Zenit St Petersburg center Alex Poythress, a highlight-reel fixture throughout the season, has turned into one of the most productive and efficient players in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague over the last three rounds.
Who's Hot: Alex Poythress, Zenit St Petersburg
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After having come off the bench in all but one of his first 19 appearances this season, with the injury of Arturas Gudaitis, Poythress was thrust into a starting role in Round 23. And in three games since then, he has been delivering more than any other player on the team, and better than all except a handful of players in the entire league.
Playing in his second season with the team, Poythress is averaging 7.8 points on a team-best 64.5% two-point shooting and pulling down 4.3 rebounds. But his production has skyrocketed in recent weeks.
After averaging 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds before Round 23, Poythress has nearly tripled his scoring and doubled his rebounding.
Over the last three games, Poythress is averaging 16.3 points on 66.7% two-point shooting and pulling down 7.0 rebounds. He is also chipping in with 1.7 steals and 1.0 assists over that three-game span, averaging a performance index rating of 19.7.
Poythress started this stretch of games with a career-best performance against the defending champs Anadolu Efes Istanbul, leading Zenit with a career-high 21 points on 9-for-12 two-point shooting, also pulling down 9 rebounds for a career-best 27 PIR.
In Round 24 he had a quieter performance, with 7 points, 3 rebounds, but also 3 steals and a block in a road win over Bitci Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, before matching his career-high 21 points, and again 9 rebounds, in a road loss against Real Madrid. In that game in the Spanish capital, Poythress pulled down 8 offensive rebounds, which is not only his personal best, but the most in the EuroLeague this season and Zenit's club record.
Poythress scored a total of 49 points, fifth-best among all EuroLeague players over those three rounds, and just 3 points fewer than the top scorer since Round 23. Poythress has done it on improved 66.7% two-point shooting, 11th best over that three-game span, and his total of 59 PIR, good for a 19.7 average, is also tied for fifth-best over the last three games.
Poythress will have a chance to add to those numbers on Thursday night when Zenit pays a visit to ALBA Berlin in Round 26.