Biggest stars that will miss FIBA World Cup 2023 / News - Basketnews.com

BasketNews built a 12-man roster from the best players that will miss FIBA World Cup 2023, including a starting five of Facundo Campazzo, Shane Larkin, Bojan Bogdanovic, Deni Avdija, and Alperen Sengun.

Credit: FIBA/BasketNews Illiustration Credit FIBA/BasketNews Illiustration

After discovering all 32 teams that will participate in FIBA World Cup 2023, BasketNews invites you to take a look at the biggest stars that will miss the competition.

Top teams that will miss World Cup include such countries as Argentina (no. 4 in FIBA ranking), Czech Republic (12), Poland (14), Turkey (16), Nigeria (19), Tunisia (22), and Croatia (23).

On top of that, we have Bosnia & Herzegovina and Israel – nations with their stars that won't be able to showcase their skills in the upcoming World Cup.

BasketNews built a starting five and a 12-man roster from the best players that will miss FIBA World Cup 2023.

Starting Five

Facundo Campazzo | PG | Argentina

After Argentina's fiasco in the final game of the Qualifiers, Campazzo begins our roster of stars that we won't see in the upcoming World Cup.

Alongside his solid production, we won't witness any of Campazzo's flashy passes or pesky defense. Moreover, Campazzo turns 32 in three weeks, so the question is whether we'll see him in another major tournament.

His next opportunity could be Paris Olympics in 2024, but first, Argentina must receive an invite to the Qualifying tournament and knowing that only one team gets a ticket to the main tournament, it's not a given.

After coming back from the NBA, Campazzo is yet to make his EuroLeague season debut. However, he averages 13.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 2.1 steals per game in the ABA League.

In the last tournament with Argentina in Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Campazzo averaged 14.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 13.0 EFF per game.

In the Americas Qualifiers, his stat line was even more impressive: 17.5 points, 7.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and 21.3 EFF per game.

Shane Larkin | SG | Turkey

Larkin needs no introduction. Yes, Larkin's season is plagued with injuries, and his production is one of the lowest throughout his time in Europe, but he remains an elite guard.

Larkin played in only eight EuroLeague games this season, averaging 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 14.4 PIR.

EuroBasket was the first major tournament for Turkey, where he had to take the playmaker's role. Because of that, his scoring was lower than usual (9.2 PPG), but accordingly, his assists numbers went up to 7.0 per game.

On top of that, Larkin's EuroBasket campaign ended earlier because of a wrist injury.

Bojan Bogdanovic | SF | Croatia

Croatia's nightmare continues, as the Balkan country will miss the second out of three last major tournaments. Croatia took part in EuroBasket 2022 but was eliminated by Finland in the Round of 16, so you could hardly call it a success.

It means no Bojan Bogdanovic, who is having his best career season with the Detroit Pistons. The 33-year-old averages 21.4 points, 2.6 assists (both career-highs), and 3.7 rebounds per game. On top of that, he's shooting at 40.2% accuracy from 3-point.

In EuroBasket 2022, Bogdanovic was among the Top 10 players in scoring, averaging 19.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 14.2 EFF per game.

As he revealed himself after EuroBasket, it was likely his last tournament for Croatia.

"We won't play in the World Cup next year, the way things are now, maybe we won't have the next big competition until three years from now, and then I'll be in some serious years," Bogdanovic told Sportske Novosti. "The way I'm thinking at the moment, this will be my last championship, my last matches for Croatia."

Credit FIBA

Deni Avdija | PF | Israel

Israel has yet to make its first appearance in the World Cup since 1986, meaning Deni Avdija will have to wait for his World Cup debut.

Avdija slowly found his groove and role in the Washington Wizards, enjoying a career-best season in scoring (9 PPG), rebounding (6.3 RPG), and assists (2.5 APG).

Of course, his role with the Wizards is more focused on defense, but the 22-year-old already showed he could also be a no. 1 option in the offense.

During EuroBasket 2022 campaign, Avdija averaged 14.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 16.4 PIR per game.

"There were ups and downs, we were close to taking the lead, but the opportunity slipped away, and that made me a little hurt. It was a special experience to play against Serbia," Avdija shared his emotions after a 78-89 loss against Nikola Jokic's Serbia.

It would have been interesting to see his development progress in World Cup, but now we will need to wait for another tournament.

Alperen Sengun | C | Turkey

Another Turkish national team member that will miss out. Despite limited minutes knowing his production, Sengun improved in almost every statistical category from his rookie season.

In only 28 minutes per game, the 20-year-old averages 14.8 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, making 55% of field goals.

We already saw what kind of force Sengun could be for Turkey, as he averaged 16.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 17.3 EFF during EuroBasket 2022.

On top of his solid production on the court, the Turkish big man always entertains fans with his crafty plays, so he will definitely be one of the biggest losses for the competition.

