Sasha Vezenkov names strongest EuroLeague MVP, DPOY award candidates / News - Basketnews.com

EuroLeague regular season MVP frontrunner Sasha Vezenkov talks to BasketNews about the awards race, naming the players he thinks deserve to win the accolades.

Credit: Panagiotis Moschandreou/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Panagiotis Moschandreou/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Sasha Vezenkovis in Crete these days, where the Greek Cup Final 8 is being held and his team, Olympiacos Piraeus,are widely considered the big favorite for a back-to-back trophy.

3-pointers this season

38%10,2Points made:10,2Accuracy:38,0%Place in standings:4Record max:18Record min:6Most made 3FGs:Aleksandr VezenkovTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

The Greek basketball federation wanted to prepare an event that would be up to the standards of the tournaments hosted in other countries. They had even informed the public that the tickets of four of the seven available categories had been sold out and the stands in the Heraklion arena would be more than half-full.

However, the fans' attendance over the first couple of days when the quarter-finals were played was poor, at best. The first games between AEK Athens and Panionios and Peristeri Athens and PAOK were watched by a total of no more than 600 spectators.

When Olympiacos Piraeus took the court to face Aris, roughly double as many (1,200) fans were occupying less than 25% of the arena's total capacity. With a major fiasco lying ahead, the Greek derby featuring the Reds and their main rivals, Panathinaikos Athens, on Saturday evening, could raise the attendance to 3,000 - or even more, if local fans decide to purchase a last-minute ticket.

The absence of hooligans and the presence of an enhanced police force can guarantee that incidents will hardly take place inside and outside the arena situated in Nea Alikarnassos, an industrial and less commercial area of the Greek island.

How does the tournament's top player feel in an atmosphere that doesn't remotely resemble the Peace and Friendship Stadium, or even the hostile for his team OAKA arena?

Sasha Vezenkov had been to Crete back in 2014 to play with Aris in a one-and-done Cup final against Panathinaikos, and again last year, when the federation restored the tournament's old Final Four edition after 18 years.

Aleksandr Vezenkov

MIN:29.01PTS:18.39 (62.14%)REB:7.39As:1.78ST:1.04BL:0.26TO:1.17GM:23ProfileEuroLeague2022/2023

"It's something new. I love that all the teams are together and that's how those tournaments should be played. I hope the Final 8 is here to stay," Vezenkov sounds hopeful in his postgame remarks after Olympiacos hammered Aris 82-51 to earn a ticket to the semis.

The Bulgarian forward admits he and his teammates would like to have a full house and more fans.

"It's something that can be done, but it takes proper organization, a lot of time, and loads of work," he adds.

"We cannot expect miracles to happen overnight, especially in relation to what we were used to. I believe that things can only improve in the future."

Sacramento Kings assistant coach Jay Triano is also in Crete to watch the Greek Cup Final 8 and keep an eye on the player, whose NBA rights are owned by the California-based franchise.

"We have his rights in Sacramento, but I've never seen him play live. With the All-Star break in the NBA, it's an opportunity to come here and watch him. I've heard how good he is," Triano told Greek public TV station ERT.

Vezenkov, 27, drew attention from the Kings in the past off-season but decided to stay in Europe for his fifth - and most productive so far- campaign with Olympiacos.

"Of course, it will be up to our front office to decide [whether to bring him to the NBA]. And it's also up to Sasha. He is going to have options because he has put himself in a great position," Triano said.

That position Mike Brown's associate is referring to is directly reflected in Vezenkov's season stats.After a breakout season in 2021-22 that saw him earn All-EuroLeague First Team honors, the former FC Barcelona forward has taken his game to another level in this current EuroLeague campaign.

The Bulgarian NT member is the EuroLeague's second-leading scorer (18.4 ppg.), the best rebounder (7.4 rpg.) and he also has the highest average PIR (23.5).

However, going for what can be Olympiacos' fourth straight domestic title makes Vezenkov narrow down his focus only on what happens in Crete.

"That doesn't concern me," he replied when Triano's presence was brought up.

"I'm honored and I feel respected, but that's all there is to it. All I care about is my team, us leaving Crete happy and with a trophy in our hands," he said.

Jay Triano also said that he is aware of Vezenkov's extension with the Reds, which the player signed in early 2023. The forward had previously penned a deal to stay in Piraeus until 2024, but his new contract runs through 2025.

The dealgrants Vezenkov a bigger salary. In return, Olympiacos will receive a larger buyout if the star player leaves for the NBA.

