Shenzhen Government Online
Group D: Serbia a heavy favorite
From: FIBA
Updated: 2019-08-28 16:08

SERBIA has been on a roll as the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 nears, and there doesn’t seem to be any legitimate threat to its dominance in Group D.

The Serbians have risen to the very top of the latest version of the World Cup Power Rankings and for very good reason. They haven’t lost any of their preparation games to date, highlighted by wins over Lithuania (twice), Italy (twice), Turkey and the Giannis Antetokounmpo-powered Greece. They will face the Italians anew in Group D along with the Andray Blatche-led Philippines and World Cup veterans Angola, which is making its seventh appearance on the biggest stage of international hoops.

Team to beat: Serbia

The Orlovi are bringing in their big guns to the World Cup. Nearly all of their NBA talents have answered the call of the national team as they have a generation of players that more than a few believe can pose a significant challenge to unseat Team USA’s stranglehold on the throne.

Powering Serbia’s engine will be their terrific triumvirate of big men bannered by Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Boban Marjanovic of the Philadelphia 76ers and Nemanja Bjelica of the Sacramento Kings.

Key matchup:

Italy vs. Philippines

Assuming Serbia plays true to form, all the other three teams in Group D will be playing to join the group front-runner through to the second round. Angola, despite being seasoned World Cup veteran, is the clear underdog in the group, which means the contest pitting the Squadra Azzurra and Gilas Pilipinas carries extremely consequential repercussions.

Star: Nikola Jokic (Serbia)

There is no other player in this group who will command as much attention as the Serbian frontliner. For some basketball die-hards, Nikola Jokic isn’t just the best center from Europe, he’s the best center in the NBA and on the planet.

His combination of size, heft, mobility, court vision, passing and shooting make him a nightmarish matchup for any opponent.



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