3. Spain
The Spanish national team has always been able to put up a fight against Team USA. This can be attributed to the talented players on the roster and their roster continuity. Unlike Team USA, many of the players suit up for the national team whenever possible. The value of this continuity shouldn’t be taken lightly. As Australia just showed us, we can’t assemble a group of immensely talented players and expect everyone to be just as effective.
The Spanish team is made up of roster fixtures like Marc Gasol and Ricky Rubio, as well as young players like Willy and Juancho Hernangomez. A big question mark with this team is if Marc Gasol. There’s no question that he will still be productive, but whether or not he can take the team to another level. If he can’t, Spain will need to find ways to make up for it.
Another player to keep an eye on is point guard Ricky Rubio. Rubio has never been considered a shooting threat, so many don’t understand just how talented he is. As a pure point guard, he will find ways to run the offense and find open shooters. Rubio is also one of the best defensive point guards in the league, so he could be trouble for guards like Kemba Walker and Donovan Mitchell.
As we saw in the Australia game, defensive guards (i.e. Matthew Dellavedova) can disrupt the offense and force bad shots.
Overall, Spain has done well in exhibitions so far, and they should be a tough out in the tournament. The games should be close, so it will come down to who can deliver in the final minutes.