Matty Writes Sports

The FIBA World Cup is fast approaching and so, fans from all across the world are eagerly anticipating the beginning of the tournament, with the first game between Angola and Italy, taking place on the 25th August with tip off at 16:00 local time. With that in mind, here are the 5 teams that, I believe, may be able to make a big impression at the tournament in East Asia.

5. Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic are my first team to watch, as, the Caribbean country will be eagerly anticipating their first game against the Philippines. The team’s roster will have been significantly bolstered by the arrival of three time NBA All Star and two time All NBA Centre, Karl Anthony Towns, who announced his intention to play for Las Dominicanas. The Timberwolves star, who missed 53 games for the team last season, will be joining the National Squad for the first time since he was 16 years old, and will provide additional firepower for coach Nestor García’s offence. He averaged just over 20 points per contest last season for the Wolves, and he will be looking to transfer his scoring to the FIBA level this summer.

In Qualification, the team finished in 2nd behind a tough Canadian squad, and, with the addition of Towns, the team will be looking to improve upon their showing in 2019, where they finished 16th, among the 32 qualified nations.

Also in the team, is Lester Quinones, a small forward for the Santa Cruz Warriors, however, he does hold a Two-Way contract with the Dubs. Quinones featured in 5 NBA games last season, but will be looking to prove that he deserves regular NBA minutes with a strong performance in the tournament this year.

Andres Feliz, who played college basketball for Illinois and currently plies his trade with Club Juventut Badalona of the Spanish LIGA ACB, Victor Liz and Angel Delgado will be the likely players to round out Garcia’s starting five, and, competing in a group with Angola, The Philippines and Italy, who knows how far the Caribbean nation could go. If their display against Canada was anything to go by, it could be far.

4. Canada

Over the past few years, Canada has become one of the quickest improving nations in the world of basketball. They haven’t qualified for the Olympics since 2000, and their last performance in the FIBA World Cup left a lot to be desired, finishing 21st out of 32 countries.

However, the Canadians have been steadily improving and, after a narrow defeat to the Czech Republic that ended their hopes of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics, this time, The Road Warriors are armed to the teeth with a flurry of NBA talent, with the pick of the bunch being OKC Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Canadian became a 1st Team All NBA player last season, averaging 31.4 points per contest and hauling the Thunder up the NBA standings. Alongside Shai is his OKC Teammate Luguentz Dort, who brings stifling defence to the table, and a reasonable 3 point shot. Dillon Brooks, defensive leader for the Grizzlies and, next season, the Houston Rockets will bring the aggression to the Canadian floor, as well as New York Knicks wing RJ Barrett, who can certainly hold his own on the defensive end.

Another man who can hold his own is Shai’s cousin and Timberwolves guard/wing Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who carved out a valuable role for himself coming off of the Wolves’ bench. In the playoffs, when the Wolves missed Jaden McDaniels, Nickeil was tasked with defending compatriot Jamal Murray, who misses this tournament as a precaution, which given his injury history, is probably the safe choice. Kelly Olynyk and Dwight Powell are the last two NBA players on the roster. Olynyk has been a reliable backup guard for almost ten years now, and will bring a much needed veteran presence to the young Canadian roster.

Canada, at long last, look ready to compete for silverware. Could the trophy have their name on it on the 10th September? It just might.

3. Australia

The Boomers have been growing in strength for a long time, and that finally culminated in some silverware at the Tokyo Olympics, where Australia got their first ever medal in a worldwide competition, after defeating Slovenia 107-93 in the Bronze medal game. Patrick Mills popped off for 42 in that game, and the 14 year NBA veteran is back for another go around.

Mills will be joined by 8 other NBA players, the most in Boomers history, as the sport continues to grow Down Under. Rising Oklahoma City Thunder star Josh Giddey is probably the star of the team, after a season where he averaged 17, 8 and 6, as the Thunder narrowly missed out on a playoff berth. Seasoned NBA Veteran Joe Ingles returns for the Aussies, providing valuable leadership and experience, whilst still being a valuable shooter, even at the age of 37. Matisse Thybulle, who made his debut for the Boomers at the previously mentioned Olympics in Tokyo returns, bringing his smothering perimeter defence back to the international game, and he will likely be tasked with guarding the best of the best that Australia will have to play, a big task for the 26 year old Trail Blazer.

