Timma's all-round brilliance making Latvia dream of glory

ISTANBUL (FIBA EuroBasket 2017) - Unsurprisingly, Kristaps Porzingis has stolen the show during Latvia's run at FIBA EuroBasket 2017. The 22-year-old superstar has been one of the tournament's best players and probably the most entertaining.

With his unique wingspan, where he can seemingly come from nowhere to dunk, and ability to drain threes, Porzingis has been essential viewing, making Latvia one of the most prominent teams of the tournament.

However, it would be entirely unfair to label Latvia a one-man team. They are riding a hot five-game winning streak into their mouthwatering Quarter-Final clash with Slovenia through teamwork and enviable firepower.

Perhaps overshadowed by Porzingis mania, Latvia forward Janis Timma has been a more than handy sidekick to be one of the chief reasons for the team's success. As a versatile forward, capable of playing the small and power forward, Timma has averaged 15.2 points, a team-high 6.3 rebounds and 4 assists per game. Underlying his importance, Timma is only fractionally behind Porzingis in efficiency at 21.3.

In the Round of 16, Timma starred with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in Latvia's 32-point win against Montenegro. When the 25-year-old is controlling all areas like that, Latvia lift another gear and play like a team genuinely capable of going all the way.

At 6ft 7in (2.01m) and strongly built, Timma is a workhorse on the glass and can match it against taller opponents. He can also handle the ball and has good play-making skills to provide plenty of options for coach Ainars Bagatskis.

Amid such a stellar tournament, a confident Timma says he feels in a good space. "I am older and growing as a person.

"Every year I am working during the summer and trying to get better. For sure it is easier when you have a great group of guys around you, so they teach me a lot and I hope we will keep improving."

Timma believes Latvia's versatility and multitude of options, where they clearly aren't solely reliant on Porzingis, makes them a nightmare matchup for opponents. "We are an incredibly tough team to stop because we have any number of guys who can score when it is their night," he says. "If the opposition concentrates on one guy, then we have other guys who are wide open. Basically, we just share and move the ball, waiting for the good looks.

"We just have a good group of guys who play hard together on every single possession - offense and defense, trying to support and help each other," he adds. "I think this is the most important thing in our game."

Timma's impressive performances on the big stage would have undoubtedly been noticed in the US with the Orlando Magic holding his rights. Timma was initially drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the final pick in the 2013 NBA Draft but was acquired by the Magic in a trade two years ago. However, Timma looks unlikely to be making his NBA debut anytime soon, having recently signed a deal with Spanish club Saski Baskonia.

If Timma continues to impress, the Magic will surely try to entice him over but, right now, he is not focused on the NBA. "I am not concentrating on that," he admits. "I am focusing on myself and if it all comes together and works out, then sure, why not."

Timma's immediate challenge is dealing with a red-hot Slovenia, who remain undefeated and possess two playmaking wizards in Goran Dragic and Luka Doncic. They loom as a major obstacle for Latvia, but Timma is confident his team has the personnel to take them on.

"Doncic and Dragic will be a factor but we have great guards too," he says. "It's going to be a great game, we have nice group of guys to compete with. We are getting better every game, as a team, so hopefully this will keep going the same way."

Dreams of a first medal since 1939 looms as a distinct possibility for Latvia but Timma says the team isn't getting ahead of themselves. "We are not saying it out loud, we are just going game-by-game and other teams are starting to realize this - that we are not just here to play, but are here to win.

"Hopefully we will keep the same attitude on and off the court and hopefully we will stay together like a team."

 FIBA