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FIBA World Cup Preview: Group D

Group D in 2023 FIBA World Cup - Image Credit: FIBA

Will it be Lithuania, Montenegro, Mexico or Egypt, making an escape out of Group D play of the 2023 FIBA World Cup?

Here’s everything you need to know, continuing with Group D:

🇱🇹Lithuania (FIBA Rank: 8)

How They Got Here: Lithuania, to no one’s surprise, made their way to the World Cup stage after a dominant EuroBasket performance, where they finished second in their group (behind only France), and sported an overall record of 14-4.

The Guy: Unfortunately, NBA All-Star Domantas Sabonis was unable to join the Lithuanian team due to a thumb injury, but nonetheless Lithuania has their star with NBA veteran Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas is bound to be a force down low, and is going to be really hard to stop, given their abundance of height.

X-Factor: While it still remains clear that Valanciunas is their most talented player, a duo may have emerged for The Baltic Giants; in a dominant win versus Egypt, 6’4″ combo guard Margiris Normantas was the leading scorer with 18 points, almost outshining Valanciunas’ 15 and 10. If this duo can make this effort a habit, Lithuanian basketball should continue to see themselves near the top.

🇲🇪Montenegro (FIBA Rank: 18)

How They Got Here: Montenegro is a great example of Balkan dominance in the basketball world. Even without some of their top athletes, Montenegro did well for themselves in EuroBasket in order to qualifying, earning third place in their group and advancing. During their run, they sported some of the best defense, finishing third in the tournament in points against per game.

The Guy: Without a doubt, Nikola Vucevic is gonna be the main for Montenegro all tournament long. Already, Vuc proved how valuable he really is in a 27-point, 10-rebound effort in the midst of a opening 91-71 win over Mexico. Vucevic is really the end-all, be-all for the Montenegrin squad: if he’s good, they’re good, plain and simple.

X-Factor: As the second-tallest country worldwide, Montenegro’s strength is definitely their forwards. But nonetheless, the backcourt has looked amazing since they ramped up exhibition games in early August. Starting shooting guard Nikola Ivanovic has quickly become Vucevic’s sharpshooting right-hand man, scoring 14 on 4/7 shooting earlier this morning, and providing a big 18-point effort against Georgia earlier this month.

🇲🇽Mexico (FIBA Rank: 31)

How They Got Here: Mexico has joined the recent trend of Latin American countries making their way into the ranks of top basketball countries, earning a bid in this year’s World Cup for their fifth ever appearance. Team Mexico looks for redemption after missing out on the 2019 World Cup: they showed their determination to do so in the Americas Qualifiers, fueled by an electric offense which finished 4th in points and 3rd in assists in the qualifiers.

The Guy: If there’s any guy worth remembering on Mexico, it’s Pako Cruz. As the fourth leading scorer in the Americas Qualifiers (17.0 points per game), and lights-out shooter (46% from three during that stretch), Cruz is the man behind Mexico’s fast-moving, efficient offense. Despite a rough opening loss versus Montenegro, Cruz still played well, tallying 16 points, three rebounds, and six assists.

X-Factor: One of Mexico’s biggest weaknesses, especially given their draw of Group D, is size: Mexico has only five players above 6’7″, while Montenegro and Lithuania sport some of the tallest teams in the world, year in and year out. But hope remains for this small-ball group, as a new star forward may be emerging: Joshua Ibarra.

Joshua Ibarra – Image Credit: FIBA

At 6’11”, he is far and away the biggest guy on the team, and was able to hold his own — he scored 13 points and grabbed three boards against Montenegro.

🇪🇬Egypt (FIBA Rank: 55)

How They Got Here: Egypt looked great in the Africa Qualifiers, finishing 13-5, and dominating in the rebounding category (43.1 per game). Though they hardly have a history on the world stage, Egypt wants to turn their fortunes surrounded by a young, talented core.

The Guy: Despite a strong overall core, there isn’t exactly one guy who stands out: if there had to be anybody, though, the two that come to mind are Assem Marei, and Amr El Gendy, who combined for 27 in their opening loss versus Lithuania. The guard-forward combination is seeming to find their rhythm though, and will improve game by game.

X-Factor: Facing three very tough, physical teams in their group, the Pharoahs need big bodies to do some damage themselves. 7-foot giant Anas Mahmoud is the beast they need: but he still needs to be woken up. He played solidly in their opener — 11 points and three rebounds, but will need to do more to give Egypt a fighting chance.

Predictions:

  1. Montenegro
  2. Lithuania
  3. Mexico
  4. Egypt

This group can be best defined as the Davids versus the Goliaths, both figuratively and literally. In this case, though, the Goliaths are more than likely going to come on top: Montenegro and Lithuania, with their superior size, physicality, structure, and history, have too much on their side. Unfortunately, Mexico and Egypt are too new to the game to be able to make any major upsets this early on.

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