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A matchup in opposition to two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić doubtlessly awaits the USA within the 2024 Summer season Olympics.
The draw for the lads’s basketball event was introduced Tuesday, with Group USA positioned into Group C with Serbia, South Sudan and the winner of the qualifying event in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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Six groups might be participating within the qualifying event, which ideas off lower than a month earlier than the Summer season Video games open: Mexico, Ivory Coast, Lithuania, Italy, Bahrain and host Puerto Rico. Lithuania (No. 10) is the highest-ranked of the six within the FIBA World Rating.
Ought to the Lithuanians advance, Group C would have three of the most effective 10 international locations on the planet with the USA and Serbia sitting first and fourth respectively.
The matchup with Serbia figures to be the stiffest take a look at of the group stage for the USA, although Jokić hasn’t definitively acknowledged whether or not he is enjoying within the 2024 Olympics. The nation turns into a lot much less imposing in the event you take away the Denver Nuggets star from the equation.
No matter Jokić’s involvement Group USA would be the heavy favourite to not simply come out of Group C however win the event as an entire.
Within the wake of the USA’ fourth-place displaying within the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the entire main stars threw their title into the hat for the Olympics. The 41-player pool is a who’s who of the highest American expertise.
Some took the World Cup to be an indication the remainder of the world has meaningfully caught as much as Group USA, maybe to a degree the place it is not so simple as the US throwing out its “A” group and rolling to gold.
That principle might be put to the take a look at in Paris.