Alessandro Pajola, Shavon Shields, Nikola Mirotic, Tornik’e Shengelia and Nicolò Melli make up the Umana Dream Team of the LBA Playoff UnipolSai 2024.
Alessandro Pajola – Virtus Segafredo Bologna. At 25 years old he is already a post-season veteran with four Scudetto finals played – one won – for a total of 48 playoff games. The Frecciarossa Best Assistman award won at the end of the eternal series against EA7 Emporio Armani Milano confirmed the good things shown by the class of 1999: two consecutive matches of the LBA Finals (Game 2 and Race 3) closed with 10 assists distributed, third in history to succeed; furthermore he recorded 4.8 points, 4.9 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 10.9 rating and +4.7 plus / minus in 23.1 minutes of use.
Shavon Shields – EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. The Missouri-born Danish player has confirmed himself as a talisman when it comes to the playoffs, reaching his sixth Scudetto final in six seasons played here in Italy (two with Dolomiti Energia Trentino and four consecutive with EA7 Emporio Armani Milano). The record at the LBA Finals reads 3-3, this year it was particularly decisive when he scored 25 points (6/7 from behind the arc) and 26 evaluation in Game 1 against Virtus Segafredo Bologna; his averages this post-season say 16.0 points (48.3% from two, 48.7% from three and 79.5% from free throws), 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 17.3 rating and +5.7 plus/minus in 26.0 minutes .
Nikola Mirotic – EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. The Montenegrin talent raised the bar when it was time to put the seal on the word Scudetto: 30 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks and 47 rating in Game 4 of the LBA Finals which allowed him to be awarded MVP at the end of the series against Virtus Segafredo Bologna. He collects individual and team awards for the number 33 who repeated what he did last season in a Blaugrana uniform; career highs and record performances for the class of 1991, who at the end of his first red and white final recorded 17.8 points (52.1% two-pointers, 33.3% three-pointers and 90.6% free throws), 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 23.8 rating in 26.5 minutes on average.
Tornik’e Shengelia – Virtus Segafredo Bologna. After playing a season at very high levels, the Georgian big man dragged the Bianconeri to their fourth consecutive Scudetto final, standing out as always for his ability to make the difference on both halves of the pitch. His debut in the playoffs only came in Game 3 of the quarter-finals against Bertram Derthona Tortona, so after two adjustment games he was decisive in reaching the LBA Finals, as demonstrated by the 29 points with 29 rating scored against the Umana Reyer Venezia in Game 4 of the semifinal. Although he didn’t get the most coveted trophy, the Tbilisi native closed his postseason with 13.3 points (46.3% two-pointers, 34.5% three-pointers and 79.2% free throws), 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a 13.6 rating in 24.1 minutes on average.
Nicolò Melli – EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. Four Italian championships, three of which in a row, are not won by chance and if the team’s palmarés were enriched after Game 4, so too was the individual one given the awards of ‘Best Pall-Ex Defender’ and ‘Best ITA Fastweb’ ‘ conquered at the end of the playoffs. A gem of Italian basketball who was able to maintain a high and constant pace even in a complicated season full of pitfalls; determined to win the three-peat with the red and whites, the 1991 born player once again showed off as one of the best two-way players in our championship. His figures at the LBA Finals speak for themselves: 8.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 13.5 rating and +10.0 plus/minus in 27.0 minutes on average, underlining the goodness of a captain who always put the good of the team first to everything else.
