Armani Milano bolstered its backcourt line on Wednesday, after signing Canadian guard Kevin Pangos to a two-year deal.
Pangos became a free agent after parting ways with CSKA Moscow and immediately joined the Italians. He will be the replacement of EuroLeague star guard Sergio Rodriguez, who returned to Real Madrid.
“I’m very excited for the opportunity to play for such a great organization and to represent this nice city of Milan. I can’t wait to get started, to work with this group of guys and help the team win as much as possible,” Kevin Pangos told Armani’s official website.
Last season, he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, making his NBA debut and averaging 1.7 points and 1.3 assists in 23 games.
Kevin Pangos will now headline a Milano backcourt line that includes Billy Baron, Devon Hall and Naz Mitrou-Long, among others.
📝 Kevin Pangos all’Olimpia Milano: “Sono felice di poter rappresentare questo Club e questa città” ➡️ https://t.co/YPQdF60FNy 📝 @KPangos is coming to Milano: “Excited for the opportunity to play for this Club and this city” ➡️ https://t.co/DjgkpJfNIg #insieme #WelcomeKevin pic.twitter.com/ZdUZI18RcU — Olimpia Milano (@OlimpiaMI1936) July 27, 2022
With that in mind, what will the Canadian point guard bring to the squad?
Offensively, Kevin Pangos is an efficient point guard and a consistet three-point shooter (39% in 2020/21 season with Zenit). One of his strengths is his jump shot, with the majority of his points in the field coming off jump-shot attempts.
His jump-shot ability and his decent three-point shooting make him a focal point on offense, while his quick and compact release makes it difficult for bigger and more athletic defenders to guard him.
Pangos is also versatile in pick-and-roll situations, as he can both find rolling big men and hit three-pointers off of the dribble.
Defensively, Kevin Pangos is an engaged defender, despite his lack of length and size. He moves his feet well and fights through screens to defend the pick-and-roll.
Despite his short wingspan and average physical profile, he is an above-average defender that can fit to Armani’s defensive tactics.
Some areas that the 29-year-old has to improve is his close-out defense and his finishes at the rim when driving to the basket.
However, we should often see him finish his attempt with a floater and not with a layup, despite his solid body control.
Photo: EuroLeague Basketball
Kevin Pangos will certainly need some time to return to shape and play at the elite level he competed in his lone season with Zenit Saint Petersburg.
Pangos averaged 13.5 points and 6.7 assists in 39 EuroLeague games during the 2020/21 season with Zenit, on 52,2% from the field and 39% from beyond the arc.
He was also chosen to the All-EuroLeague First Team, while he and Zenit also finished first in the VTB League regular season.
Pangos will reunite with Billy Baron after playing together for Zenit, while head coach Ettore Messina expects him to be an upgrade to the point-guard position, following the departure of Rodriguez and Malcolm Delaney.
Overall, the addition of Kevin Pangos brings an elite point guard to Milano’s backcourt line, as the Italians aim to return to the EuroLeague Final Four after an one-year absence.
Photo: EuroLeague Basketball
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