Keys to Canada defeating Slovenia in quarterfinals at FIBA World Cup

Amit Mann previews the keys to Canada beating Luka Doncic and team Slovenia at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Video Transcript

AMIT MANN: Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to this preview of Canada and Slovenia at the FIBA Basketball World Cup. Before we get going, like and subscribe to this YouTube video, to our YouTube channel. It'll be muchly appreciated.

And also, we gotta give credit to Canada for qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Games. They had to battle. It was a fight. It went down to the wire. But that lineup with Dillon Brooks at the four was something that really helped this team find their athleticism, find their identity. And we'll get to that in a second. But I want to give them a quick shout-out for that game because it was terrific. And it's just a great moment for Canada basketball to be able to say that they finally, after so many years-- the last time this team was in the Olympics was 2000. They're there. They're going to be back, and it's going to be terrific.

Let's look at Slovenia and some of the key stats for this team. So right now, they're 10th in points per game, third in 2-point percentage, 21st in 3-point percentage, first in 3-point attempts, tied for ninth in 3-pointers made, tied for second in free throws made and free throws attempted. That's Luka, who's averaging 17 a game-- holy smokes. Last in blocks per game.

So right off the bat, how do you stop Slovenia? Well, it starts with Luka Doncic and who you have to guard him. And fortunately for Canada, they got a lot of dudes. They got Lu Dort. They got Dillon Brooks. They got Nickeil Alexander-Walker as a change of pace.

You want to show a lot of different players because that's how good he is. And you've got to keep him on his toes. And no different than what Isaac Bonga did for Germany against Slovenia a few days ago, you've got to wear-- you've got to wear him down. You've got to make him work. And you've got to make him feel your presence.

And you know, Isaac was able to do that. And obviously, Germany, if you didn't see, they won by 20 or so against Slovenia a few days ago. So it starts right from the get-go.

And also, Luka Doncic has said that Lu Dort is one of the top three defenders in the NBA. He said that in October 2022. So certainly, we're going to see that matchup throughout this game.

And also for Luka, you know, he's a pick and roll savant. He's very good in those. And Slovenia, they have a center, Mike Tobey, who's a seven-footer, who's also able to pop and shoot 3's. And you can just think, right off the bat, how that presents challenges for Canada.

In the last game for Slovenia against Germany, Mike Tobey wasn't too good. But in the previous matchup, 18 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists against Australia, another team that doesn't have a traditional center. They're playing a 6' 11" player. And he struggled a little bit to guard Mike Tobey.

And also, Australia don't have a lot of players that can guard Luka Doncic in single coverage. So they were doubling a lot. And Mike Tobey was making them pay.

That's going to be really important for Canada. What are you going to do with that pick and roll combination? Because they have certainly, you know, formed some chemistry over the past few games. And they're really lethal.

So are you going to double Luka in pick and rolls? Are you going to switch Dwight Powell or Kelly Olynyk onto Luka and then offer some late help? Are you going to high take? Are you going to late switch?

And also, when you have Mike Tobey rolling to the basket, how do Lu Dort and Dillon Brooks and RJ and all these guys, how do they handle him in single coverage, in isolation, in post-ups? That's going to be probably one of the more important things when it comes to whether or not Canada is able to keep Slovenia off the glass, and keeping points off the board for a team that doesn't-- I mean, they're not that great offensively.

But they do have a couple of potent players that can really pop. And that starts with Luka. And also, they got Klemen Prepelic. He's a sharpshooter. He gets the shot off really fast, in a heartbeat. He can be, like, your combustible scorer who puts up 20 or so. That's going to be really important for Canada, to keep him at bay.

Also another guy you've got to be aware of, Aleksej Nikolic. So he doesn't overwhelm you with stats and stuff like that. But he is very much a connected piece for Slovenia. So he's able to make those extra passes. He's able to hit some shots in opportunistic situations. He is going to be the person guarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

And also, a thing about him, which is really fun is that he has these passes off the backboard. And that's how he finds a lot of his bigs. It's dribble drive, pass off the backboard. And he finds his big under the basket. It's kind of fun to watch. So I'm curious how Canada handles that.

And also, what if Slovenia does go double big? So as I mentioned, they got Mike Tobey. He's able to shoot some 3's. What if their second center, their backup center comes in, Dimec, and he's playing the five? You got Tobey at the four.

And we've seen Canada struggle against some teams that offer that combination of size at the power forward and center position. How does Canada counter that? That's going to be really important, too.

But for Jordi Fernandez and the Canadian squad, how do they win this game? They've got to be to their identity. They've got to be the most athletic team on the floor.

While Slovenia does have some pretty good players, I mean, definitely, Canada is much more athletic. They need Shai to be Shai. They need him to dominate where he can. They need him to touch the paint and make those kickout passes.

And when those passes happen, the second side drivers, the weak side relocation, it's going to have to be really spot on for Canada. And we saw Dillon Brooks, he was able to get into a bit of a groove offensively by driving and kicking, and touching the paint, and making that quick pass. Lu Dort has to be himself. He's got to hit some 3's here and there.

And RJ Barrett, this is a terrific matchup for him. There's not going to be many players that can guard RJ in transition. And Canada, Jordi Fernandez, they have to get RJ going downhill with some of those staggered screens and going downhill, and penetrating the basket, and hitting the front of the rim. That's going to be really important for Canada. And if they're able to do these things, they're going to be in a pretty good spot to win this game.

As I mentioned earlier, that lineup with Dillon Brooks at the four, you had Dwight Powell at the five. Then you had Lu Dort and RJ Barrett and Shai. That was one of the-- Canada's best lineups against Spain. They were plus 14 in 10 minutes of action in the second half. That's pretty impressive. So I wouldn't be surprised if we saw that again in this matchup.

If as I mentioned, Slovenia does go double big, I feel good about Dillon Brooks being able to compete against some of the bigger players on Slovenia. He just has that toughness and the athleticism. And also, he could be a driver in those situations because as I mentioned, there isn't that much athleticism on Slovenia.

So Canada, they're going to see a lot of zone coverages. They have to penetrate through those angles, and get to the paint, and touch it, and make those kickout passes. And obviously, they have to hit their free throws. They have to hit 3's.

And they've got to avoid foul trouble. I'm looking at you, Dillon Brooks. We need you on the court. So there's your preview. We'll check in after the game. Enjoy.