The 2019 FIBA World Cup has come to an end. Spain is the champion of the world once again after routing Argentina in the Finals 95-75. It was one of the most interesting international tournaments in recent years.
Five Takeaways From the 2019 FIBA World Cup
Marc Gasol Belongs in the Hall of Fame
Most fans think of the Basketball Hall of Fame as a shrine to the NBA. People often forget that it is meant to tell the overall history of basketball throughout the world for both men and women. Ricky Rubio may have won MVP for Spain, but Marc Gasol was equally as impressive. Gasol is 34 years old but his ability as both a scorer and passer in the pick-and-roll has only improved with age. Gasol averaged 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists while also being their defensive anchor. His rotations were spot on and he managed to get deflections in key moments during the tournament. His play during this tournament did not go unnoticed as he was also nominated to the All-Tournament Team.
The Spaniard’s resume has improved considerably over the past five months as Gasol has added an NBA title and a second FIBA World Cup championship. Those go along with his three All-Star game appearances, two All-NBA teams, Defensive Player of the Year Award, All-Defensive team selection, Spanish League MVP, two EuroBasket gold medals and two Olympic silver medals. Gasol is a player who gets results. His statistics might not jump off of the page, but he is a proven winner. One day he will join his older brother in the Hall of Fame.
The United States Losing is Good for International Basketball
We’ve all heard the excuses, but the fact is that the United States still had an entire roster of NBA players and the most overall talent in the tournament. They should have won. Instead, they finished seventh. The last two times the United States lost in a major international tournament were the 2004 Olympics and the 2006 FIBA World Cup. This was the kick in the pants that the program needed and have since gone on an unprecedented run. The 2008 Olympics were particularly impressive as the United States had LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade.
This will also inevitably become a positive for the rest of the world as they are reassured that the United States is beatable. Spanish basketball can look at this victory in a similar vein as Canada winning the NBA title. It will bring young people to games and excitement to the sport.
Young Players Should Beg To Play in International Tournaments
This idea has been beaten to death by the media during this tournament. Young players such as Ben Simmons, Devin Booker, and Andrew Wiggins have been criticized for choosing to not participate. What is the downside of representing your country?
De’Aaron Fox’s departure from team USA seems to be due to a lack of potential playing time. Fox would have gotten over a month with Greg Popovich and Steve Kerr and that alone should have young players chomping at the bit. Yes, players can get hurt, but they are still playing basketball and pick-up games back home. John Wall tore his Achilles when he slipped in his home. Injuries just happen, not playing international basketball isn’t going to change that fact.
Then there is the case of Frank Ntilikina, who seemed to have a break-out tournament for France. His ball-handling looked much better, his defense was borderline elite, and he made shots. Ntilikina, who a few weeks ago looked like he would struggle to be in the league much longer, can now go into training camp with a much-needed confidence boost. He had a chance to show the New York coaching staff what he could do in a different system, or maybe a new team decides they want to trade for Ntilikina where he can be given a larger role.
There Will Be Some Good Teams and Even Better Players Will Not Appear In the 2020 Olympics
There are only 12 teams that will participate in the Tokyo Olympics. The host nation of Japan gets an automatic qualification spot. The top two teams from the Americas and Europe at the FIBA World Cup get a place. So Spain, France, Argentina, and the United States have all booked their tickets to Tokyo. Then the top-performing teams from Africa, Oceania, and Asia also get a qualifying spot. Iran, Nigeria, and Australia have taken those spots. So eight of the twelve spots for the Olympics have already been spoken for. There will now be a 24-team qualifying tournament that will select the final five spots.
Teams that are loaded with NBA talent like Serbia, Lithuania, Turkey, and Canada will be hard-pressed to make the tournament. There is a legitimate possibility that stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Joel Embiid (Cameroon), Luka Doncic (Slovenia), and Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia) won’t be involved in the biggest international basketball tournament there is. The qualifying tournament does not start until June. Depending on the NBA playoffs, a number of major players may not be involved in the qualifying tournament. The Olympics cannot have 30 teams participating, and for good reason, but basketball fans will be missing out on some of the best players in the world.
Basketball is Getting Better
It is hard to remember a tournament that was as much fun to watch as the 2019 FIBA World Cup. The fact that the United States lost is obviously the major headline, but there were incredible performances every day, such as Corey Webster of New Zealand dropping 31 points against the NBA-MVP and narrowly losing in a 103-97 thriller. Before the historic losses to France and Serbia, the United States squeaked out a win against Turkey in overtime. The double-overtime semi-finals between Australia and eventual Champions Spain.
This tournament was a ton of fun and it’s great to see the game of basketball growing.
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