OKC Thunder Players See Intriguing FIBA Matchups

With the 2023 FIBA World Cup starting in less than a month, some Oklahoma City Thunder players participating in the event will meet a few familiar faces in their opening matchups.

With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort and Josh Giddey all slated to be important pieces on their national teams at the FIBA World Cup in late August, Oklahoma City Thunder fans have plenty of basketball to watch prior to the start of the NBA season. 

Even though these matchups will obviously be no indication of how the NBA season will play out, sometimes players on the verge of a breakout season have an extraordinary showing in the world cup. Last summer, Lauri Markkanen shocked the world with his dominance on the international stage before having the best season of his professional career and earning his first All-Star selection. 

Even if none of the OKC representatives around in the world cup have a Markkanen-like showing, it will still be fun for Thunder fans to watch some of Oklahoma City's key pieces play for their home countries. 

In the first round of Pool Play, Team Canada will meet Team France on Aug. 25 at 8 a.m. CT. This matchup will feature a host of NBA players, including Dort and Gilgeous-Alexander for Canada.

The two Thunder guards will square off against a French squad headlined by Nicolas Batum, Frank Ntilikina, Evan Fournier and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. Oklahoma City wing Ousmane Dieng was also selected to France's squad as a practice player to help the team prepare for competition. 

This matchup should prove to be very fun to watch, as Gobert and Gilgeous-Alexander are two of the best players in the entire event. Additionally, Dort and Gobert are two of the NBA's best defenders and, while the two won't guard each other, seeing their defensive prowess on the international stage will certainly be entertaining. 

Also on Aug. 25, Giddey and fellow Thunder teammate Jack White will take on Finland. While Team Finland is not filled with NBA talents like Team France, Markkanen alone is a good enough player to make their matchup against Team Australia a competitive game. 

Last season in the NBA, Markkanen averaged 25.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 49.9% from the field, 39.1% from beyond the arc and 87.5% from the free throw line. 

If the Jazz star is able to take over for Team Finland; Giddey, White and the rest of Team Australia will have to play their best in order to take down the team from Europe. 

For the first time since April, Gilgeous-Alexander, Giddey and Dort will all suit up for multiple meaningful contests. With two great matchups for both Australia and Canada, Thunder fans will have competitive, entertaining basketball to consume in less than a month. 

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