Checking In On The Memphis Grizzlies At The FIBA World Cup
By Jack Donlon
1. Significance of the World Cup to the Grizzlies
The World Cup is an important tool that many players use to work on their game and their fitness before preseason NBA camp starts up. This is especially true for players in the Grizzlies organization, given that the team is currently rebuilding and juggling a roster surplus at the same time.
It’s not very often that we get meaningful basketball in September, but these next few weeks could prove crucial for several Grizzlies players. There will be a lot of competition in preseason camp for meaningful minutes, especially at the shooting guard and small forward position, and if Caboclo, Guduric, and Watanabe want to work themselves into the Grizzlies’ rotation for the 2019 season, the World Cup is an excellent place for them to start.
More than that though, there is no greater honor than to represent your country on a global scale, and the city of Memphis should be proud to watch Jonas Valanciunas, Bruno Caboclo, Marko Guduric, and Yuta Watanabe excel at the highest level this summer.