2023 FIBA World Cup: 5 non-USA teams that could win the tournament

FIBA World Cup: Can Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nikola Jovic lead Serbia to a gold medal without the rest of their nation’s stars?

Nikola Jokic’s absence has been discussed plenty already, but Serbia is missing more than the two-time MVP. Former Euroleague MVP and new Oklahoma City Thunder guard Vasilije Micic won’t be participating, neither will his Thunder teammate Aleksej Pokusevski, nor key role player for club and country Nikola Kalinic.

Serbia still has plenty of talent though, and they will be led by Atlanta Hawks wing Bogdan Bogdanovic and Miami Heat prospect Nikola Jovic.

One of the Philadelphia 76ers’ five backup centers, Filip Petrusev, will be playing for the Serbians as well. Serbia also has a ton of high-level overseas talent, and a lot of these guys are very experienced and know what it takes to win big games.

Former Grizzlies wing Mark Guduric is among the more recognizable names, and he’s joined by former Golden State Warrior Alen Smailagic.

Their key player may very well be Nikola Milutinov. The center has been off folks’ radar for some time now due to playing in Russia – whose clubs are banned from continental competition currently – for the past few seasons.

Milutinov is a good rim protector, great rebounder, great screener, has soft hands and touch, and while he can’t pass like Jokic he is still a good passer for his size.

Coached by Svetislav Pesic, this team will be disciplined, will not waste possessions, and will have plenty of surprising talent.

Make no mistake, even without their star power, Serbia could still come out on top.

FIBA World Cup: Karl-Anthony Towns playing for the Dominican Republic for the first time since he was a teenager, could they actually do it?

We saved the craziest pick for last here, but don’t be surprised if the Dominican Republic surprise a lot of people this summer.

For starters, they’ve got the self-dubbed greatest shooting big man of all time in Karl-Anthony Towns playing for them for the first time since he was a teenager. They’ll also have three other NBA players on their roster: Al Horford, Chris Duarte, and Lester Quinones.

Their talent doesn’t stop there. Former Overtime Elite player Jean Montero is coming off a very solid season in Spain’s ACB where he averaged 17.6 points per game and 4.31 assists per game.

Guard Andres Feliz also had a very good season in Spain with Joventut Badalona, shooting 41% from three on 150 attempts. Big man Angel Delgado had a good season in Turkey and their local guys like Rigoberto Mendoza, Gelvis Solano, Antonio Pena, Gerard Suero, and Jhonatan Araujo offer a nice blend of shooting, size, and skill.

They are also coached by Nestor “Che” Garcia, one of the most experienced and decorated South American and FIBA coaches in the tournament.

They’ve got an easy opening group with Italy, Angola, and the Philippines. Their first big test will come in the second phase of group play. If they can go 3-0 and defeat likely opponents Serbia, they’ll avoid the United States in the quarterfinals.

If they don’t, they’ll need to have the greatest game in their country’s history if they want to make their potential fairytale ending a reality.