Ranking the 10 best players in EuroBasket 2022's knockout stage, from Giannis Antetokounmpo to Franz Wagner

Scott Rafferty

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Ranking the 10 best players in EuroBasket 2022's knockout stage, from Giannis Antetokounmpo to Franz Wagner image

EuroBasket 2022 started with 24 teams. Now, 16 remain.

The first week saw each team play five games. The top four teams in each group have now advanced to the knockout stage, putting them four wins away from being crowned champions of Europe.

Will Luka Doncic lead Slovenia to another gold medal? Can anyone slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic, who powered their countries to perfect records in group play? Will France, which features the most NBA players in the tournament, go on a run?

One thing is for certain: EuroBasket 2022 isn't lacking star power. Doncic, Antetokounmpo and Jokic are among the best players in the world, and there are a number of other NBA players making noise.

With that in mind, here's a ranking of the 10 best players remaining in EuroBasket 2022.

MORE: Antetokounmpo's dominance is transcending to EuroBasket 2022

Ranking the 10 best players in EuroBasket 2022's knockout stage

10. Evan Fournier, France

Fournier is a different player when he represents his country. A solid role player in the NBA, he led France in scoring with 18.7 points per game in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, powering Les Bleus to a silver medal.

He's struggled a bit so far at EuroBasket 2022, shooting 38.2 percent from the field. France has a tough road to the final — it might have to get through both Serbia and Slovenia — so it'll need Fournier to find his rhythm to have a chance.

9. Bojan Bogdanovic, Croatia

Scoring comes easy to Bogdanovic, a silky smooth shooter who's capable of creating shots for himself off the dribble. He's averaged 18.3 points per game over the last four NBA seasons. He's averaging almost the same (18.4) in EuroBasket 2022 despite a tough game against Estonia that saw him finish with four points.

Bogdanovic's future in Utah is in doubt, but whichever team he ends up on will get a professional scorer.

8. Lauri Markkanen, Finland

Only two players scored more total points than Markkanen in group play of EuroBasket 2022, and one of them was some guy named Luka Doncic. The 7-footer had a pair of 30-point games, as well as a 22-point performance in only 18 minutes against the Netherlands. Markkanen's strong play is a good sign for the Jazz, who acquired him in the blockbuster deal that saw Donovan Mitchell join the Cavaliers.

MORE: Did Cavaliers or Jazz win Donovan Mitchell trade?

7. Franz Wagner, Germany

The No. 8 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Wagner proved to be a special player in his rookie season with the Magic. Among first-year players, he averaged the fourth-most points (15.2), 10th-most rebounds (4.5) and eighth-most assists (2.9) while playing stellar defense.

Wagner has followed that up with a solid showing at EuroBasket 2022, punctuated by a monstrous performance in Germany's double overtime win over Lithuania that saw him score 32 points.

Wagner is only a couple of weeks removed from turning 21. His potential bodes well for the future of both Germany and Orlando.

6. Jonas Valanciunas, Lithuania

Valanciunas has quietly become one of the better centers in the NBA. He has his limitations, but he's a big-time scorer in the paint, a rugged rebounder, a decent passer and an evolving shooter. He's coming off of a season in which he averaged a career-best 2.1 3-point attempts per game and connected on them at a 36.1 percent clip.

That bodes well for his fit with Zion Williamson.

5. Domantas Sabonis, Lithuania

Few players have changed as much since entering the NBA as Sabonis, who has gone from being an inefficient stretch four to a walking double-double. He's been good for 19.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game over the last three seasons, earning him a pair of All-Star selections.

Sabonis and Valanciunas form a mean frontline for Lithuania, and he and De'Aaron Fox will be looking to one-two punch their way to ending the longest playoff drought in NBA history this season.

4. Rudy Gobert, France

Many like to point out what Gobert can't do, but he's one of the most dominant defenders in NBA history with three Defensive Player of the Year awards to his name. Nothing comes easy against him around the basket, and he vacuums up rebounds on both ends of the court with his long arms. 

And sure, Gobert might not be someone who can space the floor or create in the post, but his screening, rolling and cutting is incredibly valuable.

Gobert will even catch a body once in a while.

3. Luka Doncic, Slovenia

Doncic got EuroBasket 2022 off to a relatively slow start by his superhuman standards, but he sure did bounce back in a big way. After scoring 36 points against Germany, he led Slovenia over France in a nail-biter with 47 points. 

Sounds like a lot, right? It's the second-most ever in a EuroBasket game, trailing only Belgium's Eddy Terrace, who went for 63 points back in 1957.

There isn't much that can be done when Doncic's step back is rolling.

Doncic already has three All-Star and three All-NBA First Team selections through four seasons, and he's coming off of a season in which he led the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals.

It's scary how good Doncic already is and how good he can still become.

2. Nikola Jokic, Serbia

The NBA's back-to-back MVP.

Jokic is entering his age-27 season and he's already looking like one of the greatest centers of all time. His vision is unmatched, and he's developed into one of the league's best scorers. Not only can he bully defenders in the post, but he can stretch the floor like a guard.

To no surprise, Jokic has been his dominant self in EuroBasket. He averaged 19.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.8 steals in group play in ... 24.3 minutes per game. Oh, and he connected on an absurd 74.5 percent of his 2-point field goals.

With how easily he picks apart defenses, Jokic feels like a cheat code sometimes.

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece

There isn't a player in the world right now who impacts both ends of the court at the level Antetokounmpo does.

Offensively, Antetokounmpo is an unstoppable force, capable of euro-stepping around and dunking on anyone. Defensively, he can guard every position and use his long limbs to make plays every other player in the world could only dream of.

I mean, just look at this:

Unreal. Antetokounmpo is one of one. Let's just hope his ankle is okay.

Scott Rafferty

Scott Rafferty Photo

 

Scott Rafferty is an experienced NBA journalist who first started writing for The Sporting News in 2017. There are few things he appreciates more than a Nikola Jokic no-look pass, Klay Thompson heat check or Giannis Antetokounmpo eurostep. He's a member of the NBA Global team.