The Tokyo Olympics 2020 men’s basketball tournament provided some outstanding performances from many of the best players in the world.
While some of those stars have already been established on the international stage and in the NBA, others got their first chance to showcase their talents and showed to their respective countries that the future is bright.
SBOTOP turns the spotlight on seven of the stars of the Tokyo men’s basketball tournament and sees what the future holds for each of them.
Kevin Durant, USA
Giannis Antetokounmpo may have knocked out Kevin Durant in the NBA Playoffs en route to winning his first championship, but the Nets star staked his claim as the best basketball player in the world with his outstanding Olympics.
The 32-year-old was unstoppable during the knockout round to lead the US to their fourth straight gold medal. In doing so, he became the US’s all-time leading scorer in international competition and also won his third gold medal, tied with Carmelo Anthony for the most in men’s history.
Durant will now get some much-deserved rest before coming for Giannis and the Bucks’ crown in the next NBA season.
Patty Mills, Australia
Durant also got an up-close preview of what his new Nets teammate Patty Mills can do in Tokyo. The Australian guard made major Olympics 2020 highlights in the bronze medal game against Luka Doncic and Slovenia as he scored 42 points to lead his country to its first Olympic medal in men’s basketball.
Mills has ample championship experience from his time with the San Antonio Spurs and will be a welcome addition to a star-studded Nets team that will be the favourites for next year’s title.
Luka Doncic, Slovenia
Doncic may have been disappointed with missing out on a medal despite dominating on his debut Olympics, but the Dallas Mavericks certainly helped cheer their young superstar up by signing him to a max contract extension worth $207 million over five years.
Time is still very much on the 22-year-old’s side as he tries to win an NBA championship with Dallas. Similarly, he still has several cracks at winning an Olympic medal for his country.
And judging by his incredible performances in his Olympic debut (23.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 9.5 assists per game), Doncic looks set to dominate on the international stage for the next decade or more.
Jayson Tatum, USA
While Durant was busy carrying Team USA for long stretches during the tournament, Tatum emerged as the team’s other most reliable scorer.
The Boston Celtics forward finished second in scoring with 15 points per game, including 19 in the final against France, as he displayed his impressive skill set which allows him to score virtually anywhere on the court.
At just 23 years old, Tatum figures to be a fixture for Team USA in future Olympics. And in the meantime, he will look to impart his Olympic experiences to his Celtics teammates as they go in search of a championship.
Evan Fournier, France
Fournier had his NBA future sorted out as he was leading the charge in France’s fight for the gold medal. The 28-year-old forward signed a massive four-year, $78 million deal with the New York Knicks, who are keen to build upon their surprising season in 2020-21.
Fournier will not be asked to lead the Knicks offensively as he does with his country, which works well for him. He is much better when he is not a primary playmaker, and his consistent long-range shooting will be a great addition to a Knicks squad that seriously lacked shooting and spacing last year.
Rui Hachimura, Japan
The Olympics 2020 odds were not in Japan’s favour, and the hosts quickly crashed out in the group stage without a single win. However, hometown hero Rui Hachimura still put on a show. The Washington Wizards forward averaged 22.3 points in his three games, which made him the fourth-leading scorer in the entire tournament.
Hachimura is set to enter his third year in the NBA, which is usually the time when players break out and have their best season.
With the Wizards significantly adding more spacing around Hachimura by getting Spencer Dinwiddie, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Kyle Kuzma, Hachimura will have a better chance to put up numbers like he did with Japan in the Olympics.
Nico Mannion, Italy
Italy crashed out in the quarter-final stage of the Olympics, although their fifth-place finish was a decent showing after failing to qualify in each of the last three Games.
And the future of Italian basketball looks quite bright thanks to Nico Mannion. The 20-year-old Golden State Warriors point guard had an impressive tournament as he averaged 15 points in just 21 minutes during the group stage.
Mannion is unlikely to be a big rotation player for the Warriors this upcoming season, but he proved in Tokyo that he does have a future in the NBA and can lead the Italians to more success in upcoming Games.
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