4. Serbia (3-1)
Serbia, which took silver in last year’s FIBA World Cup and is generally considered one of the best national teams on the planet, has been tough to gauge so far.
They didn’t put up much of a fight against the Americans in their pool play opener, falling 110-84 and missing 37 of 46 3s along the way. Then they routed Puerto Rico (107-66), which was certainly better than the alternative but not all that insightful considering the disparity in status and talent.
But if any game showcased their strengths, it was the 96-85 win over South Sudan on Saturday in which the Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanović caught fire (30 points on 10 of 14 shooting, including six 3s) and the Nuggets’ three-time NBA MVP, Nikola Jokić, went for 22 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. If Serbia is going to medal, those two will carry the vast majority of the load.
5. France (2-1)
It’s not great for France’s prospects that Victor Wembanyama’s Olympics debut has been so choppy.
The Spurs’ 20-year-old sensation has moments of brilliance, like when he took over in overtime against Japan on Tuesday. But he has long stretches where he’s a non-factor too, like the three quarters that preceded his outburst against Japan and continued a problematic trend.
After France fell to Germany on Friday, coach Vincent Collet even highlighted Wembanyama’s penchant for ball-stopping on offense as an issue. So yes, in other words, there are significant wrinkles that need to be ironed out. Still, “Wemby” is averaging team highs in scoring (17.0 per game) and rebounds (10.7) while joining forces with four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert down low (2.7 blocks per game for Gobert; 2.0 per for Wembanyama).
The veterans on this team — namely Nic Batum and Evan Fournier — will need to find a way to improve the cohesiveness and chemistry if France is going to advance.
6. Brazil (1-2)
The Brazilians went 1-2 in pool play, losing to France (78-66) and Germany (86-73) before downing Japan on Friday (102-84). The Brazilians aren’t elite, but the Bruno Caboclo show has certainly been worth watching.
The 28-year-old who was the 20th pick of the Raptors in 2014, and whose last NBA days came with the Houston Rockets in the 2020-21 season, has played in France, Brazil, Mexico, Germany and Serbia since then. He’s averaging 13 points (second on the team) and 7.3 rebounds (team-high).
Brazil also features the oldest men’s basketball player in the Games in Marcelo Huertas, the 41-year-old point guard (LeBron at 39 is second on that list) who spent two seasons with the Lakers (2015-17) and currently plays for CB Canarias in Spain. And if Huertas & Co. want to play their way onto LeBron’s list, there’s an easy way to do it: Pull off a stunner today.
GO FURTHER
LeBron’s (and Sam’s) Olympics men’s basketball knockout-round power rankings
