All-EuroLeague big man Jan Vesely of Fenerbahce Istanbul was at his best on Thursday as he put his athleticism and heart on display to lead his team to victory and claim MVP honors for Round 20 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season.
Vesely starred in Fenerbahce’s 85-80 come-from-behind victory over Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul with 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting, including a pair of highlight reel alley-oop slams.
He also collected 7 rebounds and 2 steals for a performance index rating of 30, which was just 1 off his career high in addition to being the most of any player in Round 20.
This marks just the second time in his career that Vesely has earned MVP of the round honors. Two players were tied with the second-highest index ratings of the round with 27: Khem Birch of Olympiacos Piraeus and Thomas Heurtel of Anadolu Efes Istanbul. Birch dominated inside with 15 points and a career-best 14 rebounds in the Reds’ 83-77 home win over Brose Bamberg. Heurtel led a late comeback attempt, but his side lost 80-77 at CSKA Moscow despite 24 points and 4 assists from the point guard.
Rounding out the list of Round 20’s top performers were Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade center Ognjen Kuzmic and Galatasaray swingman Blake Schilb, who tied with index ratings of 24. Kuzmic shined in a 72-66 victory over his former team, Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens, with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Schilb tallied 21 points, 7 assists and 2 steals in defeat.
