Maxim Grigoryev: League's Top Russian Player In October

Nizhny Novgorod guard Maxim Grigoryev has been named the VTB United League's top Russian player in October.

This is the fourth season that the VTB United League will honor the top players from each league nation, with the 2015-16 award winners to be announced at the end of the regulatr season.

An expert panel appointed by the VTB United League will determine the winners in the seven league nations represented by one club (Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Finland and Georgia). The top player in Russia, which is represented by nine clubs, will be determined by league experts as well as league media partner TASS. The results from each month of the regular season will also be factored into the selection.

Nizhny Novgorod guard Maxim Grigoryev picks up the award for the first month of the season. Nizhny Novgorod went 4-1 in October (including a win over CSKA) and Grigoryev put up huge numbers for his club: 17.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 16.6 efficiency rating per game.

Last season at Lokomotiv-Kuban, Grigoryev also won the league's Russian player of the month award in October. He's made even bigger progress this season, earning a spot on the league's All-October squad in addition to the Russian honor.

Joining Grigoryev in October's Top 3, as selected by the VTB United League and TASS, are Nizhny Novgorod forward Semen Antonov and Khimki guard Alexey Shved.

- It's really nice to be named the Top Russian Player, - noted Grigoryev. - I don't view this as an individual award. It's a team award. Thank you to my teammates, coaches, staff and fans for trusting me. We really had a pretty good month.