The Euroleague’s 50 best players: 10-1

BELGRADE, SERBIA - MAY 18: Nando de Colo, #1 of CSKA Moscow during the 2018 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague F4 Semifnal B game between Semifinal A CSKA Moscow v Real Madrid at Stark Arena on May 18, 2018 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Luca Sgamellotti/EB via Getty Images) /

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KAUNAS, LITHUANIA – APRIL 26: Kevin Pangos, #3 of Zalgiris Kaunas in action during the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Play Offs Game 4 between Zalgiris Kaunas v Olympiacos Piraeus at Zalgirio Arena on April 26, 2018 in Kaunas, Lithuania. (Photo by Alius Koroliovas/EB via Getty Images) /

10. Kevin Pangos, PG, Barcelona

Nationality/College: Canadian (Gonzaga)

2017-18 stats: 10.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists per game (Zalgiris)

Career synopsis: Since graduating from Gonzaga, Pangos has been a consistent winner at the Euroleague level, first with Gran Canaria in Spain and then with Zalgiris, where he was All-Euroleague Second Team this past season. He also has made three Summer League appearances, last with Washington in 2017.

Representative Highlight Play:

What’s his skill set?: Pangos combines one of the craftiest handles in Euroleague with 40 percent 3-point shooting to allow him to be one of the league’s best point guards. He unlocked a lot of Sarunas Jasikevicius’s more complex plays last year because of his ability to snake through a pick-and-roll, and then provide a decoy threat off-ball once the secondary action started. He is one of the best in the business at flipping from probing the lane himself to acting as a complimentary offensive player within the same offensive set.

What makes him special?: Pangos was one of the main reasons Zalgiris shocked everyone last year by making the Final Four. As an encore, he now gets the keys to a Barcelona offense that stagnated frequently under the command of a player with a similar skill set in Thomas Heurtel. The difference will likely come in terms of command of the game, where Pangos is a much more controlled and judicious distributor, and that should be exciting given the weapons placed around him. Pangos-to-Chris Singleton might be one of the most exciting pick-and-roll combos in the league this year, and his command of the game should decrease the volatility we’ve seen from Barca over the past two years.