There was no shortage of stand-out performers as Dolomiti Energia Trento beat Buducnost VOLI Podgorica in Group D on Wednesday for one of just two road wins in Round 2 of the 7DAYS EuroCup Regular Season.
But one man stood above the rest in both his timing and execution – and they'll be treating George King like royalty at Trento if he continues to perform at the level he displayed on Wednesday.
King hit 5 three-pointers threes during Trento's first win in the EuroCup this season. That matched the second-highest total for a Trento shooter in the club's 50 EuroCup games to date.
It was a daunting challenge, too, against Buducnost in its home opener. But in a low-scoring game the finished 68-77 for Trento, King was on the mark with 15 points. And if it wasn't for a failed Hail Mary attempt to beat the first-half buzzer, his three-point percentage might have been perfect.
Fast forward to the fourth quarter. After a couple of lead changes and with momentum seeming to swing to Buducnost and its raucous fans, Trento boss Nicola Brienza called a timeout with is team leading 68-69 and 1 minute left to play. Trento had led by as much as 11 before that, but now Brienza needed to dial up a play that would let the visitors finish their hard work with a victory.
It was King's name he called in the huddle during that timeout. And King did not disappoint. The 1.98-meter shooting guard arched a shot perfectly from the arc to give the visitors a 68-72 advantage with 44 seconds to play. Buducnost would not score again, while King added his fifth triple at the buzzer, which could mean a lot in a tie-break situation going forward.
King played college basketball at University of Colorado from 2013 to 2018 and had a stint with the Phoenix of the NBA and its G-League affiliate. Trento is his first team from outside the United States, but he is already liking the baskets in Europe. His 7 three-pointers made tie for third best in the EuroCup after two games, and only one player has made more shots at a higher rate than his 70% from downtown so far.
When Trento signed King in July of this year, Brienza said, "On offense, he can open the floor with his excellent outside shot." That is already apparent after just two games.