2023 FIBA World Cup Preview: Who will win the gold medal?

How the FIBA World Cup tournament works, who could win, who we think is going to win, and other storylines to watch. Read all that and more in Fansided’s 2023 FIBA World Cup preview.

2023 FIBA World Cup - USA Men's National Team v Puerto Rico / Ethan Miller/GettyImages

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Apr 23, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Group A: Bruno Fernando, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jordan Clarkson, and Simone Fontecchio will be trying to lead their countries to the next phase of play

Angola

Head Coach: Josep Carlo

NBA Players: Bruno Fernando

Other Notable Players: None

Do we expect them to advance? No.

Why or why not: Watching Bruno Fernando try to will a team to victory might be fun, but this team doesn’t have the talent to beat anyone in this group besides maybe the Philippines.

Dominican Republic

Head Coach: Nestor ‘Che’ Garcia

NBA Players: Karl-Anthony Towns, Chris Duarte, Lester Quinones

Other Notable Players: Jean Montero, Angel Delgado, L.J. Figueroa, and Andres Feliz

Do we expect them to advance? Yes, very much yes.

Why or why not: The Dominican Republic could be the shock team of the tournament. Towns is playing for them for the first time in a decade, they’ve got two other NBA players, solid overseas players to fill out the rotation, and head coach Che Garcia - who’s from the same neighborhood as Manu Ginobili, Bahia Blanca - is one of the most decorated and established coaches in the tournament this summer. Get ready for them to turn heads.

Philippines

Head Coach: Chot Reyes

NBA Players: Jordan Clarkson, Kai Sotto

Other Notable Players: A.J. Edu and Ray Parks

Do we expect them to advance? Probably not.

Why or why not? They could beat Italy, but it’s unlikely. Clarkson is in his dream world though where it’s “Jordan Clarkson time” all the time, and maybe for one game he can’t miss.

Italy

Head Coach: Gianmarco Pozzecco

NBA Players: Simone Fontecchio

Other Notable Players: Gigi Datome, Alessandro Pajola, Achille Polonara, Giampaolo Ricci, Matteo Spagnolo (Timberwolves stash), and Nicolo Melli

Do we expect them to advance? Probably yes.

Why or why not? This roster is pretty much all wings and forwards, but the overall talent should be enough to beat Angola and the Philippines. Spagnolo and Pajola are the players to watch here. Both are young, smart, skilled, and athletic. They’ll be an entertaining duo for years to come.

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