The best player in the Euroleague is not who they expected him to be.
His name is Alexander (Sasha) Wezenkov, and today Maccabi Tel Aviv will have to face him in order to think of a surprise against Olympiakos.
It's not a flashy name like Mike James, Vasilia Micic, Nikola Mirotic or Will Claiborne.
Vezenkov, who came from a country where basketball is really not a leading sport, is gradually, modestly and methodically leveling his way to the European top.
He is considered a top candidate to be the MVP of the season, and you can definitely call him the quiet MVP of the Euroleague.
And Zenkov does a great job, but doesn't produce Star sparks.
He is used to his excellent performances being relatively quiet.
A good example of this was last summer: he did not drop below 26 points per game in the Bulgaria EuroBasket uniform, and finished the tournament with averages of 27 points and 12 rebounds.
It passed without special attention, because it was a relatively weak team that did not pass a stage.
Already last season he became dominant and finished in the top five of the season in the Euroleague.
And Zenkov is the classic modern power forward, who goes out and hits threes.
He has more than two triples per game this season in the Euroleague.
Besides points, he contributes a lot in rebounds.
Impressively, he is at the top of the Euroleague in three categories: in the index he is first, in points second (18 per game) and in rebounds third (7.1) - this is dominance.
On top of all this, this season Levenkov had a game in which his index was no less than 43.
He was chosen as the factory's outstanding player of the month, and was also chosen player of the week four times.
Best player not in the NBA right now?
💬
Aleksandar Vezenkov came ready for the season after #EuroBasket 2022 😤 pic.twitter.com/Xvz8vssaoO
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) November 4, 2022
"The NBA can wait"
The 27-year-old power forward comes from a basketball family.
His father is the captain of the Bulgarian national team, his sister is the captain of the Cyprus national team.
He is a Bulgarian who was born and raised in Cyprus, and started his basketball steps in Apoel Nicosia.
After that he moved to Aris Thessaloniki, where he played in the seniors already at the age of 17.
His talent is about Europe, and the great Barcelona brought him there already at the age of 20. In retrospect, maybe it happened too soon, because he left the Catalans after three years without making any significant progress.
Then the Bulgarian took the biggest step in his career - and joined Olympiakos, where he has been playing for the fifth season.
At first he was the replacement of Giorgos Printzis, and slowly he took the place of the great icon.
In the last three seasons he became a key player.
And Zenkov was part of the professional rehabilitation of the team that last season reached the Final Four, and this season quite a few think that the leader of the table is also the best in the Euroleague.
Alexander (Sasha) and Zenkov in the temple.
Will he succeed in beating Maccabi Tel Aviv this time?, Photo: EPA
Last summer was kind of a crossroads for him.
The question was whether he would take the next step in his career - namely to reach the NBA.
Sacramento expressed interest, and Zenkov considered and debated, but remained committed to Olympiakos.
"The best decision for me was to stay," he said.
"When I decide, I don't look back. I will try to prove that it was the best decision. The NBA can wait."
It turns out that he will continue to wait - he recently extended his contract with the Greek club by another two years.
The player who replaced the symbol (Prentesis) becomes a symbol himself, and all, as we said, quietly and modestly.
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