For 90 days get to know more about the international faces of the NBA. Day 67 brings:
Nikola Pekovic (C, Minnesota Timberwolves), Montenegro
Height: 2.11m, 6-foot-11 | Weight: 129.3kg, 285 pounds | Born: 3 January 1986
---
You might've heard a little this summer about the Minnesota Timberwolves.
You might've heard how, after shipping superstar Kevin Love to Cleveland, they've turned themselves into a legitimate Team Of The Future. How they've put together a young core that's not Win Now, but Dominate Tomorrow.
But chances are you haven't heard much about one of the biggest reasons why.
For the past three years, Nikola Pekovic's bruised, welted, slammed, leveraged and contused his way into the top echelon of NBA centers. Most of it in the shadow of Love. But while Love's the modern big man -- able to stretch the floor, rebound, distribute and run -- Pekovic's every bit the 1990's-style big. Despite an ankle injury that cut his season short in January, holding him to just seven appearances in the season's last two-plus months, Pek averaged a career-high 17.5 points per night, to go along with 8.7 boards.
And he did it all while shooting 54.1 percent from the floor. Largely because, of his 701 shots in 2013-14, a full 86 percent came within eight feet of the rim. For his career, Pekovic's never taken a 3-point shot.
So while Andrew Wiggins stole headlines by becoming the first No. 1 pick since Chris Webber to swap teams before his first NBA game, Gorgui Dieng earned early-round MVP talks at the FIBA World Cup, Anthony Bennett caught fire at NBA Summer League and Ricky Rubio ran point for a juggernaut Spain team that fell to France in the World Cup, the Wolves' core remains intact.
In Minnesota, the future's here. With a core that's pure old-school.
Season Highlight
He picked up five straight double-doubles to end the 2013 calendar year, including a 34-point, 14-rebound night against the Clippers on 22 December.
Key Stats
GP: 54 | MIN: 30.8 | PTS: 17.5 | REB: 8.7| FG%: 54.1%
Five Things to Know
1. Pek broke into professional hoops at the age of 15, with Serbian club Atlas, before jumping to Greek superpower Panathinaikos from 2008-2010 -- where he won the 2008-09 Euroleague title.
2. He's widely regarded as one of the toughest players in the NBA. In February 2012, after spraining an ankle, he reportedly refused crutches, saying only 'I don't use crutches.' Then, seeing Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio getting a ride down the hallway as he walked, smiled and said, 'Hey guys, what about me?' (Minnesota Star Tribune)
3. He finished third in voting for 2011-12 NBA Most Improved Player.
4. His 56.4-percent field goal percentage in 2011-12 set a franchise-high for the T-Wolves, breaking Kevin Garnett's record of 52.6 (2005-06).
5. When pushing for Pek and Kevin Love to earn spots in the All-Star Game in 2013-14, the Timberwolves cut a vinyl album called the 'Bruise Brothers,' playing off the 'Saturday Night Live' Blues Brothers sketch.
Check out Pekovic's video and photo in the LEAGUE section of the app.
Previous: Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs, France) | Next Up: Pablo Prigioni (New York Knicks, Argentina)