PIRAEUS (Greece) - The FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 in Greece has been blessed with talent as the stars have shown out for their country.
The action heads onto the Semi-Finals stage on Saturday, so it's the perfect time to reflect on what has happened so far, and pick out the best player from each group with their highlights below.
Group A - Ivica Zubac - Croatia
Stats:
23.5 points, 12 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game, 77 percent shooting from the field
Imagine being so good, you were picked here over Luka Doncic who had back-to-back triple-doubles. Ivica Zubac is playing the best basketball of his career, and he led Croatia to the top spot in the group, meaning he absolutely deserves this kind of recognition.
The LA Clippers center had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in just 19 minutes of work against Slovenia, then followed it up with a historic performance, setting the new FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament highest mark for efficiency (at least since 2008, when record keeping commenced).
That's because he had 29 points and 16 rebounds in 30 minutes against New Zealand, giving him an efficiency rating of 43, which means he edged out Luka Doncic on top of the list of the most effective games in this competition.
Group B - Chris Duarte - Dominican Republic
Stats:
20 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.5 steals per game, 43 percent shooting from three-point range on 7 attempts per game
Sure, Giannis Antetokounmpo sitting out his second game helped Chris Duarte, but the Dominican Republic leader absolutely earned a bunch of new fans in the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Greece.
The 27-year-old guard put up really good stats, but it was more of his demeanor that set him apart from the others in Piraeus. He was not afraid of anybody, and his 26 points against Greece meant he was going back-and-forth with Giannis until his entire team went out of gas in the fourth quarter.
A strong national team campaign may help Duarte in his club career next season. After averaging 13.1 points per game as a rookie with the Indiana Pacers, his minutes dropped over the next two seasons. But the confidence boost he receives here in Piraeus should help him to a great start with the Sacramento Kings in the new season.
FIBA