Remembering the battles we fought on the court, wishing for more. Salute to an incredible player, a GOAT, a father, and a cherished friend. Happy Birthday Kobe, your legacy lives on forever.

3 bold predictions for Luka Doncic at 2023 FIBA World Cup

Luka Doncic has cemented his reputation as a top player in the globe. Only five seasons into the NBA, he has averaged at least 27 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in each of the last four, with a career-high of 32.4/8.6/8.0 last season. And that’s exactly what’s going to happen when he leads Team Slovenia at the 2017 FIBA World Cup; he’s the best player in the world, bar none. This team’s success at the 2023 FIBA World Cup will depend in large part on Luka Doncic’s play, so I’m going to make three outlandish claims about him.
Third, Luka Doncic will take more shots from deep than any other player.
Doncic is a ball-dominant player who would shoot the ball frequently no matter which team he was on. This is understandable, considering he shoots close to 50% from the field in the NBA. As a member of Team Slovenia, he is likely to take an even larger share of his team’s shots than he does with the Mavericks. The fact that Slovenia placed sixth at the 2022 EuroBasket tournament is a good sign of how often he will shoot. Doncic was, obviously, the competition’s most dominant player, and he topped the tournament in shots per game with 18.7, one more than runner-up Aleksander Vezenkov of Bulgaria (18.6) and more than Giannis Antetokounmpo (17.7) and runner-up Lauri Markkanen (17.1). Doncic averages around 20 shots per game for Slovenia, so similar statistics are likely at this competition.
Luka Doncic will have a 27/7/7 batting line.
Although these figures are consistent with his last four NBA seasons, keep in mind that he loses 17 percent of playing time during the FIBA World Cup because quarters only last 10 minutes. This stat line would be closer to 32.5/8.5/8.5 with 12 minute quarters, which is insаne. But Doncic has all the tools necessary to succeed, and he’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so. Doncic posted averages of 26.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game at the aforementioned EuroBasket. With another year of professional basketball under his belt and on a team where he’ll be the top player by a country mile, he’ll be able to significantly improve those stats by the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
1. Team Slovenia, led by Luka Doncic, will advance to the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals.
If Slovenia is going to do well at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Doncic is going to have to have a monster tournament. With him at the helm, they can beаt out Group F rivals Cape Verde, Georgia, and Venezuela to claim first place. Only Venezuela is ranked in the top 30, but while being a young and promising squad, they have battled mightily in several of their tune-up games, most notably scoring just 11 points in the second and third quarters combined against the Boomers. If they win their group and advance to the next round, they will face either Germany or Australia in the Second Round. Since First Round results carry over to the Second Round, and Slovenia should be 3-0 to begin the Second Round, all they need to do to advance to the quarterfinals is finish in the top two of that group. Even if they didn’t qualify for the last FIBA World Cup, thanks to Luka Doncic’s leadership, they should be able to go to the quarterfinals.