Slovenia leads the way in initial Eurobasket Power Rankings

FIBA has released the initial power rankings for Eurobasket 2022. Luka Doncic’s Slovenian team comes in first despite an impressive gathering of NBA talent across other competing squads. Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo have combined to win the last four MVP awards but neither could propel their team to first on this power ranking.

Lithuania and Spain are both historically elite teams who are in a bit of a down cycle. Neither has some of the stars of the past but they should not be overlooked. Lithuanaia still boasts an impressive team but Slovenia defeated Lithuania to earn a berth in the Olympics last year in what was a signaling of the changing of the guard.

France has perhaps the most teamwide talent of anyone in this tournament despite lacking presumptive number one pick Victor Wembanyama. Missing Wembanyama is perhaps most disappointing to fans of bad NBA teams who were hoping for a glimpse of their potential savior in action against high level NBA talent.

Slovenia is dependent on Doncic but he is far from the only talent on the team. The team has a bit of a “Hoosiers” vibe as everyone on the team can both shoot and handle the basketball. Eurobasket 2017 MVP Goran Dragic is back for one last run as a running buddy for Doncic. These power rankings are just subjective choices but it is always good to be first and this ranking shows just how much respect Doncic commands.