These individuals have had huge roles for their teams recently and been key in victories
Who’s hot: Stepping up towards the business end of the season
Stats
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PIR is one of the most discussed – and controversial – statistical categories, but it is often a good indication of which players are doing the right things, such as not turning the ball over, being efficient from the floor, and making a difference for their teams.
Olympiacos Piraeus star Sasha Vezenkov was synonymous with big PIR numbers before leaving for the NBA in 2023, particularly in his MVP-winning season in 2022-23, and he’s picked up where he left off since returning to the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this past summer by posting a league-best 25.0 PIR per night. Joining the January MVP of the Month on the podium are EA7 Emporio Armani Milan’s Nikola Mirotic with a 22.8 PIR season average and Paris Basketball’s TJ Shorts – November’s MVP – with a 22.6 PIR.
Curiously, Vezenkov has bettered his season average in PIR over the last five games by recording a 27.8 PIR as Olympiacos has gone 4-1, with the team’s 10-1 run over the last 11 games helping it secure a firm grasp on first spot in the EuroLeague standings. The two-time All-EuroLeague First Team forward has netted 21.0 points on 70.6% on two-pointers, 57.9% from deep and 88.9% on free throws, as well as 6.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.2 turnovers, since Round 22. Yet, that is not the highest PIR average posted by a player over this five-game stretch.
That honor belongs to Mr. Ahah himself, Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz’s Chima Moneke. The 29-year-old has been a dream for managers in the EuroLeague Fantasy Challenge by recording a 28.0 PIR over his last five contests, with Baskonia going 3-2 in that time and notably beating reigning champion Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens and Spanish rival FC Barcelona.
In that stretch, Moneke has amassed 16.8 points by shooting 79.2% inside the arc, 32.0% from outside and 81.5% from the charity stripe, in addition to 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 boards on the offensive end, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals. Those three wins have given Moneke and co. hope that they can make the Play-In Showdown, while its two losses – a 90-89 decision at Real Madrid and a 92-85 defeat at AS Monaco – were both closely contested right to the end.
The standings are not too kind to Virtus Segafredo Bologna, which sits 16th with a 7-19 record, but star forward Toko Shengelia has been lights out of late, matching Vezenkov’s season average of 25.0 PIR per game.
Virtus went just 1-4 over those five contests, yet Shengelia’s career-best night of 35 points and a 39 PIR in a loss at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul was further proof that the 2010 All-EuroLeague First Team selection still has plenty left in the tank. The Georgian only returned to action in Round 21 after injury, but he’s averaged 20.6 points on 64.7% two-pointers, 50.0% on threes and 80.6% on free throws, 3.0 of his 5.2 rebounds on the offensive glass, 4.4 assists and 0.6 steals over Virtus’s last five contests.
Like Vezenkov, Shorts in the top three in season PIR and has improved on his average since Round 22. Paris has gone 3-2 since Round 22 and Shorts has posted a 24.6 PIR, 2.0 index rating points more than his season average.
Shorts has shot 69.0% on two-pointers, 40.0% on threes and 71.4% from the line since Round 22 while also averaging 3.6 rebounds, 7.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.4 turnovers as the motor that drives Paris’s offense. Many expected Paris to drop further down the standings, but Shorts’s squad is sitting in seventh with a 15-10 record and is only one game back of direct qualification for the playoffs.
Rounding out the top five in PIR over the last five games is Milan’s Zach LeDay. Given that Mirotic has been sidelined since Round 22, it has been LeDay who has taken on more responsibility by averaging a 22.2 PIR over this five-game stretch. The 30-year-old has averaged 19.2 points by shooting 62.5% on two-pointers, 40.0% on triples and a perfect 100.0% (25 for 25) on free throws, as well as 4.0 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 0.4 steals since Round 22.
Milan has snuck into the play-in zone with a 14-12 record after picking up a couple of wins in its last five, with LeDay particularly shining in those two victories, finishing with 33 points and 8 rebounds against Panathinaikos and 26 points at Zalgiris Kaunas. With LeDay playing at this level, Milan has remained alive as it hopes to return to the postseason for the first time since 2022.