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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MOSCOW, RUSSIA – MARCH 23: Alexey Shved, #1 of Khimki Moscow Region competes with Sergio Rodriguez, #13 of CSKA Moscow in action during the 2017/2018 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 28 game between Khimki Moscow Region and CSKA Moscow at Arena Mytishchi on March 23, 2018 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Mikhail Serbin/EB via Getty Images) /

4. Alexey Shved, SG, Khimki Moscow

Nationality/College: Russian

2017-18 stats: 22.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.2 steals per game (Khimki)

Career synopsis: Shved earned an NBA contract with the Timberwolves in 2012 after excelling off the bench for 2011-12 CSKA Moscow. He spent three years in the NBA, but struggled to really make much impact, outside of a late-season scoring outburst with the Knicks in 2015. Once he returned to Russia, he signed with Khimki Moscow, and things took off — he won EuroCup MVP in 2017 after leading the league in scoring, and then led Euroleague in scoring and was All-Euroleague First Team last season. He’s won Euroleague once, back when he was a youngster deep on the CSKA Moscow bench in 2008.

Representative Highlight Play:

What’s his skill set?: Getting buckets. Shved is the best volume scorer in the league, and his confidence is both an asset and a hinderance to Khimki at times. He has seemingly unlimited range on his pull-up jumper, and is also great at using screens to spring open not only himself, but teammates. He is an expert at the one-hand over-the-head swing pass, and has been great at finding Khimki’s many cutters when defenses collapse on him. He has the most gravity of any offensive player in Euroleague.

What makes him special?: Alexey Shved might be 5-of-10 from the field in a game. He might be 2-of-13. It doesn’t matter though, because if the game is close, the pure joy of watching Shved bleed clock, generate an isolation, and then throw up a 30-foot bomb with the clock winding down is unmatched for entertainment value. He’s one of those shooters who always makes you think that the next shot is going in, no matter how much evidence you have to the contrary. Surgeon General’s warning — take adequate precautions before exposing your bloodstream to pure, unfiltered Shved.