Nick Calathes: The new ‘King’ of the Point Guard position

By Dionysis Aravantinos / info@eurohoops.net

The 28-year old point guard has been the true definition of a pure, old-school playmaker who loves creating for his teammates, leading his team and also coming up clutch down the stretch in tight games. In these first ten games, there is no one better than him. Eurohoops analyzed Nick Calathes’ season so far, his impressive numbers, his court presence, his improvement over the years but also Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens’ early success and the team’s goal this year.

Impressive numbers

As Xavi Pascual has stated countless times, the best thing about the Greek international is that he does not stop working and keeps on perfecting his game both offensively and defensively in order to lead this unit to wins. So far, this season Nick Calathes has been putting up phenomenal numbers, as he is averaging 14.4 points, 7.9 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. What is truly impressive about the numbers he is posting night in and night out, is that he is actually shooting a highly efficient 57.5% from inside the three-point line. Moreover, he is leading Panathinaikos in three categories – points, assists, and steals – showing his all-around abilities.

The experience he has playing in the EuroLeague and the NBA over the years has helped him perfect his game and improve his weaknesses. Entering his prime in his sixth season in Europe’s best competition, he has put his name into four different categories in the Top 10. Among 256 players, Calathes is first in assists (7.9), fifth in index rating (18.10), ninth in scoring (14.4) and ninth in steals per game (1.4). Another impressive stat is that, if he played 36 minutes every night, he would average a double-double with 19.6 points and 10.0 assists per game.

How he makes Panathinaikos better

Nick Calathes’ presence on the court reminds you of an old school type of NBA point guard. He knows where his teammates are on the court, when to attack the lane but also when to hold the ball and wait for the perfect opportunity. Besides, he does not rush possessions and executes the pick and roll perfectly. Calathes is very quick in ‘reading’ the game, understanding the opponents’ defense and eventually breaking it down using his high basketball IQ, which helps him see the play before it happens.

As his teammates have indicated, he brings everything a leader is supposed to bring on the court. In these six years, he has been playing for Panathinaikos, he has become a part of the team’s identity, while he has also built a great relationship with James Gist, on and off the court. Earlier in the year, Gist said that he feels Nick Calathes has the vision, of an NFL former quarterback, Peyton Manning and that he is not afraid to make tough passes, lobs.

Panathinaikos has started the season off very well, as Pascual’s team has a 7-3 record with some impressive wins against Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul, Real Madrid and rivals Olympiacos Piraeus on the road, while also being undefeated at home, showing that they want to compete for a spot in the Final Four.

Improvement over the years

Over the course of the last three seasons, Nick Calathes has improved tremendously. Not just in terms of numbers, but also his role in the team, which has changed year by year. So far, this has been his most productive season as he has willed Panathinaikos to these first six wins of the year. In the last two seasons, he has played in 60 games in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and has averaged 9.4 points, 5.9 assists, while shooting 53.4% from the free-throw line. The table below shows, in great detail, his six seasons in the competition with Panathinaikos and where he has managed to improve (in terms of numbers). It also shows how he has been able to have better numbers this year while playing fewer minutes per game than the last two seasons combined.

In his first five seasons in the EuroLeague, Calathes averaged 6.9 points per game, and this year he has been able to put up 14.4 points. The way he has been able to attack the basketball, finish through contact, launch fast breaks, but also knock down mid-range floaters, has given him confidence in his shooting ability and his skills offensively. Moreover, every single year since his first season in 2009, he has been improving in every category, showing how hard he works, while also making a considerable leap in his free throw and 2-point field goal percentages over the years.