Kia Rookie Spotlight: Alexey Shved

Wolves shooting guard Alexey Shved has garnered significant praise from his teammates throughout the 2012-13 season, mostly for the way he’s managed every situation that’s been thrown his way with a fearless approach. Shved came to the NBA this year from Russia with a blueprint set for him to come off the bench and ease himself into minutes.
That hasn’t been the case.
With Minnesota going through so many injury woes, the Wolves have needed Shved to do much more. He’s been up to the task, and although he currently is working his way back from a sprained left ankle that has kept him out of the past five games, he has been nominated for the NBA’s Kia Rookie of the Month Award for January.
Shved is averaging 10.3 points per game this month, including an 18-point effort against the Thunder in Oklahoma City, and he’s scored in double figures in five of the nine games he’s played this month. He’s averaging 4.6 assists per night and has registered two steals in four of his nine games played in January.
He’s doing it while averaging 31.4 minutes per game this month, including a stretch in which he played 42, 39 and 37 minutes against Atlanta, OKC and New Orleans.
Shved continues to be a threat from 3-point range as well as on the drive. He continues to gain trust from his teammates through his ability to facilitate and penetrate the lane. Take a look at some of his highlights as the month of January comes to a close.