Josh Green on facing Luka Doncic in FIBA World Cup: 'Should be fun' / News - Basketnews.com

Josh Green looks forward to facing Luka Doncic in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, saying that the Slovenian star worked a lot on his body.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Australia didn't stumble in the do-or-die game against the host Japan and successfully qualified for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Second Round, as Josh Green was one of the keys to the victories.

Player of the Game EFF 36 Xavier Cooks Points 24 Accuracy 12-20 Rebounds 16 Assists 2

The 22-year-old forward made his first appearance in the starting five, finishing the game with 15 points (3/3 2PT, 2/4 3PT, 3/4 FT), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, and 20 EFF in 21 minutes of play.

"I think it was good, I felt good coming out," Green said after the game. "I've been having little tweaks, you know, my ankle, so it was good just to be out there, play free, and do what I can do to help the team win."

Australia qualifying for the Second Round means one thing: the Boomers will face Slovenia and Luka Doncic. And there's no player on Australia's roster who knows Luka Doncic better than Josh Green.

Green and Doncic have played together for the Dallas Mavericks since 2020. After being asked what kind of advice he would give to his teammates while guarding the Slovenian superstar, Green didn't give a direct answer.

"Obviously, Luka is an amazing player. I like playing with him, but at the same time, we are both competitive players, and both of us will be ready to go and compete against each other in the next game," Green said.

Luka Doncic Josh GreenCredit USA TODAY Sports-Scanpix

Nevertheless, Green looks forward to the upcoming matchup against his teammate in Dallas, especially when there's a high chance that he will be the one guarding Doncic.

"Of course, it's always fun playing against competitive guys. It's gonna be good. I watch every game here [in Okinawa]. I think he worked on his body a lot, he's looking good, but I can't give you a full breakdown, we have a game [coming up]. He's an amazing player, I'm lucky enough to go against him in practice most days. Looking forward to it, should be fun."

"At the end of the day, it's one of those things… He's one of the best players in the world, so we will definitely have a lot of work with him. Coaches will come with the gameplan that I'm gonna follow, and I'll do what I can do," Green added.

Interestingly, Australia and Slovenia have a recent past. Both teams competed for the bronze medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with the Boomers coming out on top with a 107-93 win.

"It's a new year. Obviously, they'll be ready to play, and we are going to be ready, too. It's a competitive game and a competitive atmosphere. I don't expect anything less, but at the end of the day, it's in the past [the Olympics game]," Green concluded.

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