FIBA World Cup 2023

In the NBA offseason, the eyes of the basketball world will be turned to Eastern Asia where 32 teams will compete in the 2023 FIBA World Cup that will take place from August 25 to September 10 in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia. The two-week basketball spectacle will offer many betting events and, in this article, we will present you the FIBA World Cup odds as well as our FIBA World Cup predictions.

FIBA World Cup outright tips

Luka Doncic top scorer

When we talk about the best basketball players of today, the name of Luka Doncic has to be mentioned. The 24-year-old Slovenian is by far the best player at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and will probably finish as the top scorer. He did so at the last Olympics and knowing that he finished second on that list in the 2022-23 NBA season, makes this a simple choice.

Just like with the Dallas Mavericks, Doncic has the ball and makes all the decisions when he plays for Slovenia, with one major defense – he will face weaker defenders. Slovenia will play in Group F with Cape Verde, Georgia and Venezuela, teams that total two NBA players – Sandro Mamukelashvili and Goga Bitadze. There is no doubt that Doncic will score at will in the group stage and he will probably surpass the 100 points milestone in the first three games. Slovenia is the favorite to win the group and advance which will put more games on their schedule and a chance for Doncic to finish as the top scorer.

Germany to win Group E

Germany will play in Group E alongside Australia, Finland and Japan. Looking at the odds, Australia (1/2) is the favorite to win the group, followed by Germany (19/10), Finland (14/1) and Japan (49/1). It is a fact that this will be a group in which all four teams have chance to advance. Australia is the favorite since they have been winning medals in big competitions and have players like Patty Mills, Josh Giddey and Joe Ingles, but the real question is whether they are better than Germany.

Germany finished third in the EuroBasket last year and they have a great team that is a legit contender for the first place in the group. Dennis Schroder is the point guard and the leader of the squad and they also have the Wagner brothers who play for the Orlando Magic. Daniel Theis is another familiar face from the NBA and a center who can play well on both ends of the floor.

FIBA World Cup odds

USA 4/5 (1.80)

Traditionally, Team USA is the favorite to win going into every FIBA World Cup. They finished sixth in the previous one in 2019 after losing two games in the tournament. It was expected to see them with a much better roster this time around, but looking at the list, they do not look unbeatable at all. They will definitely lack a veteran leadership on the court as Bobby Portis is their oldest and most experienced player.

Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards are elite scorers and Josh Hart and Walker Kessler are solid defenders. Still, the gap in the odds between Team USA and the rest of the teams is maybe too big if we take a deeper look at the rosters. None of the players on Team USA has any experience playing by the FIBA rules and other than the fact that the three-point line is a little closer than it is in the NBA, everything else may be a problem for Gregg Popovich’s team.

France 8/1 (9.00)

France won the bronze medal at the last two FIBA World Cups. They are a nice mix of NBA players and guys who have excellent careers in Europe. Rudy Gobert, the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year is the star of the team. Nicolas Batum is in the NBA for more than a decade and is one of the most versatile players on the international scene and Evan Fouriner is a shooter that can light it up against any team. Nando de Colo, who has a previous NBA experience, is one of the best combo guards in Europe in the last decade who is ice-cold in clutch. The former Celtic Guerschon Yabusele won the EuroLeague with Real Madrid last season and center Mathias Lessort was named to the First Team of that competition.

This group of players have not played a lot together, but they have all the talent and the mix of experience and youth to beat anybody in the tournament.

Serbia 10/1 (11.00)

Serbia is always among the top teams in Europe they would have been even the top favorite to win the 2023 FIVA World Cup if Nikola Jokic decided to join the team. Vasilije Micic, the former EuroLeague MVP and leading scorer will also miss the tournament after he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Still, Serbia has a respectable roster led by the 73-year-old head coach Svetislav Pesic who led Yugoslavia to the 2002 FIBA World Cup victory. The Hawks guard, Bogdan Bogdanovic is the best player on the team and he was the top scorer of the previous FIBA World Cup. At center, Serbia has one of the best players in this position in Europe, Nikola Milutinov, as well as Filip Petrusev who signed with the Philadelphia 76ers this summer.

What makes Serbia a real treat for everyone, is the team game they play. Pesic has a system in which everything is set and if the shots starts to fall, don’t be surprised if they win the gold.

Spain 10/1 (11.00)

Spain is the reigning World and European champion so regardless of their roster, they should not be underestimated. There are no Gasols on the team and no Ricky Rubio, but there are plenty of guys who know how to win. Veterans Sergio Llull and Rudy Fernandez are still the leaders of the team but the main roles are in the hands of another set of brothers – Juancho and Willie Hernangomez. It is a fact that these two did not get the chance they wanted in the NBA, but they play excellent for the national team.

Spain was not among the favorites to win the last World Cup but the system and the team spirit they have, make them contenders to win it all.