The proximity of the Canary Islands derby in the Endesa League, which takes place next Sunday (12:00 PM) at the Santiago Martín Pavilion, seems to have whetted the already voracious appetite of Gio Shermadini. The Georgian giant from Lenovo Tenerife, in the last round, clinched another weekly MVP after achieving a massive 37 efficiency rating against MoraBanc Andorra, in his best game of the season, contributing 23 points and 10 rebounds to the yellow cause.
This new award makes him the player with the most weekly MVPs in the history of the ACB. With a total of 20, he surpasses the 19 of two legends like Arvydas Sabonis and Lou Roe. Further behind are the 17 by Bernard Hopkins (former Granca player) and Felipe Reyes, the 14 by Darryl Middleton, or the 13 by Tanoka Beard, Curtis Borchardt, Marc Gasol and Rudy Fernández, the only active player still making waves in the league alongside Gio.
The staggering figure reached by the Georgian center highlights the dependency that the Tenerife team has on him. The game of Vidorreta’s squad heavily relies on his inspiration and the magical connection he has with his partner Marcelinho Huertas. This duo is the main headache for Dreamland Gran Canaria in regional rivalry matches, games that have been a tough challenge for the yellows in recent times.
Shermadini became one of the key figures in the defeat suffered by Granca at home in the first round, in a game that had to be decided in overtime and in which the Georgian, with a 33 efficiency rating (24 points, six rebounds, and an assist), was named the MVP of the match, surpassing his former teammate Nico Brussino, who led the home team’s attack by just one efficiency rating point.
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The coach of Dreamland Gran Canaria is clear that he does not have any player in his team who, on their own, can stop the beast from Lenovo Tenerife. The variety of offensive resources of the pivot make him a player almost impossible to defend one-on-one.
The solution lies in avoiding, as much as possible, him receiving the ball in the zone, where he is lethal, and relying on solidarity and teamwork to minimize his impact on the game. The concern of the Slovenian coach is perfectly understandable, as the Georgian’s influence on the collective play of the Tenerife team is not new, but has been happening since his arrival in the ACB and especially in Tenerife. There, in five seasons defending the Canarias jersey, he has an average rating in his direct confrontations with Granca of 27.7, with an average contribution in the derbies against his claretian neighbors of 20.13 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists.
Much at Stake
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Granca’s defeat on Saturday in their visit to BAXI Manresa adds a certain extra dose of necessity for the yellows in the regional rivalry clash, in order to secure their place in the Playoffs against a Lenovo team that has their number. Dreamland has not beaten Lenovo since round 26 of the 2021-22 season, although on that occasion the match took place at the Arena with Porfi Fisac in charge (89-77), despite Shermadini’s 29 efficiency rating (23 points).
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Further back is the last victory in Tenerife for the yellows, dating back to round 22 of the 2018-19 season (86-90) with Víctor García at the helm and without the Shermadini-Huertas duo in the Txus Vidorreta-led squad.
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