And we are underway! The 2023 FIBA World Cup tipped off this past Friday and Saturday with sensational action transpiring on both ends of the basketball court. Especially in Group E, headlined by Australia, Finland, Germany and Japan.
Here’s everything you need to know, continuing with Group E:
🇦🇺Australia (FIBA Rank: 3)
How They Got Here: Year in and year out, Australia has been known to the world as one of the strongest competitors in the sport, rivaling powerhouses like Spain and the USA. Australia looks to make a habit of their 2019 podium finish last World Cup. There was no sign of slowing down in the Asian Qualifiers, where they won all but one of their 18 matches.
The Guy: The first guy everyone thinks of when asked about Team Australia–and for good reason–is none other than starting point guard Patty Mills. An NBA Champion, Mills knows a thing or two about winning; and even at 35 years old, still finds ways to score on all parts of the floor, and make a defensive impact, too. Against Finland on Friday, Mills looked awesome: his 25 points, eight rebounds, and four steals led the way for the Aussies in 98-72 beatdown.
Talk about making an impact: 25 PTS I 8 REB 📊
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 25, 2023
🦘 Patty Mills claims the TCL Player of the Game crown in his first #FIBAWC game in Okinawa! #WinForAustralia 🇦🇺 #InspireGreatness pic.twitter.com/JfW7LzEvDL
X-Factor: The biggest game-changer for Australia has to be the player who can do something that’s never been done in FIBA WC history: record a triple-double. Josh Giddey is the man for the job. Standing at 6’8″, Giddey has a superb passing ability and IQ, knows how to get to the rim, and can shoot if need be. Already in their exhibition against Venezuela he had 14 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, and then again in their opener, he had 14, 9, and 8 in just 25 minutes. Even when Australia has to face tougher competition, Giddey will remain the puzzle few teams can solve.
Josh Giddey – Image Credit: FIBA
🇫🇮Finland (FIBA Rank: 24)
How They Got Here: In the last decade or so, Finland has been on a consistent upward trend, making themselves a serious contender in EuroBasket, and earned a second World Cup bids in three tries, their first in 2014. During their run in EuroBasket, they made it all the way to the quarterfinals, winning in a thrilling upset over Croatia.
The Guy: In that win, the name to remember was the Utah Jazz All-Star Lauri Markkanen: he was absolutely unstoppable, with a 43-point, nine-rebound, three-assist stat-line. Markkanen had a breakout season in the NBA this year, but has long been the man for the Finns. The team is surely going to be on his back this year, but Finland will need more than just Markkanen to defeat any of their group stage opponents.
Talk about preparation games 👀 😳
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 4, 2023
🇫🇮 Finland beat Lithuania at the buzzer 🚨 in front of record-breaking Finnish crowd at Nokia Arena 🔥
Lauri Markkanen dropped 24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals 🥶#FIBAWC x #WinForFinland pic.twitter.com/v8c2N9qwNP
X-Factor: Outside of Markkanen, there’s a big question on who is going to step up: against Australia, it looked like Sasu Salin would be that supporting guy. He tallied 13 points and two steals in a rough loss, but did serve as the silver lining for their opener.
🇩🇪Germany (FIBA Rank: 11)
How They Got Here: If there’s anyone in the group stage who looks ready to compete with Australia, it’s Germany. The Germans have a great bunch playing with them this tournament, and match up with a team like Australia, or any top team for that matter, as good as any team in the whole World Cup. As far as EuroBasket went, Team Germany looked like themselves, earning top spot in their group to qualify.
The Guy: Really, any starter on the team has the potential to step up and be their best player immediately. What it might come down to in this case, then, is having a good mixture of leadership and skill: for the Germans, Dennis Schroder stands out as the man who best symbolizes those traits.
Dennis Schroder – Image Credit: FIBA
Schroder has been a longtime member of Germany basketball, playing for them as early as 2012. Now a veteran, Schroder will be relied on as a scorer, ball-handler, and most importantly, a leader, which this otherwise young German team definitely needs.
X-Factor: Outside of Schroder, the biggest names for Germany are the Wagner brothers, Mo and Franz. Both in their early twenties, the Wagners are the clear future for Team Germany, but even now they’re dominating. Against Japan, they had 35 of Germany’s 81 points, and Mo added nine boards, while Franz had five assists. The two complement each other very well, and are likely the key to unlocking Germany’s full potential in this World Cup.
WAGNER. MAGIC. 💫💫#FIBAWC x #WinForDeutschland 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/XSyib11VAy
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 25, 2023
🇯🇵Japan (FIBA Rank: 36)
How They Got Here: Japan got some unfortunate news when the country’s most famous basketball player, Rui Hachimura, announced he would be sitting out for the World Cup; still, they were solid in the Asian Qualifiers, earning third place overall.
The Guy: Yuta Watanabe is both Japan’s biggest strength, but in a way their biggest weakness, too. Watanabe made a name for himself as an electric spark off-the-bench for the Brooklyn Nets last season, but now is shoved into the role of superstar. Watanabe’s all-around talent as a shooting big is a great thing to have for Japan, but exposes their lack of star talent behind him, which will be exploited.
Yuta Watanabe – Image Credit: FIBA
X-Factor: If there’s someone who has begun standing out as Japan’s other biggest contributor, Yudai Baba has shown his capability of doing so. He started ramping up his play as of recent, serving as the leading scorer in their final exhibition game against Slovenia, and adding 15 alongside Watanabe’s 20 in their loss to Germany. Any win for Japan will come down to good play from guys like Baba.
Team Japan – Image Credit: FIBA
Prediction:
- Australia
- Germany
- Finland
- Japan
To the detriment of Finland and Japan, there may no be other first round group as top heaving as Group E. Australia and Germany will both cruise to top-two finishes and advance, while Finland and Japan will learn a hard lesson on the disparity between the top-10 and everyone else in the world of FIBA, but will still make their countries proud with their effort nonetheless.
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