Team France and Brazil will make their debut in the Paris Olympics in Group B today. Team France went 2-for-4 in their last six pre-Olympic games after playing against Turkiye, twice against Germany, Serbia, Canada, and Australia. However, France’s team bolsters with top youngsters and elite veterans that could cause problems for Team Brazil. The leading star of Team France is the NBA 2023 Rookie of the Year, Victor Wembanyama. Also, Team France was the runner-up at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Team Brazil, just like Spain, doesn’t possess a star-studded team like the previous years. However, Team Brazil went 3-for-1 in their last four pre-Olympic games against Montenegro, Cameroon, Philippines, and Lavtiva to qualify for the Paris Olympics. Therefore, Brazil’s Olympic Team could display a competitive performance against the opposing teams’ top-notch defense. Elite veteran, Macerlinho Huertas, will lead Team Brazil’s roster. Also, can Brazil maintain that winning streak?
France vs. Brazil Game Details
Fixture: Team France @ Team Brazil
Date and Time: July 27 @ 11:15 am ET
Group: Group B
Streaming: Peacock
TV: CNBC
Paris Olympics Team Review
Team France
The NBA 2023 All-Rookie, Victor Wembanyama, displayed a stellar performance playing for Team France during the pre-Olympic games. Though France lost their last four games, Wembanyama’s performance stood out. Also, in his final pre-Olympic game against Australia, the 20-year-old almost got a triple-double after bagging, 17 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. The 7.4 power forward currently averages 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.6 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game while playing for the San Antonio Spurs. Also, offensive prowess makes him more of a two-way player than a 3-and-D player as he averages 46.5% in field goals and 32.5% in three-pointers.
The Minnesota Timberwolves big man, Rudy Gobert, will also headline Team France’s roster. Throughout his NBA career, the 7’1 center got the Defensive Player of the Year four times. Also, just like Wembanyama, Gobert is an excellent two-way player who currently averages 12.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game. The 32-year-old makes 65.5% of his field goal attempts and no significant three points made. Rudy Gobert’s addition to the teams’ starting five should give France a strong start against Brazil.
Team Brazil
Brazil’s 41-year-old point guard and veteran, Marcelinho Huertas will headline this team as they make their 2024 Paris Olympics debut. The 6 ‘3 guard played briefly in the NBA League for the Los Angeles Lakers then moved to Europe where he played most of his career games. In the 2023-24 season at Lenovo Tenerife, the 41-year-old averaged 14.2 points, 6.4 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 34 games. Also, Huertas made 49.1% of his field goal attempts and 37.6% in three-pointers. With this performance, the European League team finished 21-13 last season. Therefore, the 41-year-old’s experience and leadership should give the Brazilian team the grit to compete well against Team France.
Leonardo Meinal couldn’t make it to the NBA, therefore he played briefly in Europe and now plays for Alvark Tokyo. In his final pre-Olympic game against Latvia, the 31-year-old point guard stood out among his teammates to clinch 20 points, nine rebounds, and two steals. Over the years, Menial improved his three-point game as he averaged 38.3% in his debut season in Japan. Currently, the 6 ‘7 guard averages 14.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 45% in field goals. Thus Leonardo Menial has the potential of displaying a 3-and-D performance in this Basketball Olympics debut game.
Possible Breakout Players of the Game
Team France
Nicolas Batum could make Team France break out from their losing streak before the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Clippers forward was part of the team that got the 2020 Tokyo Silver Medal. Thus, his experience and performance should elevate Team France’s outcome. As a big man, he performs well as a 3-and-D player. Also, his average shooting percentage in three-pointers was 39.5% last season. Therefore, this offensive skill should work wonders for the French basketball team.
Team Brazil
The Golden State Warriors power forward, Gui Santo should display a good performance coming off the bench. In his debut season for the Warriors, he averaged 3.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 50.9 field goals coming off the bench for 8.3 minutes. Also in 2022, the 22-year-old won the NBB Sixth Man of the Year award.
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