EuroBasket 2022 Power Rankings: Top 5 is as close as it could get / News - Basketnews.com

With EuroBasket 2022 starting next week, BasketNews presents EuroBasket 2022 Power Rankings, which was made up of basketball experts from various countries.

Credit: SIPA - Scanpix, FIBA, BNS, Federación Española de Baloncesto | BasketNews iliustracija/A.Zaikauskas Credit SIPA - Scanpix, FIBA, BNS, Federación Española de Baloncesto | BasketNews iliustracija/A.Zaikauskas

With EuroBasket 2022 starting next week, BasketNews presents EuroBasket 2022 Power Rankings, which was made up of basketball experts from various countries.

62 people contributed to BasketNews EuroBasket 2022 Power Rankings, including BasketNews staff writers, basketball players, head coaches, and general managers.

Respondents had to line up all EuroBasket teams from 24th to 1st place. The first place got 24 points, second – 23, third – 22, and so on. All teams in BasketNews EuroBasket 2022 Power Rankings were lined after summing up all the points they did receive.

The survey was held from August 18 to August 23, meaning that respondents could have provided their answers without knowing about Tornike Shengelia, Sergio Llull (both will definitely miss EuroBasket 2022), Vasilije Micic or Tomas Satoransky's injuries.

24. Hungary

Credit Peter Girgasz/MKOSZ

Points: 198 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 16/24 Biggest star: Adam Hanga

Hungary got unlucky with being placed in Group B, where they'll face Lithuania, France, Slovenia, one of the hosts, Germany, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Most respondents didn't give many chances to the Hungarians, as in the most likely scenario, they will fight for only one victory in their group.

Hungarian was selected as the 16th team in the EuroBasket twice. 23rd place was the most popular selection, while 13 people chose Hungary as the worst tournament team.

23. Great Britain

Points: 239 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 14/24 Biggest star: Gabriel Olaseni

Great Britain got into Group C and won't face such fierce competition as Hungary. However, if the Hungarians have EuroLeague's Final Four participant in Adam Hanga, Great Britain's biggest star is Gabriel Olaseni, who spent the last season with Darussafaka Istanbul.

It's unlikely that Great Britain will put up a fight against Greece, Italy, and Croatia, but they might be able to challenge Estonia and Ukraine.

15 respondents selected Great Britain as the worst team in the tournament, which is the biggest number of the last place votes. However, it received one 14th place vote and three 16th place votes.

22. Netherlands

Credit FIBA

Points: 240 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 16/24 Biggest star: Worthy de Jong

Another team which is happy for the lone fact that it will participate in the EuroBasket. Czech Republic, Israel, Poland, Serbia, and Finland have much bigger ambitions and will try to beat the Netherlands by the biggest margin possible.

The Netherlands received 12 last-place votes, while two respondents gave them the 16th spot.

21. Estonia

Points: 342 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 11/24 Biggest star: Maik Kotsar

According to our experts, it will be a surprise if Estonia reaches the Round of 16. For this to happen, the Baltic state will must beat Great Britain and hunt for another victory against Croatia, Italy, Greece, or Ukraine.

Estonia also received more various votes. One of the respondents gave them 11th place. 11 people gave Estonia at least 16th place, while four respondents see them as the worst team in the tournament.

The most popular choice was 22nd place (12 votes).

20. Bulgaria

Credit FIBA

Points: 380 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 12/24 Biggest star: Sasha Vezenkov

The first team from Group A, which also includes Belgium, Georgia, Spain, Montenegro, and Turkey.

The most popular choice for Bulgaria was 18th place. One of the respondents gave Bulgaria the 12th spot, while four people see it as the worst team in the EuroBasket.

19. Ukraine

Points: 414 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 12/24 Biggest stars: Alex Len, Svi Mykhailiuk

Although Ukraine is only 19th in BasketNews EuroBasket 2022 Power Rankings, it is already the third team from Group C. Knowing that, our experts assume that out of Great Britain, Estonia, and Ukraine, the latter has the highest chances of reaching the playoffs. Ukraine also has two NBA players in Alex Len and Svi Mykhailiuk.

