Ranking 20 best NBA players at EuroBasket 2025, including a definitive top tier

USA Today

4 hours ago

Unfortunately, we remain months away from the start of the 2025-2026 NBA season.
It'll still be a good while before we see some of the most exciting hoopers on the planet put on a show on a nightly basis. To be quite honest, that reality makes me sad. Aside from the schedule-makers and those who decide the healthy balance of an NBA season, how DARE anyone do this to us?
NBA SEASON PREVIEW: Over/under pick for all 30 teams' win totals this season.
Fortunately, for those who find themselves quite invested in the NBA and men's international basketball in general, we have something fantastic to tide us over.
In a few weeks, the quadrennial EuroBasket tournament will tip off across host countries Poland, Cyprus, Finland, and Latvia. For those across the pond, it'll be a worthwhile treat seeing who shapes us as the eventual European champion. For those of us oriented more Westward, it'll be our first taste of meaningful men's basketball as the global game infuses itself with more and more European talent, among other continents, by the year.
In the interest of setting the table for what should be a thrilling tournament from start to finish, here's an ironclad (read: totally correct) ranking of the 20 best players at EuroBasket 2025.
Please note that, even with the difference in rules from the NBA to anything FIBA, these evaluations are mainly based on the quality of basketball players that we see under the NBA's umbrella, where all of these players spend most of their playing time.
20. PF/C Sandro Mamukelashvili, Georgia (Toronto Raptors)
Mamukelashvili is still a lesser-heralded NBA player, which might make his inclusion in these rankings a bit puzzling. But make no mistake: he's got some notable court-tilting talent. Mamukelashvili moves well in space and is more than capable of attacking mismatches and making himself consistently available to his initiators. For a Georgia team that needs all the juice it can get, Mamukelashvili is vital to the nation's chances of making any noteworthy noise.
19. F/G Bilal Coulibaly, France (Washington Wizards)
A strong two-way wing, Coulibaly has acquitted himself rather nicely through his first two seasons in the NBA. He's a plus, playmaking defender who knows how to cut and move well without the ball in his hands on offense. Ahead of another hopeful season of growth in Washington, Coulibaly should be an integral all-around piece for a French team that finished with a silver medal in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
18. F Zaccharie Risacher, France (Atlanta Hawks)
As the somewhat unheralded No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, Risacher had the opportunity to develop while flying under the radar as a rookie. This allowed the small forward to post solid shooting splits while working within the confines of an offense built around Trae Young's playmaking. He'll be one of France's more important perimeter shooters in Europe before taking on a similar role for an underrated Hawks squad.
17. C Tristan Vukčević, Serbia (Washington Wizards)
Serbia has quietly built one of the world's strongest men's basketball programs. Vukčević is another prime example of this success. The smooth shooting stretch five has already proven himself as a viable offensive role player in the league with the Wizards, and he's still got room to grow. For the time being, he should be a vital contributor in a loaded and skilled frontcourt for the Serbians.
16. G/F Jeremy Sochan, Poland (San Antonio Spurs)
In the NBA, Sochan has the enviable position of getting to play with the generational Victor Wembanyama as one of his many Spurs sidekicks. It allows the young wing to act as a do-it-all Swiss Army Knife. It's a different story at EuroBasket on a Polish team lacking distinctive (or talented) difference makers outside of a fourth-year role player like Sochan. Nonetheless, he belongs in this spot on this list.
READ MORE SOCHAN: He says he has "something to prove" next season.
15. G Dennis Schröder, Germany (Sacramento Kings)
Schröder is what I would call the rare "tournament riser." In the NBA, with NBA rules, he's a decent if somewhat middling two-way point guard who has questionable descriptions about playing in today's league. When playing in international tournaments for Germany, with FIBA rules, he's usually one of the best overall players. For a German team with a real chance at the European championship, Schröder has to be firing on all cylinders. And he probably will be.
14. C Nikola Vučević, Montenegro (Chicago Bulls)
A former two-time All-Star, Vučević's game has languished, to an extent, as he's gotten older on the Bulls. Even still, he remains a highly effective offensive hub who is more than capable of lighting it up from behind the arc and having his way in the post. He'll be Montenegro's key piece in any possible extended run in Europe.
13. F Guerschon Yabusele, France (New York Knicks)
After a half-decade absence from the NBA, Yabusele thrived as a depth piece for the Philadelphia 76ers last year. This, after breaking out during the 2024 Olympics. The power forward has a classic bully-ball game with a soft shooting touch and an excellent feel for creating space and opportunities for himself. He'll be one of France's leading characters on a squad with legitimate aspirations at the podium.
12. C Goga Bitadze, Georgia (Orlando Magic)
Even in a smaller role for the Magic, Bitadze is quietly one of the most impactful defenders in the NBA. He's a bona fide weapon as a defensive anchor because he protects the rim with the best of them. It wouldn't be that hard to see Bitadze as a veritable Defensive Player of the Year candidate if he played more than a career average of 14.4 minutes per game. I'm serious. For now, he'll have to settle on blocking tons of shots for Georgia.