Rest of the team

Tomasz Satoransky | Czech Republic

After making a return from the NBA, Satoransky didn't take long to show that he remains one of the best point guards in Europe.

In the competitive Barcelona team, the 31-year-old Czech averages 8.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 13.2 PIR over 22 EuroLeague games.

Not that long ago, he posted a solid double-double against Crvena Zvezda, finishing the game with 19 points, 10 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 28 PIR.

The Czech Republic will miss its first major tournament since EuroBasket 2013. Satoransky and Jan Vesely were cornerstones of the Czech Republic's rise in basketball, resulting in four EuroBasket, one World Cup, and one Olympic Games campaigns.

"It's underappreciated what he's done in this tournament," Vojtech Hruban said about Satoransky after EuroBasket. "He was in and out of the team, he did a lot of the stuff, and he paid for a lot of stuff to get back on the court, and it shows his heart and how much he wants to play for this team."

"It was incredible. How he treated that, how he was always positive, how he wanted to help even when he knew he was going to jump on one foot. To have him back... I don't have a hat, but..." Hruban added, imitating the hats-off move for Satoransky.

Luca Vildoza | Argentina

Despite an unsuccessful stint in the NBA, Vildoza successfully proves how good of a player he is in the EuroLeague.

The 27-year-old Argentian is a clear Crvena Zvezda leader, averaging 13.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 13.5 PIR per game.

He was also named EuroLeague's December MVP, so his presence in the upcoming World Cup will definitely be missed.

Cedi Osman | Turkey

Although Osman experiences a slight dip in his production with the Cleveland Cavaliers, we all know he's a different animal while playing for Turkey.

In the last campaign with Turkey in EuroBasket 2022, Osman averaged 15.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 11.0 EFF.

Turkey became one of the biggest FIBA windows victims, knowing that up until now, it didn't miss a single EuroBasket or World Cup tournament since 1993.

Credit FIBA

Mario Hezonja | Croatia

Hezonja didn't put the same numbers as he did for UNICS Kazan last season, but it's pretty normal, considering he moved to Real Madrid.

Despite a slow start, Hezonja averages 12.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 11.2 PIR in the last five games.

It includes his career-best performance against AS Monaco, in which he finished the game with 30 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 34 PIR.

In his latest campaign with Croatia in EuroBasket 2022, the 28-year-old put up 8.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 8.0 EFF per game.

Precious Achiuwa | Nigeria

African powerhouse Nigeria surprisingly didn't manage to qualify for the upcoming tournament, meaning plenty of eligible stars won't be able to showcase their talents.

One of them is Precious Achiuwa, who is having a great season with the Toronto Raptors. The 23-year-old averages 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists throughout 39 NBA games.

He made his debut for Nigeria during Tokyo 2020 Olympics, averaging 8.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assist per game.

Jusuf Nurkic | Bosnia & Herzegovina

With Bosnia and Herzegovina missing out, another NBA player, Jusuf Nurkic, will have a free summer.

Currently dealing with a calf injury, Nurkic averages 13.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.

Nurkic played in EuroBasket 2022, averaging 16.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 11 EFF per game.

He traveled to Germany with the team despite many issues. Starting from uncertainty about whether Bosnia and Herzegovina will compete at EuroBasket to sitting in the middle seat during the team's flight.

Yet, there's no question about Nurkic's dedication to his country.

"We can do these miracles because these are miracles because you leave with 12 guys who absolutely gave their maximum. I'm proud of everyone because they gave their last atom of strength to do their best. I really can't blame anyone," Nurkic said after EuroBasket.

Such passion and dedication, alongside talent, will be definitely missed.

Ivica Zubac | Croatia

The third Croatian ends our 12-man roster that will miss the upcoming World Cup. Zubac is having his best career season.

The starting center of the Los Angeles Clippers averages 10.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game.

In November, he had an incredible performance against the Indiana Pacers, finishing the game with 31 points, 29 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 assists.

"I was mad. I was mad at myself because I wanted to get that 30-and-30 so bad, and I just needed one rebound," Zubac said after the game. "It hurts. I'm definitely not as happy as I should be. I was just mad at myself for getting that foul. First off, I didn't think it was a foul, so I was mad at that. But every time I see someone trying to get a layup, I try to block it. It's who I am."

In EuroBasket 2022, the 25-year-old averaged 9.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 10.2 PIR per game.

Honorable mentions

Leandro Bolmaro (Argentina) Gabriel Deck (Argentina) Furkan Korkmaz (Turkey) Sertac Sanli (Turkey) Dzanan Musa (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Dario Saric (Croatia) Ante Zizic (Croatia) Michael Roll (Tunisia) Mateusz Ponitka (Poland) Jan Vesely (Czech Republic) Josh Okogie (Nigeria) Chimezie Metu (Nigeria)

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