August 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\nFortunately, he was diagnosed with simply a knee contusion and was back practicing and playing with the Slovenian team in the following days. He is good to go for EuroBasket and will be in the mix for tournament MVP if Slovenia has a strong showing.<\/p>\n
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece)<\/p>\n
Antetokounmpo thrives in international basketball \u2014 he was the leading scorer at the Paris Olympics last summer, averaging 25.8 points along with 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists across four games. He was the leading scorer at the 2022 EuroBasket, averaging 29.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists a game.<\/p>\n
Last summer, Antetokounmpo and Greece advanced out of group play at the Paris Olympics but were knocked out in the quarterfinals of the knockout round by Germany. Their goals for this tournament are higher.<\/p>\n
Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia)<\/p>\n
Porzingis is a prototypical European stretch five, a player who can protect the rim on defense but on offense can space the floor and force other team\u2019s bigs out of the paint. When healthy he is a force. He was a critical part of Boston\u2019s title run in 2024 and even last season averaged 19.5 points and 6.8 rebounds a game shooting 41.2% from beyond the arc for the Celtics, but health limited him to 42 games.<\/p>\n
Porzingis is at the heart of a remaking of the Hawks roster for this season, they will need him on the court. Which means Atlanta fans will be watching and hoping Porzingis comes out of EuroBasket unscathed.<\/p>\n
Alperen Sengun (Turkiye)<\/p>\n
Sengun was an NBA All-Star last season who averaged 19.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists a game. That said, he didn\u2019t seem to catch the eye of casual fans \u2014 something that may be about to change. Sengun is poised for a breakout season as the hub of a Houston Rockets attack featuring Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson. That breakout could start at EuroBasket, especially if Sengun keeps playing like he did in tune-up games.<\/p>\n
Lauri Markkanen (Finland)<\/p>\n
The Utah forward \u2014 who likes it in Salt Lake and isn\u2019t looking to be traded, even if teams are calling about him and Danny Ainge is listening \u2014 had a couple of very impressive seasons for the Jazz before seeing his efficiency drop off last season on a rebuilding squad. He still averaged 19 points and 5.9 rebounds a game, but his true shooting percentage of .571 was about the league average, and well below his previous two seasons, and that was indicative of all his efficiency stats. Will we see a healthy and rejuvenated Markkanen at EuroBasket, and will that mean his efficiency bounces back?<\/p>\n
Franz Wagner (Germany)<\/p>\n
Brothers Franz and Mo Wagner \u2014 Orlando Magic teammates \u2014 will both suit up for Germany in this tournament, but Franz is the one ready for a breakout. He averaged 24.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists a game last season for the Magic, but missed out on the All-Star Game and postseason awards due to an oblique injury sidelining him for a chunk of the season. This season, as one of the offensive engines for a Magic team poised to break into the top four in the East and make a lot of noise (they are a great candidate for an Indiana-style postseason run), Franz is going to get a lot of shine. That could start at EuroBasket with a German team that is the No. 2 betting favorite to win the entire tournament.<\/p>\n
Dennis Schroder, Germany<\/p>\n
While the Wagner brothers may get the headlines, the rock-solid point guard play of Dennis Schroder on both ends of the court is what makes Germany so dangerous. He is going to get them in the right positions to make plays (and he may find it easier to do that with this German team than with the oddly built Sacramento Kings next season). Last season in the NBA, Schroder bounced between Brooklyn, Golden State and Detroit, and while starting for the Nets he averaged 18.4 points and 6.6 assists a game (with the Warriors he was playing behind Stephen Curry, and with the Pistons he was behind Cade Cunningham, so the roles were very different than with the Nets \u2014 his role with Germany is closer to Brooklyn).<\/p>\n
Deni Avdija (Israel)<\/p>\n
Not a lot of fans noticed the leap Deni Avdija made last season because not a lot of fans outside the Pacific Northwest were watching the Portland Trail Blazers. That said, he thrived in a larger role after being traded out of Washington and posted career highs in points at 16.9, rebounds (7.3) and assists (3.9). He had an impressive true shooting percentage of 60.5. Avdija has had some big games in youth international tournaments, we\u2019ll see if he can step up on this larger stage for Israel.<\/p>\n
Guerschon Yabusele, France<\/p>\n
France is a little thin along the frontline for this tournament, with Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert both out for a team that won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics a year ago.<\/p>\n
That puts a lot on Yabusele, who broke out at the Paris Olympics \u2014 14 points and 3.3 rebounds a game \u2014 which got him back in the NBA with a contract in Philadelphia (this coming season, he will have a key bench role for New York). If you\u2019re questioning how much Yabusele can lift the French team, just remember what he did to LeBron James in Paris.<\/p>\n
Nikola Vucevic, Montenegro<\/p>\n
The veteran NBA center is the kind of floor-spacing five who thrives in international basketball, he shot 40.2% from beyond the deeper NBA 3-point line last season. He averaged 18.5 points and 10.1 rebounds a game for Chicago last season and is going to put up numbers for Montenegro as their best and go-to player.<\/p>\n
Santi Aldama, Spain<\/p>\n
There is pressure on the Spanish side, which is the defending EuroBasket champions and has won four of the last six of these tournaments, but now is in a generational transition and may not have the talent to compete at the highest levels. A lot of that pressure falls on Aldama, one of the best players of the generation coming up (with brothers Willy and Juancho Hernangomez as the other big names). The Grizzlies\u2019 stretch big averaged 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds a game in the NBA last season.<\/p>\n
Bogdan Bogdanovic, Serbia<\/p>\n
It is the veteran wing Bogdanovic, not Jokic, who is the Serbian captain, which speaks to the level of respect for the sharpshooter. In the Paris Olympics last summer, Bogdanovic averaged 17.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game, helping lead Serbia to the bronze medal (and almost upsetting the USA in the medal round). He sets the tone for a Serbian team thinking gold this summer.<\/p>\n