The winner of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup will be decided at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay this Sunday, September 10. The tournament is at the quarter-final stage at the time of writing, with Italy, the USA, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia, Canada and Slovenia making up the final eight.
It will come as no surprise that the United States are the favourites to add a sixth Naismith Trophy to their cabinet, according to the 2023 FIBA World Cup betting. Aside from a shock defeat to Lithuania, the five-time winners beat New Zealand, Greece, Jordan and Montenegro with relative ease.
Whether or not the US will go on and retain the World Cup from Spain’s grasp remains to be seen, with Canada and outsiders Germany looking like the main dangers. But as they continue the charge toward a record-extending sixth World Cup title, let’s take a look at three players who have stood out in Asia.
Anthony Edwards
Anthony Edwards has arguably been the United States’ best player at the World Cup, with his performances for his country also making him one of the standout performances at the tournament on the whole.
The 22-year-old had a career-best year for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2022-23 NBA season and he has clearly carried that form into the World Cup. He led his team’s scoring in the 110-62 win over Jordan with 22 points and four assists.
Edwards’ individual performance against Lithuania is also worth noting. The Guard scored 35 points — just three points shy of Kevin Durant’s record 38 in a World Cup game — and registered two assists despite being on the wrong end of the scoreline as the United States suffered a shock 110-104 defeat to the European side.
Jalen Brunson
Another contender for the Basketball World Cup MVP award should the United States win a sixth title, Jalen Brunson has performed admirably for his country at the tournament thus far.
The New York Knicks Point Guard scored 10 points and provided four assists in both wins against New Zealand and Jordan, while he scored 13 points and registered two assists against Greece as he made all five of his field goal attempts in the game.
The 27-year-old’s best scoring game was also in the loss to Lithuania. Brunson scored 14 points, including four rebounds, and made seven assists as the United States fell to the shock defeat against the Europeans. However, he shouldered a lot of the blame for that loss.
Austin Reeves
There is an argument that Austin Reeves’ performance for the United States have been somewhat overlooked at the World Cup, but when you consider just how influential Edwards has been and the fact he keeps stealing the spotlight, it’s clear to see why.
Reeves had a fantastic start to the tournament scoring 12 points and providing six assists against New Zealand before racking up 15 points alongside another six assists against Greece in the United States’ first two games.
The Los Angeles Lakers Shooting Guard has gone into the double figures in terms of points just once in the three games since, scoring 12 points and two assists against Montenegro in the second round. But the Lakers could have their heir to Lebron James.