Panathinaikos will have to do without one of its marquee signings after he got hurt in a domestic game.
Panathinaikos's Luca Vildoza felled by knee injury
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Two days after he played his best game yet in a Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens uniform, point guard Luca Vildoza suffered a knee injury that will keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future, the club reported on Sunday. Vildoza tore the lateral meniscus in his left knee playing in a Greek League game on Sunday against Peristeri and will undergo surgery on Tuesday.
Coming off his best game with the Greens
Vildoza starred in a thrilling 81-82 victory at Valencia Basket on Friday that was the first win by Panathinaikos on Spanish soil since 2017 and left the Greens atop a four-way tie for fourth place in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings. Not only did he lead the team with 19 points, he hit a game-tying shot with 18 seconds left that led to the win. His game-high PIR of 18 was also his best in 18 appearances this season for the Greens. His 5 three-pointers made in the game matched the most by any Panathinaikos player this season.
From Baskonia to the NBA and back
Vildoza, 28, has largely come of the bench, making just five starts under head coach Ergin Ataman. He has averaged 6.8 points and 5.2 PIR in under 18 minutes per game. After debuting with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in the EuroLeague and playing four seasons there, he went to the NBA but suffered a foot injury but eventually appeared sparingly for the Milwaukee Bucks in seven playoff games. He returned to the EuroLeague with Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade early last season and finished it with averages of 12.6 points, 3.9 assists and 12.2 PIR in 24 minutes per game.