By Utkan Şahin / Translation: Mehmet Bahadır Akgün
Dominant players like Milos Teodosic, Sergio Llull, Nikola Jokic, Nemanja Bjelica, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ersan İlyasova, Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum and Danilo Gallinari will not participate, and therefore will not be able to help their teams contend for a metal.
Especially after deciding to take part in the tournament and help their teams, the fact that Llull, Teodosic and Antetokounmpo will not play due to injury has dissapointed many fans.
Although, there are many key players who can contribute to their teams at a certain level, all 20 players on this list are capable of taking over any game and they are aiming high!
So, let the countdown begin!
20- Zaza Pachulia – Georgia
Age: 33
EuroBasket Experience: 4 times
Current Team: Golden State Warriors
Last season’s stats: 70 games, 6.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Zaza Pachulia is a living-and-playing legend of Georgian basketball, and he’s heading to EuroBasket 2017 as a member of the reigning NBA champs.
After a successful season in the States, he put his national team’s jersey on and he is ready to lead his tough teammates. The goals are high for Georgia in a very open tournament.
Even though the team fell short from matching the expectations during the last championships, Pachulia put his best on the court to help them.
If he performs at 100% he will likely play the key role in carrying the team to the final round, thanks to his basketball I.Q., defence and experience.
19- Cedi Osman – Turkey
Age: 22
EuroBasket Experience: 1 time
Current Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Last season’s stats: 70 games, 10.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.0 assist
The MVP of the U20 EuroBasket 2014, Cedi Osman, will be doing his best to carry Turkey throughout the tournament.
With Ilyasova being out, Cedi has a big burden on his shoulders and he will be playing heavy minutes and try to make Turkish fans forget the absence of the Hawks‘ forward.
Osman, who scored 12,7 points and grabbed 5,0 rebounds in the EuroBasket 2015, will be one of the main faces of “12 Giant Men”, the nickname of the Turkish national team, along with Sixers‘ rookie Furkan Korkmaz.
He is fully ready to demonstrate what he’s capable of with his unlimited energy, before heading to the overseas for the Cavs.
18- Omri Casspi – Israel
Age: 29
EuroBasket Experience: 4 times
Current Team: Golden State Warriors
Last season’s stats: 36 games, 5.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.0 assist
Being one of the greatest figures in Israeli basketball history, Omri Casspi’s goal is simple: To carry his team at least in the Top8 of the tournament.
More than 30 years have passed since the silver medal in 1979 and for the last 14 years, Israel couldn’t even make it to the quarter finals. This time, Israel has the home court advantage in the first phase, by hosting one of the four groups, but they are optimistic and their biggest asset is, without any doubt, Omri Casspi!
He was not able to perform at his best during the NBA regular season because of injuries, yet, his performance at the national team level has always been spectacular. After averaging numbers of 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists during the last tournament, Casspi will be focusins on team success rather than personal.
Israel won nine out of 11 preparation games on the way to the Eurobasket. Defeating notable opponents like Russia, Slovenia and Poland, the burden for similar results in official games is shouldered by Casspi.
After committing himself to the NBA champions, Casspi would also like to achieve something big with his national team.