Team Review: New Zealand – 2023 FIBA ​​Basketball World Cup

Manila (Philippines) – New Zealand and “tall blacks” They will try to score more than 100 points in each of their matches to finish the tournament in first place in terms of points scored, as happened in 2019.

workforce

The pillars of choice are there. Some of them have been side by side for many years, 2019 for a few or even since the 2022 FIBA ​​Asia Cup, which concluded on the third rung of the podium. The playing philosophy has not changed under the leadership of coach Pero Cameron. New Zealanders want to run and take pictures quickly. They averaged 99.4 points per game in China in 2019 and 86.9 points per game in 2022. The Tall Blacks like to play a fast-paced game.

Flynn Cameron

To lead the team on the field, responsibilities will be given to Flynn Cameron – Pero’s son – and brothers Isaac and Dan Votto. Jani Wetzel and Finn Delaney are not brothers, but they both played in the German championship last season, Wetzel at Alba Berlin and Delaney at Telekom Baskets Bonn, who won the Basketball Champions League title. The two are perfect teammates, Jani is No. 5 and Finn is No. 4.

the question

Can New Zealand qualify for the second round?

Let us be more clear: Even if the focus is on attacking qualities, will the New Zealand national team be able to contain the attacks of the United States of America, Greece and Jordan defensively, which is a necessary condition? Next round?

On the one hand, this draw was no gift for New Zealand, but on the other hand, if they can put in a good performance and qualify for the second round, the rest of things could be less complicated.

In fact, the teams of this group will meet the teams of Group D, which consists of Lithuania, Egypt, Mexico and Montenegro.

Hopes

The Tall Blacks will be considered outsiders, a status they love, even if they don’t quite deserve it, having reached the quarter-finals of the 2002 edition, when Pero Cameron went through a tournament dreaming of a place in the ‘Big Five’. As a reward. Since their participation in the FIBA ​​Asia Cup, they have played in two semi-final matches and won the bronze medal in 2022.

In general, fans quickly forget about their regular attendance at knockout matches, which really suits New Zealand as they like to surprise.

Fear

The fast-paced style of play in the New Zealand squad is a bit double-edged. Against teams like USA, this could be their downfall. All you have to do is watch the recently played match against Canada. They completely lacked skill in the second quarter, losing the period 39-14, and the Canadiens finished the game with 107 points on the clock.

One or two such quarters would hasten the downfall of the Tall Blacks, who would have to fight in the seeding games for places 17 to 32 rather than secure a place in the top 16.

During the last 10 FIBA ​​competitions

Diagnosis

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To learn more about New Zealand’s journey to the 2023 FIBA ​​World Cup, click here.

International Basketball Federation