By Ian Wharton
Don’t you just love the sheer unfair madness of it all? A bunch of round-robin games followed by four knockout rounds to decide who is the best of Europe for the whole of the next four years. Look at any national league or continental club competition, the idea of a champion for a single year being decided on such a small sample size would be met with horror. That’s a cup competition at best, a lovely trinket, but to decide bragging rights for so long? My, that’s gloriously unhinged.
EuroBasket used to be like a midterm election. Every two years the pulse of the continent was taken for an immediate decision on the champion in a fleeting moment. It is only in the years since 2017 when Slovenia’s ability to claim the moniker of Kings of Europe for so long that the true value of this 18-day sprint was appreciated.
Now, 24 teams enter, over two-thirds of them survive to the second week, and single elimination breeds arguments from the Baltics to the Balearics and beyond. Oh it’s good to have it back.
EuroBasket History
Eurobasket 2022 is the 41st iteration of Europe’s top national basketball tournament. It occurs every four years, similar to the FIBA Basketball World Cup. It was originally scheduled for 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the competition to 2022.
Qualification began in 2017. There will be 24 countries competing to be the best basketball nation in Europe. There are no debutants in this year’s Eurobasket competition, but Bulgaria makes its way back into the fold for the first time since 2011.
Russia was initially scheduled to participate but was replaced by Montenegro after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Who Is the Favorite to Win EuroBasket 2022?
Serbia
The current favorite to win Eurobasket 2022 is Serbia. They’ve never won gold at the European Championships, though they have earned themselves two silvers. Led by NBA superstar Nikola Jokic, you certainly can’t count Serbia out.
Serbia has shown that they can compete with the best, especially through their last two games. Against both Greece and Turkey, Serbia won by an average of 6.5 points. Shooting 51.5% from the field through two games, they’ll be encouraged by the quality of their offense.
Obviously, Serbia’s player to watch is Nikola Jokic. The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player is one of the best players in the world. Matched up against some of the European basketball superpowers, Jokic keeps Serbia in every game.
Who Are the 2022 EuroBasket Contenders?
Slovenia
Unsurprisingly, ranked as the second favorite to win Eurobasket 2022 is the 2017 champions Slovenia! They are looking to be the first team to win Eurobasket in consecutive showings since Spain in 2009 and 2011.
Slovenia has split their last two games, dominating Estonia but losing disappointingly to Germany. Their loss to Germany was their first of the summer, despite a good performance from Doncic. They’ll want to clean up their rebounding, as they lost the battle 57-27.
Powered by young star Luka Doncic, Slovenia showed that their offense can keep up with Europe’s best. If they want to repeat as champions though, they need to be more productive in the hustle areas.
Greece
The Greek men’s national team find themselves in their best position to win Eurobasket since their gold medal performance in 2005. Their confidence is boosted knowing that one of the world’s best, Giannis Antetokounmpo, will be leading the line.
Greece, as always, is an incredibly physical group. They thrive off of their strength in the paint but have shown struggles when they can’t find their shot. Veteran Nick Calathes and new addition Tyler Dorsey are sure to have the team’s offensive flow at the forefront of their mind.
France
Due to the exponential growth of others, it becomes oddly easy to forget about France’s impressive strength. France is one of Europe’s most intimidating defensive teams. The question surrounding them is whether or not they have the scoring punch to keep up.
The Stars
You’re going to hear a lot about Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic over the next couple of weeks and rightly so. Both of them are absolute megastars and if either’s nation wins it all, there’s zero doubt the tournament MVP will be whichever of them smiles last. That is not to diminish their teammates in the slightest but some things are locks and if you’ve got a generational talent with worldwide name recognition on your team and they do well, it’s nigh impossible for any of their colleagues to outshine them in the eyes of those that make the final decision.
The Joker and the Freak are more than just holders of the last four NBA MVP awards. They represent the hope of basketball-crazed nations that are impatiently waiting for titles. Greece’s last win, in 2005, really doesn’t feel that long ago but it’s long enough for the hunger. Serbia’s wait is made maddening by all of its close calls in major tournaments in recent times. Silver in EuroBasket 2017, silver at the 2016 Olympics, silver at the 2013 World Cup, and the taste of silver sickens Serbian stomachs to the point that gold is the only answer now.
Nikola Jokic – Serbia
The 27-year-old Denver Nuggets center last represented his Serbia at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China and has made no secret of his ambitions for his team going forwards.
The Nuggets player flashed his game-winning credentials just a few days ago in a highly-anticipated qualifying game between Serbia and Greece, featuring Antetokounmpo.
In a clash of the NBA titans, it was the ‘Joker’ that ultimately prevailed; leading Serbia to a 100-94 overtime win in Belgrade with 29 points, eight rebounds and six assists despite Antetokounmpo racking up 40 points. In the extra period, Jokic came alive with six straight points to end Greek hopes of a valuable away victory.
