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ESPN Senior Writer- Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus series
- Formerly a consultant with the Indiana Pacers
- Developed WARP rating and SCHOENE system
The FIBA World Cup tipped off today with games beginning at 4 a.m. ET in Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia.
The Americans are the favorite team, but there are several countries with elite talent that could potentially win it all. Several players across the tournament hail from different professional leagues, ranging from the NBA to EuroBasket and EuroLeague.
Team USA plays its first game against New Zealand at 8:40 a.m. ET Saturday. All 32 teams are divided into eight groups of four and will play the Group Phase's first round on Aug. 25-30.
Team USA features NBA stars such as Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson and Austin Reaves, yet the competition also bolsters All-NBA players such as Slovenia's Luka Doncic and Canada's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and international players like Australia's Dante Exum (who recently signed with the Dallas Mavericks) and Spain's Juan Nunez.
Kevin Pelton and Jonathan Givony share the players they will be keeping an eye on during the two-week tournament.
