By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
You’ve already read the 10 basketball moments that defined 2022. With 2023 arriving, here are the 10 things we are eager to see next year.
The first-ever EuroLeague Final Four in Kaunas
Many will say that it was long overdue and you can’t argue with that. For the first time ever, the EuroLeague Final Four will take place in Kaunas, widely regarded as one of the most prominent basketball capitals in the continent. Kaunas, and Lithuania in general, live, breath, eat and drink hoops and we are basically talking about the only country in Europe where basketball No. 1 in the preferences of fans, surpassing even football. The city absolutely deserved this.
Zalgirio arena, where the Final Four will take place, is a basketball palace, a state of the art venue which is widely considered as the top in Europe and consistently voted as such by players and club executives. It’s even more beautiful when you see it packed with loud 16,000 fans and we’ll see this kind of images come May 19 to 21.
The 2023 World Cup (in three Asian countries)
If the 2022 EuroBasket made unprecedented noise and buzz mainly due to the presence of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic then just wait for what will happen in the upcoming FIBA World Championship. There should be a parade of global basketball superstars, considering also that Team USA is expected to be on some serious vengeance mode after finishing at an all-time low fifth spot in 2019.
To put it simply, this World Cup has the potential to be the most star-laden edition ever in the tournament’s history and one of the most spectacular ones even when it comes to its competitiveness and level of basketball played.
Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines will co-host this World Cup and the championship game is scheduled to take place in the massive Philippine Arena which has a capacity of 55,000. People in the country are just crazy for basketball so they will bring some magical atmosphere with them to pair with the show on the floor.
A resolution of the issue of conflicting schedules in Europe
2022 marked yet another year in which FIBA and EuroLeague talked a lot about their intentions of finding a common ground, particularly when it comes to the annual calendar, but no concrete solution on the matter seems to be on the horizon. Yet.
Several coaches and players continue to emphasize on how vitally important it is for FIBA and EuroLeague to sit down and work on the issue, especially for the benefit of the protagonists: The players who have taken an extra toll, moreso since they have to balance their club games with national team tourneys.
The 2023 NBA Finals
While NBA reigning champions Golden State Warriors barely have a winning record so far in the 2022-23 NBA season, there are some forces in the Western Conference like the leaders New Orleans Pelicans or the Denver Nuggets and the Memphis Grizzlies that haven’t even made the NBA Finals before and are now establishing themselves potential contenders.
In the East, the Boston Celtics are showing how they can also return to the title series while Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are locked in on getting their Brooklyn Nets there as well. It’s seems very likely that we will see a new champion this year and maybe some surprising names in the Finals.
A European NBA MVP for a fifth straight year
Nikola Jokic is producing some crazy numbers, as usual and the Nuggets are winning. Dallas is rising in the standings while Luka Doncic is putting on some historical, unprecedented performances. Giannis Antetokounmpo is once again delivering a rare and dominant two-way impact as the Bucks have one of the best records in the league. While Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant are also strong in the MVP conversation, as of now, the odds are in favor of a European player being named the NBA MVP for a fifth season in a row.
When it comes to Jokic, many cite “voter fatigue” as a reason why he may fall behind despite possibly having presented the strongest MVP argument when the season is over. If the Joker keeps playing like that and the Nuggets remain among the highest positions in the West, then he may become the only European to win a third straight MVP and the first player in general to make this threepeat after Larry Bird in the 80s.
Victor Wembanyama’s emergence in the NBA
Never before had a European prospect attracted such an attention from the NBA and the U.S. crowd in general even a year before he eventually plays in the league. And that’s because there never was such a ridiculous combination of talent and size like the one Victor Wembanyama brings on the table and has made fans and executives drooling.
Wembanyama will be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. That’s without a question and the only thing remaining to be seen is which team will be eligible to select him and if he will immediately become the sensation everyone expects him to be next season.
Basketball becoming big in Great Britain
The removal of the salary cap in the BBL could be the start of a new era for British basketball since now clubs have no restrictions on how much they will spend and they can make plans to attract investors and build squads that can become competitive staples in major continental leagues.
The London Lions signed former NBAers like Sam Dekker and Kostas Koufos to add to their domestic talent with some really big ambitions for the future. It’s a promising sign that after a very long time, a British team is gaining heavy attention and making some headlines on a European scale.
Just imagine a scenario in which the Lions translate their roster quality into steady winning chemistry and make it all the way to the EuroCup Finals to get a ticket to EuroLeague.
The most thrilling EuroLeague regular-season finish ever
Almost halfway through the 2022-23 regular season and the situation in the EuroLeague standings is tighter like never before. Three teams are tied for the first and second place while there’s just a two-win distance between the 16th spot and the playoff zone. The are upsets in abundance, no team looks unbeatable and the “anyone can defeat anyone” cliché has never been truer, as results so far have shown. Things are setting up in such way that we may see an extremely close race for the postseason up until the very last moment of Round 34.
New faces/happy returns in EuroLeague
The EuroCup season will be long and the competition format allows for surprises (as we saw last year) so even an underdog may make it as far as the championship game and get spot in the 2022-23 EuroLeague.
We may seem contenders Joventut Badalona or Gran Canaria returning to EuroLeagut after 2008-09 and 2019-19 respectively or teams like Turk Telekom, Bourg en Bresse or Paris Basketball getting the opportunity for a first-time appearance in the competition. Whatever the case will be, we’ll have some new EuroLeague capitals next season and that’s always important for the enrichment of the championship.
Will the Spanish dominance continue or a new power will rise in the Basketball Champions League?
Well, in all honesty, the Spaniards have been dominating the basketball world on a global scale throughout the last years so it’s not really surprising that this superiority is also reflected on the Basketball Champions League. During the first six years of the competition Spanish club won the title four times with Lenovo Tenerife and San Pablo Burgos sharing the spoils in 2017 plus 2022 and 2020 plus 2021 respectively.
Tenerife is also a heavy favorite this year as well while, in Burgos‘ absence, teams like BAXI Manresa, Bilbao or Unicaja Malaga will look to extend this Spanish streak. On the other hand, there’s some strong contenders such as Telekom Baskets Bonn (TJ Shorts, we salute you) and Galatasaray or re-emerging powers like as Hapoel Jerusalem who will look to bring the trophy home and spoil this continuous Spanish party.