Ross McMains: Slovenija je lahko zelo ponosna na uvrstitev med 8 najboljših ekip…

What am I supposed to do for the next 3 weeks??!! The FIBA World Cup has ended, NBA Preseason is still a few weeks away, and European preseason games are only just getting under way. I guess that means it is time for some review until the live action begins again! I am finishing up my trip in New Zealand, before heading back to the USA to attend the Sacramento Kings Training Camp. It was great watching the FIBA World Cup, there was some really high quality basketball being played and I still have a lot of games I want to re-watch to pour over some more details from each teams tactics.

Slovenia should be very proud of a top 8 finish, and if it wasn’t for those meddling Aussies, they may have even been able to make a deeper run in the tournament avoiding the USA until later stages. So it was a bit disappointing to not get my dream match up of New Zealand and Slovenia, but both teams finished the tournament playing great basketball.

First some observations from Slovenia’s final game vs the USA. The main numbers that stand out to me are the rebounding advantage and Slovenia’s poor three point percentage for the game. I really thought the Slovenian team had the chance to open up a big lead in the first half if they had been able to convert a few of the open threes they produced out of their offense. And then once again as we discussed in the first game vs the USA, they are a team that thrives off a high possession game. To give up 24 offensive rebounds and turn it over 25 times makes it very tough to control the tempo of the game vs such an athletic team like the USA. You want to be able to slow the USA team down and make them a multiple action team both offensively and defensively. By this I mean, not allowing them to get open looks in the first 7 seconds of the clock because of transition and random plays… and then on the offensive end forcing them to guard you through multiple actions, where their athletic advantage starts to wear down with each screen they must fight through and recover on. In the first half Slovenia did an admirable job of limiting the random play of the USA and not giving them too many opportunities to get out and run. But as the USA came out to start the second half they took their intensity to another level and forced some turnovers with their defensive pressure that led to momentum changing baskets that had the lead extend quickly. It was interesting to see the next game the USA played vs Lithuania and almost the exact same flow of the game occurred. With Lithuania keeping it close and then getting blasted right at the beginning of the second half. It takes a lot of discipline and a hot shooting night to keep pace with that USA team and no team was able to do it for more than a half in this world cup

I was pleased with both the performances of Goran and Zoran for the tournament. They are both the ultimate competitors. Very nice guys off the court, but once the game starts they will fight for their team and do everything they can to help their team win. Goran made his usual magical plays off pick and rolls and in transition, and I was excited to see him continue to use his floater more often when the opportunity was there. I think he could have done a better job vs switches when the big man got caught guarding him. He does a great job of this in the NBA, but I think he can continue to improve in that area. Getting the big to take a step towards him as he is about to pick up his dribble for the shot, but then faking and driving by to collapse the defense and make a scoring play for himself or teammates. Zoran had a really big tournament, and it shows in the attention he is now getting from NBA teams. Whether he goes to the NBA this season or stays in Malaga he has a really bright future and I look forward to seeing him continue to grow his game play at a high level. Shooting 43.3% from three for the tournament is a big highlight for NBA teams looking at him. Adding that consistency from the three point line to go with his defensive intensity, intelligence for the game, and speed in transition, makes for a great package of skills that are very intriguing to NBA teams.

It is going to be a lot of fun following Goran and Zoran as they start their seasons with their respective teams. They have put in a lot of work with each other and with the national team to continue improving their games. They have big seasons ahead!