With the group stages complete, the road to the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games men’s basketball tournament is getting closer.
Eight teams remain, so we have compiled our ranking system from the games we have watched. It’s completely independent. We must note that these rankings are based on performances and the caliber of teams the quarter-finalists have played.
CANADA
Canada heads to the quarter-finals of Paris 2024 in sublime form. They have come out of their ‘Group of Death’ unscathed, with three wins out of three.
An 86-79 win over Greece was followed by a double-digit success over Australia. The Canadians then claimed the big scalp of EuroBasket holders Spain, 88-85, which eliminated them in the process.
The fact that Canada tops our rankings isn’t a fluke, and it isn’t on downplay on other teams, most notably the USA.
But Canada’s 3-0 win in the strongest overall group, beating three teams in the top 15 of the FIBA World Rankings, which included two teams higher than them — Spain (2) and Australia (5) — puts them on top.
UNITED STATES
Yes, yes, we know, why aren’t the USA number one?
It’s an obvious first question when you first read this, but despite the firepower the USA has at their disposal: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and, well the entire roster, in fact but a strong showing against Serbia was the highlight from the group stages, where they finished 3-0.
The U.S. dispatched an emerging South Sudan side, who competed in its first Olympics before beating winless Puerto Rico in a game where they started poorly for the first 14 minutes before James came on and took over.
From there, it was showtime basketball.
The USA are heavy gold medal favorites, and rightly so. They play Brazil in the last eight and will be fancied to beat them, but the pool play performances don’t match Canada’s.
GERMANY
In the build-up to the Olympics, the topic on social media wasn’t about Germany; it was about who the “real world champions were:” them or the Boston Celtics.
An odd question, given that Boston won a domestic basketball competition, albeit the best league, and Germany won the FIBA World Cup, an international competition.
But either way, the Germans have been devastating in their group games. This included a big win over hosts France, along with victories over Japan and Brazil.
They are undoubtedly geared up for a podium finish, especially if Dennis Schroder and Franz Wagner continue playing the way they are.
SERBIA
Despite an early loss to the USA, Serbia rebounded well with convincing victories over Puerto Rico and South Sudan to seal their spot in the Olympic quarter-finals.
This is a team with tremendous international experience, not to mention a heavy NBA and EuroLeague presence, led by the reigning NBA MVP, Nikola Jokic, on their roster.
The Rio 2016 silver medallists will be eager to continue this good run of form, and they can certainly do so with the USA on their hit list.
FRANCE
When the Paris Olympic men’s basketball tournament began, France’s opening game against Brazil was the hottest ticket in Lille.
And thanks to Victor Wembanyama – the biggest attraction along with LeBron – France got the job done, just. An epic encounter with Japan was followed by a loss to Germany.
The pieces for France are there, but their perimeter defense has been something that opponents have taken advantage of, with the three teams a combined 35/83 from three-point land in the group stage.
While France has a team capable of medalling, in order to get there, they need to tighten up defensively.
AUSTRALIA
Australia boasts extensive Olympic experience, and on their day, they are a match for anybody, especially on this stage.
A big win over Spain in their opener was a great start, but the wheels fell off with losses to Canada and Greece. However, the 12-point win over the EuroBasket holders was substantial enough for a spot in the last eight.
The mighty Serbia stands in their way next, and if Australia is firing, then the encounter could be one for the ages. However, going into the quarter-final, the form and momentum are swinging towards the Serbs.
You never know in basketball, though.
GREECE
Greece’s return to the Olympics after a 16-year absence hasn’t been as welcoming as they would have liked.
They needed Serbia to do them a favor by beating South Sudan by three or more points to reach the quarter-finals, but they got that favor and will see this as the next chapter.
They face the world champions in Germany next, and the Greeks will no doubt need Giannis Antetokounmpo, who averages 27.0 points and 7.7 rebounds in the Games, to be that player who leads them to the next stage and maybe even a medal.
However, Giannis needs the other 11 players to provide as well.
BRAZIL
A comfortable win in their final game over Japan ultimately secured Brazil’s spot in the quarter-finals.
However, before that, the South American giants suffered two defeats, one to France and the other to Germany. However, they were competitive for large portions before fading when opposing teams made their run, and they didn’t respond.
And it doesn’t get any easier. They face the USA next.
Photos: FIBA / USA Basketball
