For his steady role in leading CSKA Moscow to a 4-1 record and a share of first place in Top 16 Group F, Euroleague Basketball has named center Nenad Krstic the MVP for January.
Krstic, an All-Euroleague First Team selection the last two years, kick-started 2014 by shaking off nagging injuries to rejoin CSKA's starting lineup and reestablish his rule in the paint. By the time January was done, CSKA was just a basket away from a perfect Top 16 start, while Krstic was the top performer – both overall and per-minute – of any full-time Euroleague player last month. CSKA's victories included two on the road, one of those in overtime, and the first by any team all season over previously invincible Real Madrid. Krstic was CSKA's first- or second-best performer in all four victories and posted his Euroleague career-high scoring total in the team's only loss, which came by a single point on the road. Most importantly, CSKA was standing tall in an already-hot race to reach the playoffs, thanks to the rock-steady performances of Nenad Krstic!
The bwin MVP of the Month honor is now in its 10th 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 January was based on the five games that all Top 16 teams played between January 2 and 31.
Krstic finished January's five games tied for the month’s best average performance index rating, 21.6, with Tarence Kinsey of Partizan. His fifth-ranked 16.4 points, his 6 rebounds and his 1.4 assists per game in January all more than doubled his regular season averages. And his PIR of 31.9 per 40 minutes was the best of any player who appeared in all five games last month. It all added up to a stellar Top 16 start for Krstic and CSKA, whose fans will get a chance to thank him when he receives the MVP for January trophy at an upcoming home game.
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