Top 30 Stars to watch: 20-11

MANILA (Philippines) - The anticipation about the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 keeps only growing as the whole world is waiting for this year's premier international basketball event.

We already listed the first part of our Top 30 stars to follow in this year's tournament (rankings from 30-21). You can find it here.

Before we list the next ten, there needs to be the evergreen reminder that some play at an unbelievable level when representing their home country, while plenty of other stars still have to prove themselves among the World Cup elite.

20. WILLY HERNANGOMEZ (SPAIN)

CENTER

Birth date: May 27, 1994 (29 years old)
Height: 209cm / 6'10"
Club: Barcelona (Spain)

The Hernangomez brothers have been quite successful at filling the impossibly large shoes the Gasol's left them with. FIBA EuroBasket 2022's MVP has picked up medals at every possible tournament, his role only growing over the years.

Nevertheless, maintaining the same production against the best in the world will be a challenge.

19. NIKOLA VUCEVIC (MONTENEGRO)

CENTER

Birth date: October 24, 1990 (32 years old)
Height: 213cm / 7'0"
Club: Chicago Bulls (USA)

The 2019 and 2021 NBA All-Star player has a long track record of getting buckets from all over the court. Vucevic can also hold the fort rebounding-wise, to boot.

Montenegro then have its share of options for post-ups, with Bojan Dubljevic playing right there next to Vucevic.

18. JONAS VALANCIUNAS (LITHUANIA)

CENTER

Birth date: May 6, 1992 (31 years old)
Height: 211cm / 6'11"
Club: New Orleans Pelicans (USA)

Bring your safety pads to work when facing JV! The Lithuanian brute is the only player to average a double-double in both of the previous two FIBA EuroBasket editions.

His relentless post-up game has been supplemented by a soft touch from outside, which we've yet to see him fully show off when playing for Lithuania.

17. RJ BARRETT (CANADA)

SHOOTING GUARD

Birth date: June 14, 2000 (23 years old)
Height: 195cm / 6'5"
Club: New York Knicks (USA)

From FIBA Youth Championships to the NBA, RJ Barrett has produced at every level. Opponents still must have bruises from the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2017, where Barrett averaged 21.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game as the MVP.

His ability to get to the rim and draw fouls might prove vital for Canada.

16. EVAN FOURNIER (FRANCE)

SHOOTING GUARD

Birth date: October 29, 1992 (30 years old)
Height: 199cm / 6'6"
Club: New York Knicks (USA)

Evan Fournier will arrive in Jakarta with an impressive cast of teammates, his 19.8 points per game averages from the previous FIBA World Cup and a unquenched thirst for that elusive Gold medal.

Don't you even dare to think for one second that his last NBA season has robbed him of the confidence he gets repping Les Bleus. He just scored 29 points against Australia.

15. TORNIKE SHENGELIA (GEORGIA)

POWER FORWARD 

Birth date: October 5, 1991 (31 years old)
Height: 207cm / 6'9"
Club: Virtus Bologna (Italy)

After a heartbreaking shoulder injury prevented Toko from playing in front of his fans in FIBA EuroBasket 2022, he's set to experience a wonderful FIBA World Cup debut with Georgia.

His array of scoring ability sometimes hide the fact that Shengelia can be a masterful point forward for his national team. 

14. FRANZ WAGNER (GERMANY)

SMALL FORWARD

Birth date: August 27, 2001 (22 years old)
Height: 208cm / 6'10"
Club: Orlando Magic (USA)

We still can't get over the fact of how impressive Wagner was in his first FIBA EuroBasket. The versatile forward and his 15.2 points per game played a major part in Germany's road to Bronze medals.

Now he's a year older and his driving to the paint is an even more scarier sight for opponents to see.

13. RUDY GOBERT (FRANCE)

CENTER

Birth date: June 26, 1992 (31 years old)
Height: 215cm / 7'1"
Club: Minnesota Timberwolves (USA)

Step in Rudy's paint at your own risk! Gobert has anchored France's defense in two third-place World Cup finishes. Keeping him off the boards has always been a tall task, but now we hear that he has added a three-point shot.

Seems like the youngsters will have an even more difficult time when coming to battle The Stifle Tower.

12. SIMONE FONTECCHIO (ITALY)

SMALL FORWARD

Birth date: December 9, 1995 (27 years old)
Height: 203cm / 6'8"
Club: Utah Jazz (USA)

Come for Gianmarco Pozzecco's emotions, stay for Simone Fontecchio's silky smooth touch.

The forward was Top 10 in scoring in the FIBA EuroBasket 2022. Same goes for the Tokyo 2020 Games. Italy can feel safe whenever Fontecchio launches yet another shot.

11. BRANDON INGRAM (USA)

SMALL FORWARD

Birth date: September 2, 1997 (25 years old)
Height: 203cm / 6'8"
Club: New Orleans Pelicans (USA)

There will come a time late in the shot clock when the opponent will think that it has everything covered, only to be hit by the unfair realization that USA also have a tall forward who can shoot, score and create out of nothing.

Brandon Ingram is a 20-point, 5-rebound and 5-assist game waiting to happen and there might not be anything you can do about it.

*The  World Cup Top 30 players to watch rankings are entirely subjective and are in no way a true and accurate FIBA ranking system. All comments are purely those of the author for the entertainment of the fans.

FIBA