Amidst Austin Reaves’ viral stardom, Ex-Mavs player CROWNS Luka Doncic as FIBA World Cup’s ‘best player’
Theo Pinson praises Luka Doncic as the best player in the FIBA World Cup, despite Austin Reaves’ viral stardom.
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Luka Doncic for the Dallas Mavericks (Image via X/ formerly Twitter)
The FIBA 2023 World Cup has kicked off dramatically this past week, with the group stages in full swing. From France’s surprise early exit to Japan’s historic first win against a European team, the tournament has been entertaining to watch. There has never been a tournament this diverse in terms of the potential of various nations being able to win it all. A record 55 NBA players have donned their nation’s jerseys this year. This includes superstars like Luka Doncic, who plays for Slovenia, and Karl Anthony Towns, who represents the Dominican Republic.
The USA is, of course, a favorite to take home the title. Their roster looks stacked with All-NBA talents representing their country. The team includes the likes of All-Star Anthony Edwards and DPOY Jaren Jackson Jr. Coaching the team is Steve Kerr, assisted by Erik Spoelstra and Tryonn Lue. A fan favorite, Los Angeles Lakers player Austin Reaves, is also on the squad. Reaves has had an awe-inspiring run in this World Cup. He recently led his team to a blowout victory against Greece. Reaves scored a team-high 15 points and had six assists. He is in contention to be regarded as the best player at the World Cup. Reaves has done all of this while coming off the bench.
Various analysts and fans would agree with this take, while others favor different players. Included in this group is former Dallas Mavericks player Theo Pinson. According to Pinson, there is no debate about who the best player at the World Cup is. In his eyes, it’s Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.
On “Run Your Race” podcast, Pinson said, “There’s been a debate on who’s the best player. I don’t think it’s really a big debate—Luka is the best player.” Pinson went on to gush about how Doncic, even while messing around, pulled off a fantastic behind-the-back pass, among various other astonishing plays.
Pinson has credibility to his claim, as Doncic has been a certified superstar in the NBA for a while now, and along with this, Doncic is the points-per-game leader at the FIBA World Cup. Having played two games, Doncic averaged 31.4 minutes per game and scored 71 points. This is an average of 35.5 points per game. He’s also third in number of steals, having five steals.
A possible title for this article is:
Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony Towns: Who is the best player in the FIBA 2023 World Cup?
The FIBA 2023 World Cup has seen many players blossom and lead their respective nations to victory. The tournament also gave some unexpected results: the French team crashing out of contention. Numerous players have been showing out for their countries, which sparked a debate among basketball fans about who should be regarded as the best player in the tournament.
NBA All-Star Anthony Edwards has been dominant throughout the cup, dropping 34 points in the USA’s final tune-up game against Greece. He dropped 14 points against New Zealand with seven rebounds. Austin Reaves, of course, is a name in the mix as he has scored 27 points for Team USA, coming off the bench no less.
Karl Anthony Towns has been an effective leader for the Dominican Republic, dropping a double-double against France to help secure the victory. He is fourth in scoring and fifth in rebounds among players. Luka Doncic has led Slovenia to two wins with a monstrous total of 71 points across two games.
An unexpected FIBA World Cup star is Rondae Hollis Jefferson, who plays for Jordan. Jefferson was a role player who last played for the Portland Trailblazers in the 2020-2021 season, averaging a measly 2.5 points. Jefferson has turned on a new switch in the World Cup, scoring 63 points, second only to Doncic. He dropped a stunning 39 points against New Zealand in an overtime victory. Jordan’s next opponent is the USA, and Jefferson looks more than ready to take up this challenge.
In case you missed it:
- LeBron James and Steve Kerr BLOWN AWAY by Anthony Edwards after young star’s incredible performance
- Watch: Dwyane Wade and son Zaire PARTYING with Udonis Haslem, celebrating Heat legend’s career
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Ankush Singh
(616 Articles Published)