A week previously, he had 26 points, 12 rebounds and six assists as Serbia went down 97-92 in overtime in a rematch of that 2017 Eurobasket final in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana. Jokic is the main man for Serbia as they bid for a first title since the former Yugoslavia triumphed in 2001.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Greece
Greek hopes of a EuroBasket crown will be firmly pinned on the sizeable shoulders of Antetokounmpo.
The two-time NBA MVP and 2021 NBA Championship winner with the Milwaukee Bucks is making his first Eurobasket appearance since 2015 having missed the 2017 edition with a knee injury. Greece’s last Eurobasket title came in 2005, and the ‘Greek Freak’ will be vital to their chances of regaining the crown.
Now 27, Antetokounmpo became the youngest player to reach 14,000 points, 6,000 rebounds and 3,000 assists in his career. In 2022, he averaged 29.9 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 67 games as well as being selected to play in his sixth All-Star game.
Last week, Antetokoumpo scored 40 points in a narrow defeat to Serbia in their 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifier in Belgrade. While Nikola Jokic’s overtime heroics proved decisive for the home team, his Greek counterpart showed he can make his country more than competitive in this upcoming tournament.
Luka Doncic – Slovenia
Doncic was just 18 years old and plying his trade for Real Madrid when Slovenia won the last EuroBasket in 2017. Relatively unknown at the time, Doncic marked himself out as a player to watch after averaging 14.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists to earn a place on the All-Tournament Team.
After leading Real Madrid to the Liga ACB and EuroLeague titles, Doncic was selected third overall in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks where he has blossomed into a superstar. Doncic is a name on everyone’s lips in the NBA, but representing his country means more than anything to the young gun.
Defending the title won’t be easy for Slovenia but with 2017 EuroBasket MVP Goran Dragic, Denver Nugget Vlatko Cancar, and Euroleague standout Mike Tobey by his side, Doncic will give them a fighting chance.
And as shown by his 34 points, six rebounds, and nine assists in the recent friendly win over Serbia, he is well capable of securing Slovenia back-to-back Eurobasket successes.
Rudy Gobert – France
Having taken silver at Tokyo 2020, and defeated the United States in the group stages, France is among the favorites for EuroBasket 2022.
They boast a handful of NBA players on their roster headed by Gobert who sent shockwaves through the sport with his blockbuster summer trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves back in July.
Named to the NBA All-Defensive Team in his last six seasons at the Utah Jazz, as well as claiming the NBA Defensive Player of the Year title in 2018, 2019, and 2021, Gobert is one of Les Bleus’ most valuable assets.
Pair his prolific defending abilities with his on-court relationship with New York Knicks man Evan Fournier, another player known for coming alive for the French team, Gobert and France will take some stopping as they build towards their home Olympics in 2024.
Who Else to Watch For
Svi Mykhailiuk – Ukraine
We cannot speak of men who lead the dreams of their nation without looking at Svi Mykhailiuk. The Ukrainian comes into this tournament without an NBA team, having been waived by the Raptors, but with some rotten form in the recent World Cup qualifying window having performed in ghastly fashion against Italy and not having quite enough against Iceland despite improved stats.
Willy Hernangomez – Spain
New Orleans Pelicans’ Hernangomez will be a player to keep an eye out for as world champions Spain make their bid for European glory. The 2015 winners are without star guard Ricky Rubio as well as the Gasol brothers with Pau retiring from basketball and Marc quitting the national side.
Hernangomez, part of the World Cup-winning side of 2019, will carry more of the burden this time although his average of 9.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists over 50 games NBA last season suggest he will need to step up in this tournament.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, he said, “It is not pressure. It is a responsibility to take a step forward. The good thing we have is that we are a unit; I trust all of them and they trust me.”
Among that unit is his brother Juancho Hernangomez who plays for the Toronto Raptors.
Despite being a team in transition, they despatched Iceland and the Netherlands in a smooth fashion last week in World Cup 2023 qualifiers. In the first of those, Willy Hernangomez scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds in an 87-57 victory over Iceland who surprised Italy back in February.
With three titles in the last five editions, Spain is not a team to be taken lightly.
The Favorites
The usual suspects are atop all of the bookmakers’ odds lists, so long as we assume Slovenia is a usual suspect given its current regnal status. Serbia, at 4/1, are favorites, followed by Greece, Slovenia, France, Lithuania, and Spain. That Spain, winners of three of the last five editions, are merely sixth favorites at 20/1 tells us of the questions facing this emerging generation.
The Dark Horses
It says a great deal about the run-up to this competition that Lithuania has resumed its normal position as an expected contender having looked like it was on a transitional arc to dark horse status. It’s a top table team historically, no question, but its rise to form of late has ensured there was no drop.
That leaves Italy, Croatia, a resurgent-looking Turkey, and Germany as the nearest thing to true dark horses. All offer intrigue, Turkey certainly looks capable of improving on its last few displays in EuroBasket, but one of them is almost a cert to underperform. I just don’t know which. Yet nobody’s really talking about Israel. This probably makes them the most dangerous they have legitimately been in a long time.
Our Picks
Gold: Serbia
Silver: Slovenia
Bronze: France
MVP: Nikola Jokic, Serbia
