The Greek point guard wasn’t himself on Wednesday night against AS Monaco. He was something very different. It was a good type of different as Nick Calathes led Fenerbahce to a crucial win in the Euroleague playoffs.
For over a decade, we’ve gotten used to taking the bad with the good when it comes to Nick Calathes. On Wednesday night, the Fenerbahce man showed that doesn’t have to be the case. In a brilliantly efficient performance, he guided his team to a crucial win in the Euroleague playoffs against AS Monaco.
Who is this guy?
Nothing about this performance was the Nick Calathes we know. He shot 6 of 10 from the field, taking and making just one three pointer. There were 5 assists and 2 steals, with just a single turnover. The tally was good, not eye-popping but still very good, and efficient.
This is not the guy that never saw a three ball he didn’t think he could make. This wasn’t the wild man passer who would give up a few turnovers while loading up on silly assist numbers. No, what we saw was a man who has adjusted his game with age.
It came later than we might have thought. That doesn’t bother me, I loved getting every season of wild Calathes. Still, his timing of this adjustment couldn’t have come at a better time for Fenerbahce. In the type of game where a competitor might feel the urge to force it more, Calathes was calm. That was vital to them taking Game 3 of the Euroleague playoffs against AS Monaco.
Yet he is still himself
Things change as we get older. Given I was made redundant from my day job in December, I get that more than most. Still, knowing what to do when life hits you with changes isn’t easy. That’s particularly true when you have been so used to certain things working.
In the post game, Calathes was his usual self. He’s never been shy with a microphone in front of him but he’s also not a big talker. Calathes got to the point, saying his play was adjusted to the game plan and he found a way to make it work.
Wednesday night against AS Monaco was not an isolated incident. Calathes was a little wild with his handle in the second game of this Euroleague playoffs series but he has been consistently more selective than usual with his shooting. He also has just 1.8 turnovers per game this season, compared to a career average of 3.7. The player Fenerbahce needs right now is a more controlled version of Calathes. That he has shown the way to do that while still being a brilliant passer is no small achievement in the 15th year of his career.
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Control is the name of the game
It’s not just Nick Calathes. Sarunas Jasikevicius has several players who have it within them to go to hero ball. Scottie Wilbekin, Marko Guduric, Nigel Hayes-Davis, and even Tarik Biberovic are the types of scorers that have the confidence to do so. Biberovic, while the youngest of the bunch, was notable in how reserved he was. A joyous spark for Fener this season, he took just 8 shots in the whole game. Even when he was looking ready to explode in the first half, Biberovic held it in.
Life changes. Not everyone accepts that. Nick Calathes has and that’s made him more valuable to Fenerbahce.
Nobody took more than 10 shots for Fenerbahce against AS Monaco on Wednesday night. Everything was about control and efficiency. Saras realises that a wild west shootout favours the opponent in these Euroleague playoffs. He doesn’t need cowboys out there, he needs chess players.
This approach has clearly got buy-in from the players. When Calathes can lead by example and show that he won’t hog the ball, others will follow. Nobody has earned the right to say “my ball” on this Fener team more. It’s a sacrifice that is benefiting the whole.
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It’s honestly great to see
With athletes in general, too few of the good ones adjust their game to adapt to the changes in their bodies. Nick Calathes is a long way past the kid I saw being interviewed after the 2011 Greek finals on a stream of questionable legality. Back then he really hadn’t got the memo that shaving his head would make him look younger. Don’t worry Nick, it took me another 2 years to realise that my hair was grey and not still mostly brown.
There is a joy in a baller raging against the years. Those that seek to defy their body and keep playing the game that made us fall in love with watching them. Even though he somehow only has a single Euroleague championship to his name, you can’t write the story of the competition without him.
Here, at Fenerbahce where he is a lot closer to retirement than his rookie days, Calathes has figured it out. He’s a veteran who hasn’t ignored what made him but adjusted his game to who he is now. The timing really couldn’t be better. It’s clearly proving a nightmare for AS Monaco.
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