13 NBA Stars Set to Shake Up 2025 EuroBasket—Who Will Dominate the Court?

The Utah forward — who likes it in Salt Lake and isn’t looking to be traded, even if teams are calling about him and Danny Ainge is listening — had a couple of very impressive seasons for the Jazz before seeing his efficiency drop off last season on a rebuilding squad. He still averaged 19 points and 5.9 rebounds a game, but his true shooting percentage of .571 was about the league average, and well below his previous two seasons, and that was indicative of all his efficiency stats. Will we see a healthy and rejuvenated Markkanen at EuroBasket, and will that mean his efficiency bounces back?

We’re still a month away from even NBA media days before training camp, let alone real basketball. Which is why if you’re looking for meaningful games at the end of summer, it’s time to turn your gaze toward Europe.Porzingis is a prototypical European stretch five, a player who can protect the rim on defense but on offense can space the floor and force other team’s bigs out of the paint. When healthy he is a force. He was a critical part of Boston’s title run in 2024 and even last season averaged 19.5 points and 6.8 rebounds a game shooting 41.2% from beyond the arc for the Celtics, but health limited him to 42 games.Celtics (1)
🏀Neemias Queta – Portugal

As the summer heat lingers and NBA courts remain silent, the real action is setting up shop across the Atlantic. EuroBasket is about to ignite, kicking off this Wednesday, August 27, and running right through mid-September. If you’re itching for hoops that matter before the season officially tips off, this tournament offers a front-row seat to some of basketball’s finest talents showing off their stuff on European soil. From France’s silver medal squad fresh off the Paris Olympics, to Serbia’s bronze achievers, and Germany’s reigning champions—these teams bring plenty of firepower. What’s more, EuroBasket isn’t just a continental championship; it’s a showcase featuring NBA superstars, MVPs, and game-changers, all blending their unique styles in a competition that promises drama, skill, and spectacle. So buckle up, because if you’ve been counting down to basketball, your wait is nearly over—Europe’s coming in hot. LEARN MORE

Nikola Jokic (Serbia)

Not a lot of fans noticed the leap Deni Avdija made last season because not a lot of fans outside the Pacific Northwest were watching the Portland Trail Blazers. That said, he thrived in a larger role after being traded out of Washington and posted career highs in points at 16.9, rebounds (7.3) and assists (3.9). He had an impressive true shooting percentage of 60.5. Avdija has had some big games in youth international tournaments, we’ll see if he can step up on this larger stage for Israel.The three-time MVP and consensus best player in the world leads a stacked Serbian squad that is the betting favorite to win the tourney. Jokic is coming off a Nuggets’ season where he averaged a triple-double — 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists a game — while being hyper efficient, even shooting 41.7% from 3. He is at the top of his game.

Luka Doncic (Slovenia)

Brothers Franz and Mo Wagner — Orlando Magic teammates — will both suit up for Germany in this tournament, but Franz is the one ready for a breakout. He averaged 24.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists a game last season for the Magic, but missed out on the All-Star Game and postseason awards due to an oblique injury sidelining him for a chunk of the season. This season, as one of the offensive engines for a Magic team poised to break into the top four in the East and make a lot of noise (they are a great candidate for an Indiana-style postseason run), Franz is going to get a lot of shine. That could start at EuroBasket with a German team that is the No. 2 betting favorite to win the entire tournament.EuroBasket also will feature many of the NBA’s biggest stars — MVPs and players shaping and changing how the game is played.

That puts a lot on Yabusele, who broke out at the Paris Olympics — 14 points and 3.3 rebounds a game — which got him back in the NBA with a contract in Philadelphia (this coming season, he will have a key bench role for New York). If you’re questioning how much Yabusele can lift the French team, just remember what he did to LeBron James in Paris.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece)

Antetokounmpo thrives in international basketball — he was the leading scorer at the Paris Olympics last summer, averaging 25.8 points along with 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists across four games. He was the leading scorer at the 2022 EuroBasket, averaging 29.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists a game.EuroBasket, the European championship, starts this Wednesday, Aug. 27, and will run through Sept. 14. It will feature France (the silver medal team from the Paris Olympics), Serbia (the bronze medal winners) and Germany, which won the last national European competition and finished fourth in Paris.

Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia)

The veteran NBA center is the kind of floor-spacing five who thrives in international basketball, he shot 40.2% from beyond the deeper NBA 3-point line last season. He averaged 18.5 points and 10.1 rebounds a game for Chicago last season and is going to put up numbers for Montenegro as their best and go-to player.Here are 13 NBA players to watch as play tips off this week (group play will be contested in Cyprus, Finland, Latvia and Poland, with Riga, Latvia, hosting the knockout rounds).

Alperen Sengun (Turkiye)

Serbia as a team looks ready, they went 7-0 in tune-up games including a 106–72 thumping of a dangerous Slovenian team. This is a team deep with talent and guys who know how to play the international game, allowing Jokic to play to his strengths — look for him to dominate games with his playmaking more than scoring.

Lauri Markkanen (Finland)

A scare shot through Lakers’ nation after a teammate fell into Doncic’s knee during one of the exhibition games leading up to EuroBasket.

Franz Wagner (Germany)

France is a little thin along the frontline for this tournament, with Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert both out for a team that won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics a year ago.

Dennis Schroder, Germany

There is pressure on the Spanish side, which is the defending EuroBasket champions and has won four of the last six of these tournaments, but now is in a generational transition and may not have the talent to compete at the highest levels. A lot of that pressure falls on Aldama, one of the best players of the generation coming up (with brothers Willy and Juancho Hernangomez as the other big names). The Grizzlies’ stretch big averaged 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds a game in the NBA last season.

Deni Avdija (Israel)

Doncic asked out of the game and went back to the Slovenia locker room. pic.twitter.com/RLSDjpeQkS

Guerschon Yabusele, France

Porzingis is at the heart of a remaking of the Hawks roster for this season, they will need him on the court. Which means Atlanta fans will be watching and hoping Porzingis comes out of EuroBasket unscathed.Doncic will be the player with the most eyes on him heading into EuroBasket because people want the answer to this question: “How good does ‘skinny’ Doncic look?” In tune-up games for the tournament, he has looked elite, with one of his teammates telling the European media that this is the most athletic they have seen Doncic in an international tournament.

Nikola Vucevic, Montenegro

18 NBA teams have players in line to suit up in EuroBasket 2025:

Santi Aldama, Spain

It is the veteran wing Bogdanovic, not Jokic, who is the Serbian captain, which speaks to the level of respect for the sharpshooter. In the Paris Olympics last summer, Bogdanovic averaged 17.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game, helping lead Serbia to the bronze medal (and almost upsetting the USA in the medal round). He sets the tone for a Serbian team thinking gold this summer.

Bogdan Bogdanovic, Serbia

Fortunately, he was diagnosed with simply a knee contusion and was back practicing and playing with the Slovenian team in the following days. He is good to go for EuroBasket and will be in the mix for tournament MVP if Slovenia has a strong showing.