Panathinaikos Superfoods point guard Nick Calathes was named the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague's November MVP. Despite starting the season with a 2-3 record, Panathinaikos won five of their six matches in November, finding themselves currently in the third spot with seven wins. Calathes played a big part in the Greek team's impressive run, averaging 14.6 points and 9.5 assists during the month. He scored 14 points and dished out a career-high 14 assists in a loss to Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz by a buzzer-beater.
Although Calathes scored only 6 points in a win against archrivals Olympiakos Piraeus, he had a double-double the next match against Anadolu Efes with 29 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds. Through six games over 30 days ending last Friday, the 28-year-old guard accomplished a collection of impressive firsts. He posted the best-rated single-game performance in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague this season; he registered career highs in scoring and assists, as well; he came within a single rebound of a triple-double; and he dished more assists in a six-game span than any player in competition history. Most importantly, with Calathes at the controls, Panathinaikos vaulted up the standings - from 12th to fourth place - by matching the season's longest winning streak, five games and counting.
The fingerprints of Calathes were everywhere on that remarkable surge, making the 28-year-old guard a winning, first-time choice for MVP of the Month. The MVP of the Month honor is now in its 14th season. Although statistics and performance index ratings are taken into consideration for the award, they alone do not determine who is honored. The winner is named by Euroleague Basketball based on his and his team's performance. The award for November spanned the six regular season games that all teams played between Nov. 2 and Dec. 1.