The 19th place was the most popular selection among our experts (9 votes). The 12th spot was the highest Ukraine received (2 votes).

18. Finland

Points: 468 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 9/24 Biggest star: Lauri Markkanen

Looking at the results, the majority think that in Group D, Finland will overtake only the Netherlands. However, with Tomas Satoransky's status being unclear, it's too early to write off the Fins.

Finland received three 9th place votes and at least one vote from 10th to 24th place.

17. Georgia

Credit FIBA

Points: 556 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 7/24 Biggest star: Goga Bitadze

Georgia received as many points as Poland, but our experts don't see it making past the group stage as Belgium (598 points) and Montenegro (578 points) accumulated more points. On the other hand, it also shows that we can expect a fierce battle for 4th place in Group A.

However, it doesn't help that Georgia lost its biggest star Tornike Shengelia.

The most popular selection for Georgia was 12th place (8 votes), but from the 7th to 24th spot, only 9th and 10th seeds weren't mentioned.

16. Poland

Credit FIBA Media

Points: 556 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 10/23 Biggest star: Mateusz Ponitka

Poland beat the other two teams from Group D – Finland (468 points) and the Netherlands (240 points). It's fair to say that our experts assume that Poland will fight Poland for the ticket to Berlin.

Probably the biggest Poland loss is the 9th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft Jeremy Sochan.

The most popular selection for Poland was 17th place (14 times). Three respondents saw Poland in the Top 10, while one of them gave 23rd place.

15. Montenegro

Credit FIBA

Points: 578 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 10/22 Biggest star: Bojan Dubljevic

Although Montenegro will be missing Nikola Vucevic, our experts think that Montenegro will put up a good fight against Belgium, Georgia, and Bulgaria.

15th place makes the most sense since it was the most popular choice among respondents (13 votes). One person put Montenegro in the Top 10, while the other two gave it 22nd place on their ballot.

14. Belgium

Credit FIBA

Points: 598 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 5/24 Biggest stars: Retin Obasohan, Ismael Bako

An interesting coincidence: the 14th, 15th, and 16th places in BasketNews EuroBasket 2022 Power Rankings are from Group A.

However, among this trio, Belgium received the most support as it got one vote in each of the 5th, 6th, and 7th places. The most popular choice for Belgium was 15th place (9 votes).

13. Israel

Credit FIBA

Points: 630 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 7/22 Biggest star: Deni Avdija

Serbia being the clear favorite in Group D, Israel made a third place among our experts. However, the survey was conducted before the news about Satoransky's injury, so it's plausible to assume that Israel would be much closer to the Czech Republic than it is now.

Israel received eight 15th place votes, while seven gave it 12th and 17th seeds. One respondent placed Israel in only 22nd place.

12. Bosnia and Herzegovina

Points: 673 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 7/24 Biggest stars: Jusuf Nurkic, Dzanan Musa

Seeing Bosnia and Herzegovina so high only shows the strength of Group B. Bosnia and Hungary would have much bigger chances to qualify for playoffs in any other group, but the draw was simply unlucky.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's preparation was disturbed by financial problems, resulting in doubts about their participation in EuroBasket 2022 and playing only two friendly games.

The majority of our experts (15 votes) gave Bosnia 13th place.

11. Czech Republic

Points: 875 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 6/19 Biggest stars: Tomas Satoransky (questionable), Jan Vesely

It must be noted that the survey took place when Satoransky was still healthy. If for most of the time, many saw the Czech Republic as the second team in Group D, now Czechs might see themselves in a hard battle for a ticket to the playoffs.

Although there have been some mixed reports recently, the latest news is that Satoransky should be included in the final 12-man roster but make his EuroBasket 2022 debut at a later stage of the group phase.

