Photo: EuroLeague Basketball

AS Monaco picked up its first victory of the new EuroLeague season, and for Nikola Mirotic, the night was made even sweeter with individual recognition.

The veteran power forward was named the league’s Most Valuable Player of the Round after delivering the top performance index rating (PIR) among all players whose teams won.

According to EuroLeague’s official press release: “AS Monaco forward Nikola Mirotic has been named MVP of Round 2 in the 2025–26 EuroLeague season after delivering a highly efficient all-around performance in his team’s 103–81 home win over Dubai Basketball.”

Mirotic needed just 20 minutes and 16 seconds on the court to compile a PIR of 32. His stat line underscored his efficiency: 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from two-point range, 1-of-2 from deep, and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line.

He also contributed 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and drew 9 fouls. The accolade marked the 11th MVP of the Round honor in Mirotic’s EuroLeague career, tying him for fifth-most all-time in league history.

While Mirotic led all players on winning teams, the single highest PIR of Round 2 came from Panathinaikos Aktor’s Juancho Hernangomez, who posted a PIR of 39 despite his club’s 103–96 loss to FC Barcelona.

Hernangomez tallied 27 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and drew 8 fouls in the defeat. Another standout in a losing effort was Wade Baldwin of Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, who exploded for 36 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds in an 84–81 loss to Zalgiris Kaunas, giving him a PIR of 34.

Other top performers of the round included Andreas Obst of Bayern Munich and Kostas Sloukas of Panathinaikos, each registering PIRs of 30.

Obst put up 31 points while hitting 9-of-16 from beyond the arc, while Sloukas turned in a well-rounded effort with 18 points, 11 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals in the loss to Barcelona.

Round 2 also featured a number of statistical leaders across different categories:

  • Wade Baldwin led all scorers with his 36 points. After two rounds, Baldwin, Barcelona’s Will Clyburn, and Crvena Zvezda’s Jordan Nwora are tied atop the scoring charts at 23.0 points per game.
  • Allan Dokossi of Paris Basketball collected 13 rebounds, the most of the round. He and Olympiacos’ Nikola Milutinov share the overall rebounding lead with 11.5 per game.
  • Sloukas dished out a round-high 11 assists, while Omari Moore (Valencia) and Trent Forrest (Baskonia) currently lead the league with 8.0 per game.
  • Nadir Hifi (Paris) and Jimmy Clark (Maccabi Tel Aviv) each recorded 5 steals in their head-to-head matchup, with Clark now leading the EuroLeague at 4.0 steals per game.
  • Five players – Sylvain Francisco and Moses Wright (Zalgiris), Mikael Jantunen (Fenerbahce), Daniel Theis (Monaco), and Bastien Vautier (ASVEL) – each registered 2 blocks. Francisco and Real Madrid’s Walter Tavares are tied for the overall lead with 2.0 per game.
  • Sloukas was the only player in Round 2 to notch a double-double, thanks to his 18 points and 11 assists.

For Monaco, Mirotic’s efficient outing not only helped secure their first win of the year but also reaffirmed his status as one of the EuroLeague’s most consistent stars.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR