade FC Barcelona94-99 Valencia Basket Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet BelgradeFri19:30

Vildoza came back to post team highs of 22 points and 29 PIR, while Red Star upset host Olympiacos Piraeus 86-90.

In Round 16, Vildoza was injured less than 5 minutes into an eventual overtime home loss to FC Barcelona, albeit due to a missed call on the last play in regulation time.

Date Opponent MIN REB AS ST TO BS RBS PF RF PTS EFF 12-30 FC Barcelona 4 00/0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 12-22 Olympiacos Piraeus 27 43/1 8 0 1 0 0 4 8 22 29 12-15 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 27 11/0 6 1 4 0 1 2 3 16 14 12-13 Zalgiris Kaunas 32 11/0 2 4 3 0 0 1 2 27 24 12-08 Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade 26 43/1 6 4 2 0 1 2 3 14 21 12-02 Virtus Segafredo Bologna 27 33/0 5 3 5 0 0 2 1 16 17

Vildoza's December was one of impressive numbers, including shooting accuracy of 63.0% on two-pointers, 42.9% on triples, and 94.1% on free throws. He also posted 4.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game.

Vildoza scored between 14 and 27 points in each of his five full games for the month, and he dished between 5 and 8 assists in four of them.

Zvezda fans will be able to show Vildoza their appreciation when he receives his award at an upcoming home game.

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