Speaking of the survey results, the most popular choice for the Czech Republic was 10th place (14 votes). 11 people gave Czechs 9th place, while eight respondents placed them in the Top 8.

11th place in BasketNews EuroBasket 2022 Power Rankings is a breaking point since the Czech Republic beat Bosnia and Herzegovina by slightly more than 200 points.

10. Croatia

Credit FIBA

Points: 920 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 6/21 Biggest stars: Bojan Bogdanovic, Dario Saric

A team with Bojan Bogdanovic, Dario Saric, Jaleen Smith, Mario Hezonja, Ivica Zubac, and Krunoslav Simon is only in 10th place? That's how ruthless this EuroBasket 2022 is.

It probably doesn't help that the latest Croatia results in recent tournaments were underwhelming.

Croatians, who didn't qualify for the next year's World Cup, have the capability to beat both Italy and Greece, but the question remains: will they find a winning formula? If not, even Estonia and Ukraine can cause some problems.

Croatia racked the most 11th place votes (16). It also got 6th place (3), 7th (4), 8th (11), 9th (9), and 10th (7) place votes.

9. Germany

Points: 934 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 5/23 Biggest stars: Dennis Schroder, Franz Wagner

Germany was plagued with injuries before the EuroBasket even began. Team captain Dennis Schroder recently returned from injury, while Daniel Theis is still recovering, and Moritz Wagner already withdrew from the national team.

These are big losses when you're in the same group with Slovenia, France, and Lithuania.

The most popular choice for Germany was 9th place (13 votes). However, one respondent put them in the 23rd spot.

8. Italy

Credit FIBA

Points: 1031 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 3/15 Biggest stars: Danilo Gallinari

The first team to reach the 1000 points mark. After surprising many during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Italy has the biggest star in Danilo Gallinari.

However, there are more players that made their name in Europe: Nicolo Melli, Achille Polonara, Luigi Datome, Simone Fontecchio, and Nico Mannion.

17 respondents gave Italy 7th place, while 14 – 8th. Italy also got only one 15th place vote, which is the lowest point of Azzurri.

7. Turkey

Points: 1069 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 4/13 Biggest stars: Cedi Osman, Furkan Korkmaz

Cedi Osman, Furkan Korkmaz, Alperen Sengun, Shane Larkin and the one and only Ergin Ataman! Ataman alone is a must-watch TV, while the assembled roster can put up a fight against all favorites.

The most popular choice among our experts was 6th place (19 votes). However, none of the respondents think Turkey will bring the medals home.

6. Spain

Points: 1139 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 2/11 Biggest stars: Willy Hernangomez, Lorenzo Brown

For various reasons, Spain will be missing at least ten players: Ricky Rubio, Alex Abrines, Santi Aldama, Victor Claver, Dani Diez, Sergi Martinez, Pierre Oriola, Alberto Abalde, Guillem Vives, and Sergio Llull.

However, even with these losses, Spain could become one of the dark horses of the EuroBasket.

Spain might not look so mighty in comparison with the Top 5. However, they still have players from the strongest European competitions and is led by NBA-caliber centers in Willy and Juancho Hernangomez. On top of that, they have the experience and the highest quality head coach Sergio Scariolo.

The survey clearly showed that Spain is close to the rest of the EuroBasket favorites, as 22 respondents put them in 6th place. 3 people believe Spain will bring home medals (two 2nd place votes and one 3rd place vote).

5. Greece

Points: 1331 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 1/8 Biggest star: Giannis Antekounmpo

We enter the Top 5 and EuroBasket favorites stage. Despite being in 5th place on BasketNews EuroBasket 2022 Power Rankings, Greece's gap from first place is only 51 points.

If we compared this Greece squad with the one in World Cup in 2019, the biggest difference is Dimitris Itoudis. One of the best European coaches knows how to work and deal with the best players, and so far, it shows.

