By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
Everybody was waiting for the big names to deliver on the Olympic stage at Paris 2024. LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant for Team USA; Victor Wembanyama playing in his first senior International tournament with France; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with Canada.
And the list could go on and on with Franz Wagner and Dennis Schroder for Germany, Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic for Serbia, or Patty Mills for Australia, among many other superstars. The Olympic Games are the moment in which élite basketball players come over to give their countries a boost.
However, the hectic and exciting days both in Lille and Paris demonstrated that this year’s Olympic Men’s Basketball Tournament also brought other players under the spotlight. Names we weren’t really thinking of prior to the start of the competition, but who definitely exceeded everybody’s expectations.
Isaia Cordinier – France
Age: 27 – Club: Virtus Bologna (ITA)
Stats at the Olympics: 8.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists
Like the vast majority of French players on the national-team roster this summer, Isaia Cordinier didn’t have the best of performances during the group phase in the Pierre Mauroy Stadium of Lille. Only in the latest game in Group B, he tried to spark France’s offense against Germany.
However, once Vincent Collet found adjustments in the Quarter-Finals against Canada, the 27-year-old slasher benefited from starting, answering with a 20-point night. If that wasn’t enough, he doubled his effortless showing in the Semi-Finals against Germany, dropping 16 points and 7 rebounds in the win.
Extending his stay in Bologna until at least 2026, he will likely use the motivation gained. Expect something huge coming from Isaia Cordinier in his third straight EuroLeague season with the black-and-white Italian side. Watch out for dunks if you’re under the rim, most importantly.
RJ Barrett – Canada
Age: 24 – Club: Toronto Raptors (CAN)
Stats at the Olympics: 19.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists
RJ Barrett was the 3rd overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Alongside Kevin Durant, he put his name in the history of the NBA by collecting at least 60 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 three-pointers after making his debut in the league with the New York Knicks.
So, the question consequently comes next: why are we inserting such a high-level caliber player in this list? Well, because looking at one of the candidates for last year’s World Cup MVP nominee and another huge addition to his team, he wasn’t surely option No.1 for Canada in Paris.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander kept on delivering for Jordi Fernandez, but instead of Jamal Murray, who joined the team for this highly anticipated Olympic participation, RJ Barrett was the name to follow. 19.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists aren’t averages that come by mistake.
Yuki Kawamura – Japan
Age: 23 – Club: Memphis Grizzlies (USA)
Stats at the Olympics: 20.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 7.7 assists
Basketball is one of those sports where tall people usually suit better; Victor Wembanyama is a pretty good example of that. But in a game of giants, small icons impress the audience even more.
That’s what Yuki Kawamura did for Japan, displaying an effortless showing first in the narrow miracle win over France with 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, and then making everything work in the do-or-die losing clash with Japan – ending the night with a double-double of 21 points and 10 assists.
As the Yokohama Corsairs announced before the Olympic Games, he’s set to embrace the challenge in the NBA with an Exhibit-10 contract agreed with the Memphis Grizzlies. In his 172 centimeters of height, there’s dynamite, wide shooting abilities, and vast pride for his country.