By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce Beko coach Igor Kokoskov characterized his star guard Nando De Colo as the “Jason Kidd of European basketball” when it comes to his floor general qualities, leadership virtues and the overall way he conducts the team’s offense.
“I think he’s the Jason Kidd of European basketball. Whatever Jason Kidd was in the NBA, that’s what he [De Colo] is in European basketball,” Kokoskov said after Fenerbahce‘s EuroLeague road win over ASVEL Villeurbanne. De Colo finished the match with game-highs 24 points and six assists while draining the dagger 3-pointer in the final minute as his team captured its 12th victory in the last 13 games.
Kokoskov elaborated on the strong similarities he sees between Kidd, a former NBA champion, 10-time All-Star and all-time second in career assists and steals. “He’s unselfish. He feels the game,” the Serbian coach said. “He’s a coach on the court and I admire that. The fact that we have a good communication on the court and a lot of times we make decisions together. And that’s what’s happening when you have a veteran player who’s very knowledgeable about the game. He’s a true leader, a quite leader.”
The game against ASVEL was De Colo’s ninth out of the last 10 matches with 20 points or more. He’s been averaging 21.3 points plus 5.3 assists during this stretch and overall 15.5 points and 4.2 assists in the EuroLeague regular season so far.
Full quotes of Igor Kokoskov on Nando "European basketball's Jason Kidd" De Colo pic.twitter.com/RRzuIjInSy
— Antonis Stroggylakis (@AStroggylakis) March 5, 2021