If Giannis Antetokounmpo struggled in the previous World Cup, this year, he dropped 40 points against Serbia in World Cup 2023 qualifiers and 31 points in a friendly game against Spain.

Speaking of BasketNews EuroBasket 2022 Power Rankings, the most popular choice among respondents was 4th place (17 votes). 11 people gave Greece 1st place, 6 – 2nd, while 10 – 3rd.

Overall, 57 out of 62 respondents placed Greece in the Top 5.

4. Lithuania

Points: 1334 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 1/7 Biggest stars: Jonas Valanciunas, Domantas Sabonis

Despite some losses like Edgaras Ulanovas or Donatas Motiejunas, Lithuania is seen as one of the favorites to fight for the gold.

21 respondents placed Lithuania in 3rd place, which was the most common selection. 11 people thought Lithuania would win gold, while three respondents believed that the Baltic state would end up with silver.

3. France

Points: 1355 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 1/9 Biggest stars: Evan Fournier, Rudy Gobert

Since 2011, France has won three sets of EuroBasket medals and is a serious contender for another one.

One shall not forget that this team eliminated Team USA in the 2019 World Cup and won silver in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Nando de Colo won't be available, but knowing France's depth, such a loss doesn't seem so painful.

France is the first team in BasketNews EuroBasket 2022 Power Rankings that received the most 1st place votes (15). 12 respondents see them as the second-best team, while 9 – as third-best. France got 11 votes in each 4th and 5th places.

2. Serbia

Points: 1358 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 1/6 Biggest stars: Nikola Jokic, Vasilije Micic (questionable), Nemanja Bjelica (questionable)

So, we can draw a conclusion that BasketNews EuroBasket 2022 Power Rankings experts predict EuroBasket 2017 final rematch between Serbia and Slovenia. However, this time Serbia has Nikola Jokic, who didn't play 5 years ago.

Even though Serbia boasts one of the greatest rosters in the tournament, it also has losses.

Bogdan Bogdanovic couldn't join due to an injury, while Svetislav Pesic cut Milos Teodosic more than two weeks ago. However, such a decision could haunt Serbia as Vasilije Micic suffered an injury in Thursday's game against Greece, and his participation in the upcoming EuroBasket is in the air.

Nevertheless, having back-to-back NBA MVP in Nikola Jokic and many other stars, Serbia's goal is to bring home a medal.

Most respondents (18) predict that Serbia will end up second. The Balkan country received eight 1st place, twelve 3rd, and ten 4th place votes.

1. Slovenia

Points: 1382 Highest/lowest place received in Power Rankings: 1/18 Biggest stars: Luka Doncic, Goran Dragic

After five years, Batman and Robin switched their roles. Now Luka Doncic is the guy, while Goran Dragic tries his best to ease the load for the Dallas Mavericks superstar.

In its friendly games, Slovenia faced such teams as Serbia, Turkey, and Croatia and won all of them.

Slovenia received the most 1st place votes (17). 21 respondents placed it in 2nd, eight – in 3rd, and twelve – in 4th place.

However, some experts don't believe in Slovenia's success. Slovenia received one vote in 5th, 6th, 8th, and even 18th place each. However, even this didn't stop Slovenia from finishing in first place in BasketNews EuroBasket 2022 Power Rankings.

BasketNews EuroBasket 2022 Power Rankings

Place Team Team Score 1. Slovenia 1382 2. Serbia 1358 3. France 1355 4. Lithuania 1334 5. Greece 1331 6. Spain 1139 7. Turkey 1069 8. Italy 1031 9. Germany 934 10. Croatia 920 11. Czech Republic 875 12. Bosnia and Herzegovina 673 13. Israel 630 14. Belgium 598 15. Montenegro 578 16. Georgia 556 17. Poland 556 18. Finland 468 19. Ukraine 414 20. Bulgaria 380 21. Estonia 342 22. Netherlands 240 23. Great Britain 239 24. Hungary 198 Support BasketNews so we could make even better content.