MIES (Switzerland) - Some of the best players in the world have shined at the previous six FIBA Basketball World Cups. The seventh edition in 2024 in Istanbul promises to be a major platform for many more future stars of world basketball.
We went through the rosters of the 16 teams to come up with a Top 20 of prospects for the tournament and came up with this list. We added five players who just missed the cut - let's say Honorable Mention.
Hopefully this list gets you excited about the up-coming tournament starting on June 29.
Honorable Mention:
Kieffer Alas (Philippines), Ali Assran (Egypt), Chris Cenac Jr (USA), Sinan Huan (China), Maikcol Perez (Italy).
20. Derin Can Ustun - Türkiye
Ustun is a do-it-all guard for Türkiye who can drive to the basket and shoot from the outside. He also has good size as a playmaker who can defend well on the wing.
Ustun will likely be even more motivated to show what he can do in front of his home Turkish fans.
19. Gildas Gimenez - Spain
Gimenez was named to the All-Star Five of the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023. The guard is very athletic and can drive to the basket.
His outside shot is still inconsistent but he excels on the perimeter with his defense.
18. Boyuan Zhang - China
One of the next big hopes for Chinese basketball, Zhang is a wing who can hurt teams in various ways on offense - getting to the paint with the drive and finish or pass or also knock down shots from the outside.
Zhang also has good quickness and anticipation for steals - an all-around skillset that earned him a spot on the All-Star Five of the FIBA U16 Asia Cup 2023.
17. Arturas Butajevas - Lithuania
Butajevas gives Lithuania a force in the middle at both ends of the court. The big man is developing more moves around the basket but is an excellent roller and finisher and also works hard on the offensive glass.
Butajevas also serves as a strong rim protector. He grabbed a spot on the All-Star Five for the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023.
16. Declan Duru - Germany
Duru is one of the top youngsters in the German system, having played the last three seasons in Spain for Real Madrid. The forward is a defensive force - both on the perimeter and helping protect the rim.
Duru profits from his physical dominance to go with good speed and athleticism. He still has work to do offensively but can also help out at times at playmaking.
15. Hayden Jones - New Zealand
Jones will be one of the keys to New Zealand's attack as a combo guard with strong playmaking skills for his size who can also shoot well from the outside. Jones also showed he can step up in big games as he poured in 31 points with 12 rebounds against Oceania rivals Australia in the Final of the FIBA U16 Asia Cup 2023.
Jones also made his debut with the senior Tall Blacks in the February 2024 window at the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers.
14. Gassim Toure - Guinea
Toure has already made history for Guinea in leading the country to the title at the FIBA U16 AfroBasket 2023 - the first cadet continental crown in the nation's history - to make a debut at the FIBA U17 World Cup. Toure was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament as he does it all on the court - at both ends.
He nearly averaged a triple-double last summer (20.0ppg 8.1rpg 8.1 apg) and also swiped 2.1 steals. Toure has also risen in status on the United States high school landscape.
13. Tyler Kropp - Argentina
Kropp is a hard working power forward who averaged a double-double last summer at the FIBA U16 AmeriCup 2023. He then played a year younger at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup 2024 in early June and helped Argentina to second place with a double-double as well - finishing second in the tournament in scoring (22.0ppg) and first in rebounds (11.3rpg).
Kropp is an excellent offensive rebounder who has also improved his outside shot.
12. Diego Garavaglia - Italy
Garavaglia plays his heart out and excels on defense but is a true asset on offense as well. The wing is a menace defending on the wing and also can drop back and serve as a strong rim protector.
Garavaglia can get to the lane and finish and is an adequate passer. His long range shooting is still streaky.
11. Fabian Kayser - Germany
Kayser is one of the absolute gems of Europe's future - being born in 2009, meaning he is two years younger than the rest of the competition and can play in this competition in 2026. Kayser is a guard who can playmake with good creativity and drive to the basket with a solid outside shot.
Defensively he is already solid and will only get better as he matures physically.
Watch out for the rest of list coming out soon.
FIBA