Other players include Pelicans rookie Dyson Daniels, after a promising rookie season in New Orleans, with Mavericks players Dante Exum and Josh Green likely to provide support off of the bench. Green especially, established himself as a key offensive piece for the Mavericks, averaging 9 points off of the bench for the Luka Doncic led team, who missed even the play-in game, in a season which included a trade for Nets superstar Kyrie Irving. Green will look to build on his strong season and help the Boomers to a strong tournament,. Exum, who was drafted 5th overall by the Jazz in 2014, had a short stint with Barcelona, before a spot on the Mavericks’ bench beckoned, where he will play next season.

Can the Australian’s build upon their Olympics performance, and bring the World Cup to Oz for the first time?

2. France

France have long cemented themselves as one of the titans of European basketball, and that doesn’t look likely to change this summer, as France enters the tournament as one of the favourites to take gold, and it isn’t too hard to see why.

Runners up at EuroBasket 2022 behind Powerhouses Spain, Olympic Finalists the year before that, and bronze medallists at the World Cup in China in 2019, France are on a mission to go one better, and claim their first ever FIBA World Cup Victory, and they certainly have the personnel to have a strong go at doing just that.

Rudy Gobert, the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year is the team’s anchor at the 5. The now 31 year old leads the French squad, and, last year, made the All Tournament team at EuroBasket, averaging 13 points per game and 10 rebounds. The Stifle Tower is joined on the roster by Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum, who has been a major contributor to the national team since the 2012 Olympics in London, and when he himself was a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. His game sealing block against Slovenia in the Olympics two years ago showed he still has it, and his play for the Clippers has certainly proved that too.

Outside of the frontcourt, Evan Fournier is a reliable player at the 3, bringing his years of NBA Experience for the Knicks, Celtics and Magic to the tournament, with a backcourt of Elie Okobo and Nando de Colo, who is the all time leading scorer in top level European competitions (i.e the EuroLeague). They bring the tournament experience needed for the French who look ready to bring the trophy back to Paris.

Who knows what could have happened if Victor Wembanyama chose to play…

1. The USA

You knew this was coming. The global powerhouse of basketball, the United States will be looking to add to their impressive list of honours, by adding their 5th FIBA World Cup to their overflowing trophy cabinet. Winning the Olympics against France two years prior, the squad has been totally revamped for the World Cup, including a coaching change, and it is clear that the US’ aim is to win. And to win big.

4 All Stars are on the roster this time around, as opposed to 2 from the, somewhat disappointing 2019 roster, with Timberwolves Superstar Anthony Edwards joining the team. His 2022-23 season with Minnesota was rightly awarded with an All-Star spot, and now, AntMan looks to showcase his talents to the world stage. Fellow 2020 draft class member Tyrese Haliburton accompanies him, with the Pacers man also achieving his first All-Star gig in 2023, as did Jaren Jackson Jr, who also picked up the Defensive Player of the Year award, after his Grizzlies’ obtained the Number 2 seed. The final All-Star is Pelicans wing Brandon Ingram, who has emerged as a leading scorer from the 3 position since his trade from the Los Angeles Lakers.

The positives don’t stop there though. Joining those 4 on Team USA is Knicks playmaker Jalen Brunson, who showed his immense skill in leading the Knicks to a playoff berth this season, as well as his teammate Josh Hart. A savvy defender and shooter took the final roster spot, but has immediately showed his value to the squad already. Rookie of the year winner Paolo Banchero snubbed Italy for the USA, and runner up Walker Kessler brings rim protection and rebounding at the centre position.

Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets, Austin Reaves of the Lakers and Bobby Portis of the Bucks round out the roster, and with 4 time NBA Champion with the Warriors, Steve Kerr at the helm, the US look as strong as ever, evidenced by their exhibition games. A double digit comeback against Germany, where Edwards dropped 34, a 22 point win again Greece, and a 30 point humbling of Slovenia the pick of the bunch. Can anyone stop them this summer? We’ll have to wait and see.