"I heard that [about extension]," Triano pointed out. "That's why it will be up to the front office and Sasha to decide what's best for him."

Vezenkov has come to normalize the fact that the Kings are steadily keeping an eye on him, no matter the location he's in.

"As long as they have my rights, it makes sense that they monitor what I'm doing,' he explained. "But it's still February and all I care about is Olympiacos."

For Sasha Vezenkov, the game against Aris was business as usual. Facing his former team, he posted a game-high 15 points, along with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 20 in PIR to inspire his side to a crushing win.

What's more, on the very same day, the EuroLeague named Vezenkov to the seven-player shortlist for the MVP award. Mike James, Mathias Lessort, Johnathan Motley, Vasilije Micic, Edy Tavares, and his Olympiacos' teammate, Kostas Sloukas, are the contenders for the trophy.

"It feels good when coaches, players and people who are knowledgeable about sport somehow reward your work," Vezenkov, projected as the clear frontrunner right now, commented.

"But the team and its goals are on top of everything - if we manage to achieve them. We're still in February and now the real season begins. No one remembers what happened in September and October," he pointed out.

Olympiacos have been one of the most enjoyable teams in the entire EuroLeague, and Vezenkov has played a key role in helping the Reds set a league-best 17-7 record. But the crucial, title-deciding games are just around the corner and everything's up for grabs.

"How we will close out the season is all that matters. I trade all prizes for achieving all our goals," he added.

Olympiacos are the only EuroLeague team with two MVP nominees in their ranks. Kostas Sloukas was a First Team selection last year, along with Vezenkov, and he might find himself among the competition's Top 5 once again.

"That speaks for how much Kostas is worth, what he represents, and how well he plays," Vezenkov acknowledges.

"He deserves much credit for it. He's an excellent player and we are happy to have him with us."

Credit Olympiacos BC

With two-thirds of the EuroLeague regular season already completed, Vezenkov has a clear view of who the most dangerous fellow nominee might be.

"From what I've seen so far, Mike James and Mathias Lessort are solid candidates," he said referring to AS Monaco's and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade's most outstanding players this season.

"They are playing very well, while their teams are high in the standings. But also Efes have great players, while Real Madrid and Barcelona are high as well. The important thing for a player is to keep his team up," he argued.

Olympiacos have allowed the fewest points in the league (75.5 ppg.) and forced the second-most turnovers (14.5 per game). The Reds’ defensive pressure begins with Thomas Walkup, who leads the league in steals with 1.9 per game.

That number is among the top 10 single-season averages in the league over the last 10 years and the most by an Olympiacos player in over two decades.

The Texas-born guard is up for the EuroLeague Defensive Player of the Year award, joining some elite company in Rodrigue Beaubois, Kevarrius Hayes, Nikola Kalinic, Alessandro Pajola, and a defensive fortress in Edy Tavares.

Credit Hellenic BF

For Vezenkov, things are simple.

"Thomas, along with Tavares, are certainly the two best defenders in the EuroLeague," he said.

"When you're a guard, it's even harder to be even considered for this award, let alone win it. That's why he deserves to win this year."

Although Anadolu Efes' Beaubois and Virtus Segafredo Bologna's Pajola are guards, the last backcourt player to win the accolade was Dimitris Diamantidis in 2011.

Recent history has proven that big men rarely win the MVP award, but off-ball players aren't exactly used to taking home the prize either. Over the past weeks, several American players, both former and active, have openly supported Mike James' campaign, arguing that he deserves the trophy more than anyone else.

Jared Harper has been the last one to make that claim, but Tyrese Rice and Malcolm Delaney are in the same boat.

Vezenkov's numbers are more than enough to support his claim to the MVP award, but the Olympiacos' forward stresses that he only values certain people's opinions.

"It's about looking at the big picture, where your team is, and how each player contributes to the team. I don't care how my game is evaluated by the media. I'm concerned about my job being recognized by my teammates and by those who know the sport," he clarifies.

"Of course, I want our team to be as high as possible. I don't think there's anyone who doesn't respect our effort, but also mine."

From one point on, it's mostly a matter of taste, Vezenkov thinks.

"It certainly depends on what everyone likes to see. There are some teams that aren't to my liking or whose style of play I don't prefer. That's not necessarily a bad thing."

It wouldn't be a bad thing for EuroLeague's most effective player this season to win his first major individual award either.

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