One of the most enjoyable EuroBaskets is coming to an end and the three favorites for the medals (Greece, Serbia, Slovenia), i.е. teams that included three big NBA stars (Giannis, Jokic, Doncic) were eliminated. Can modern European basketball be a team project?

As we have repeatedly written, national teams are sets of special conditions. On the one hand, there must be continuity so that they come together as quickly as possible, because there are no daily frictions, as in the club, on the other hand, the coach has a choice from a closed “tank” of players, many of which may not fit into his plan.

In national team competitions, the adaptation of the players and the coach to the new conditions is crucial, and the weight of the jersey also plays a big role. Teams that compete in tournaments without the burden of “must” and have decent “chemistry” tend to move forward.

The presence of one NBA star and no more “less brilliant” players can be disorienting for the media, but teams have mechanisms to control the balance within their walls. Do not forget that we are talking about professionals.

The secret of all this is in purposeful and methodical work, so that the star becomes part of the whole, and the other players improve their individual weaknesses (technical and physical), which we saw a lot at EuroBasket and are unacceptable for this level.

The event, which will close on Sunday, has and will continue to teach important lessons ahead of the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics. Basketball has changed, the difficulty level is increasing for everyone…