×
31 August, 2017
17 September
4 Pau Gasol (ESP)
12/07/2017
News
to read

With 50 days to go, it's Power Rankings time

MUNICH (FIBA EuroBasket 2017) - With 50 days to go until FIBA EuroBasket 2017, our pundit in the stands decided it was time to weigh in with the first power rankings of the season.

RANK

NATION

MOVE

 

1

The Gasol brothers are back together, guys. And Pau was so dominant at FIBA EuroBasket 2015, finishing just 0.2 of a point under his scoring average from FIBA EuroBasket 2003! Spain are clear favorites just by announcing the names for the training camp...

2

Even with Jokic out, Serbia have enough firepower to challenge the rest of Europe. Heck, if their starting five were Teodosic, Bogdanovic, a monument, a chair and a tree, Serbia would've still been a favorite to reach the podium. The best-placed European team in Rio!

  Last summer for the checkered ones: def. Greece; def. Italy (both at OQT Turin); def. France (friendly); def. Spain; def. Lithuania (both at Olympics). If they repeat that perfect run in September, the Croats can be back on the podium. They haven’t been there in 22 years!

Greece had high hopes last summer, but never made it out of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Italy. Which only adds more motivation for Giannis Antetokounmpo and his teammates. And remember, Giannis thinks this team could take on USA.

2013 champions France will be without star players such as Parker, Batum, Gobert. It marks a new beginning for Vincent Collet, and the rebuilding of the team will go by easily, as he can still count on Heurtel, De Colo or NBA starters Fournier and Luwawu-Cabarrot.

Turkey's Oniki Dev Adam or 12 Giant Men have had their biggest successes in 2001 and 2010, winning silver on both occasions. The connection between the FIBA EuroBasket 2001, FIBA World Cup 2010 and FIBA EuroBasket 2017? All played in their backyard, in Istanbul.

We all know Lithuania will somehow win a medal again, don’t we? It will be interesting seeing them fight off the hangover of the Olympic Quarter-Finals dismantling they suffered against Australia. A place in the Quarter-Finals is a lock for the colorful nation.

Really hoping to see Italy facing up Croatia at some point. That psychological war between Ettore Messina and Aco Petrovic needs a sequel. No Bargnani or Gentile this time around for the Azzurri, but Belinelli and Jesus Of Basketball Datome are in for Messina.

Perfect displays in the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 Qualifiers have not washed away the bitter feelings of 2015 for Slovenia. But with Goran Dragic running the point and enjoying the company of teenage sensation Luka Doncic, they might just be the dark horse in the fight for podium.

10

Is Europe ready for Porzingis-mania yet? Preparation games cannot come soon enough for Latvia, and with San Antonio Spurs forward Davis Bertans also in the team, expect them to rise in the Power Rankings as the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 approaches.

11

Big man Timofey Mozgov went all in, saying: "Our team can win EuroBasket." That would be a gigantic leap from Russia's 2013 and 2015 outings, when they failed to advance from the Group Phase. Qualifiers clean sweep gives them hope heading into FIBA EuroBasket 2017.

12

  The one-two punch of Tomas Satoransky and Jan Vesely led Czech Republic to the seventh spot a couple of years ago. Now they need to show the rest of the continent that performance was not a fluke. Can't wait to see what chef Satoransky serves up.

13

Tyrese Rice is back for the first time since 2013. And good luck scoring when you see Bojan Dubljevic and Nikola Vucevic in front of you. Add the wisdom of the 70-year-old playcaller Bogdan Tanjevic to the mix, Montenegro could have a fun summer…

14

NBA Champ leading his team at the FIBA EuroBasket 2017! Zaza Pachulia leads an experienced Georgia side with Shengelia, Sanikidze, Shermadini, Markoishvili all ready to contribute. Mike Dixon retains the naturalized spot on the roster, he’ll get from 0 to 30 in no time.

15

We haven't seen Germany in the Quarter-Finals since FIBA EuroBasket 2007. Dennis Schroder was 14 at the time. He’ll celebrate his 24th birthday on September 15th, a trip back to the knockout stage for the first time in ten years would be a nice present.

16

  Susijengi are on the rise when it comes to basketball. If Finland could use their home court advantage against Greece, France, Slovenia, Iceland and Poland to get a better seed for the Round of 16, they could even be the surprise package for the Quarter-Finals.

17

Group B hosts Israel finished FIBA EuroBasket 2015 in 10th spot with a 3-3 record. But they were nowhere near the Quarter-Finals as Italy crushed them with an 82-52 Round of 16 win. And they are due for a re-match on the very first day of competition in 2017.

18

Marcin Gortat has retired from Poland's national team, Gonzaga's Przemek Karnowski and Banvit's Damian Kulig must take over in the frontcourt. That is a tough task against group rivals Greece, France, Slovenia and the hosts, Finland…

19

This number 19 could easily be a number 8. Escaping a hungry group of Lithuania, Georgia, Italy, Germany and Israel could be harder for Ukraine than advancing in an elimination game against a Group A rival. Ukraine finished on a 1-4 record in 2015.

20

Practically the same as Poland and Ukraine, Belgium have been drawn in a nightmare of a group, with the host Turkey, Rio runners-up Serbia, motivated Russia and Kristaps Porzingis. And even if they do advance, they could see Spain in Round of 16…

21

Hungary return to the big stage for the first time since France 1999. The lack of experience at this level could prove costly for the feel-good story of the Qualifiers. Especially in a group with Spain, Croatia, Czech Republic and Montenegro.

22

Great Britain are in that same group as Belgium a couple of places ago. Not going to use a Brexit joke, but unless they pull off a massive surprise in Istanbul, they will continue their run of Group Phase exits, the one that started in 2009.

23

The summer of Iceland was in 2016, fueled by the unlikely Quarter-Finals run of their soccer team at UEFA Euro 2016 in France. Their basketball team then easily qualified for FIBA EuroBasket 2017, but a place in the Top eight seem even unlikelier than at UEFA Euro 2016.

24

Group C hosts Romania have a fifth-place finish to their name. But that was waaaaay back in 1957…their last appearance at the FIBA EuroBasket was in 1987, when they finished on a 0-7 record in Greece. Home crowd support could see them claim a win or two.

*The power rankings are entirely subjective and is in no way a true, accurate ranking systems. All comments are purely those of the author.

FIBA