The Euroleague’s 50 best players: 10-1

3. Nick Calathes, PG, Panathinaikos

Nationality/College: American/Greek (Florida)

2017-18 stats: 12.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.7 steals per game (Panathinaikos)

Career synopsis: Calathes left Florida after two seasons and was drafted 45th in 2009 by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was destined instead for Panathinaikos, where he won Euroleague in 2011. He really blossomed in 2013 after signing with Lokmotiv Kuban, helping the Russian club win Eurocup, and turned that into a two-year stint with the Memphis Grizzlies, helping the Grizzlies make the second round in 2014. However, a substance abuse suspension sent Calathes back to Panathinaikos, and he’s spent the last three years there, earning All-Euroleague First Team last year.

Representative Highlight Play:

What’s his skill set?: It’s amazing that Calathes is as good as he is considering how bad he is at shooting — a point guard who hits 54 percent from the free throw line just doesn’t compute to many. But he nearly won MVP last season, thanks to his unparalleled ability to manage an offense and open space with his handle. He also compensates by being one of the best rebounding guards in the world, and his defense at the point of attack is very strong for a player taking as much creation load as he does.

What makes him special?: Every year, Panathinaikos looks to be in disarray, and their offense does not make any sense on paper. But every year, here comes Calathes, who uses his court vision and passing touch to consistently create great looks despite a lack of shooting threat around him, or from himself. He is a nightly triple-double threat, and he continually wills his teams to a much higher ceiling than should be possible. He may be a flawed player, yes — but no one gets better results with a more glaring kryptonite than Calathes.