Filip Petrusev enjoyed his best performance since returning to Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade in Round 9 as he dominated in a 90-98 road win at AS Monaco to secure MVP of the Round honors.
His round-high 38 PIR is a new personal high in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, surpassing the 36 PIR that saw him take home Round 17 MVP honors in the 2022-23 season – the only other time he has been the MVP of the Round. Petrusev ended up tying his career high in scoring with 25 points, the same total he managed in that Round 17 contest, after going 4 of 6 on two-pointers, 2 of 3 from three-point range and 11 for 11 on free throws. His 7 rebounds are a season high, of which 2 came on the offensive end, and he also had 1 assist, 1 steal and drew 11 fouls, the most of any player this season. In addition, Petrusev’s 38 PIR is the joint highest index rating recorded this season, level with Paris Basketball’s TJ Shorts, who earned Round 5 MVP honors with his 38 PIR night which also came at Monaco.
In second place is LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne’s Theo Maledon, who set a new career best with a 37 PIR but ended up on the losing side in a 94-92 defeat at Olympiacos Piraeus. Maledon beat his previous-best mark of 36, which came in Round 4 of this current season. The French guard erupted for a career-high 31 points, making 4-of-9 two-pointers, 4-of-8 three-pointers and 11-of-12 free throws, as well as grabbing 7 rebounds, dishing 5 assists, making 1 steal and drawing 10 fouls.
Third on the list is ALBA Berlin center Trevion Williams with a 33 PIR, also a career best. In an epic 105-101 win over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, a game that saw ALBA missing eight players, Williams netted a career-high 23 points on 7-of-10 two-pointers, 1-of-1 three-pointers and 6-of-8 free throws, in addition to recording a season-high tying 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 5 drawn fouls.
Milan duo Zach LeDay and Nikola Mirotic complete the best performers in Round 9, each setting new season highs with a 32 PIR. Mirotic had a 28-point, 10-rebound double-double and also dished 1 assist, while LeDay scored a season-best 23 points, pulled down 5 rebounds, made 1 assist and recorded 1 steal.