11. C Jonas Valančiūnas, Lithuania (Denver Nuggets)
Valančiūnas has carved out a lengthy NBA career by doing one thing well: putting the ball in the basket. In 13 NBA seasons, Valančiūnas has averaged a solid 13.1 points per game despite seldom playing more than roughly 20 minutes. He's big, strong, experienced, and savvy. It's no wonder the Nuggets were so intent on keeping him as their backup center. Lithuania can feel safe running its offense through his old-school back-to-the-basket game.
10. F Santi Aldama, Spain (Memphis Grizzlies)
As a perimeter-oriented offensive big man, the Grizzlies rewarded Aldama with over $50 million simply and mainly because he can shoot the cover off the ball. Entering his fifth NBA season, Aldama has ascended to a status as one of the finer role-playing shooting bigs. He's now one of the faces of the next generation of Spanish basketball that wants to return to international prominence.
9. G Bogdan Bogdanović, Serbia (L.A. Clippers)
A lights-out shooter for most of his professional career, Bogdanović has settled in nicely as a depth piece for a tough Clippers squad. Whenever he appears for Serbia, Bogdanović usually has much more responsibility, acting as one of the primary offensive initiators for the nation alongside Nikola Jokić. He should be a prime contributor once again for a Serbian team eyeing the gold medal.
8. C Kristaps Porziņģis, Latvia (Atlanta Hawks)
Health issues have marred Porziņģis's recent career prospects, who otherwise has one of the better all-around skill sets for a big in today's NBA. Provided he can stay healthy, Porziņģis is not only a seamless fit next to Trae Young in Atlanta but the perfect person to man the middle for Latvia at EuroBasket.
7. F Lauri Markkanen, Finland (Utah Jazz)
Markkanen is a fleet-footed power forward who can create his own shot, reliably shoot from deep, move well off-ball, and act as a physical offensive presence near the rim. His star has only lost its luster of late because he's been mired on a Utah squad that is usually actively tanking by March, if not earlier. But make no mistake. He's clearly one of the best players at this year's EuroBasket.
6. F Deni Avdija, Israel (Portland Trail Blazers)
With five years of NBA experience under his belt, Avdija has gotten better and better every year. His true breakout might have been last season in Portland, where he shined as a two-way scoring wing who took off after the All-Star break. At this point, at the age of 24, Avdija is on a trajectory toward being a consistent difference-maker, not just a role player.
5. C/F Alperen Şengün, Turkey (Houston Rockets)
A first-time All-Star last season, Şengün is one of the reasons many people are high on the Rockets' NBA title chances this year. He has blossomed as a scoring big man who is an exceptional playmaker for his teammates, and if nothing else, he has shown he can be a physical defender when asked to exert more effort on that end of the court. At the age of 23, it's likely safe to say that Şengün's star has only really started to spark.
4. F Franz Wagner, Germany (Orlando Magic)
Wagner feels like one of those guys who is right there on the brink of superstardom. When I say that, I mean that I think Wagner can be a genuine top-10 player in the NBA. At the very least, thanks to his efficiency and supreme skill, he should eventually become a perennial All-NBA guy. He is, indeed, that good. If Wagner adds a more reliable 3-point shot to his repertoire, then the sky's the limit for him in Orlando. It's easy to see why Germany is high on its EuroBasket chances with Wagner leading the charge.
3. G/F Luka Dončić, Slovenia (Los Angeles Lakers)
This is where the true cutoff for this list begins. There is a clear chasm between the top three players, starting with Dončić at No. 3 overall, and everyone else mentioned here. I want that distinction to be pronounced because it is. As for Dončić, what else can you say about a sublime passer who always (ALWAYS) plays at his own pace? He's one of the four best players in the sport on the men's side of the proceedings. He's a generational talent capable of taking any game over on a whim. His brilliance alone makes Slovenia a must-watch in Europe.
L.A. LUKA: Dončić can shine with Lakers, if he stays patient.
2. F Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece (Milwaukee Bucks)
Don't let the Bucks' recent disappointing postseasons fool you: Antetokounmpo remains at the peak of his powers. He is still every bit the talisman who captured two MVPs, a Defensive Player of the Year, and an NBA Finals MVP within three seasons from 2019 to 2021. He is arguably the best transition talent in basketball, is a dynamite rim protector, and he gets to the basket at will like a bat out of hell. It's a breathtaking mix to witness. Very few are as capable of putting their team on their back like Antetokounmpo.
1. C Nikola Jokić, Serbia (Denver Nuggets)
Even though he didn't win his fourth MVP in five seasons last year, it's tough to argue against Jokić as the best player in Europe. In all honesty, the horse racing-obsessed center is clearly still the best player in the world at the helm of a bona fide championship-caliber Denver team. Full stop. How else do you explain the man basically averaging a 30-point triple-double with 62-41-80 shooting splits? That is absurd for anyone, let alone a seven-footer who seldom jumps more than several inches off the ground (quite literally). Jokić is so remarkable and so polished at this prime stage in his career that it boggles the mind. It is no wonder many consider Serbia to be the EuroBasket favorite when it has someone like Jokić on its side.