FIBA World Cup in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines will be the sixth Mundobasket in which Lithuania will take part.
A big handicap is the fact that Domantas Sabonis will not play, but you should never write off Lithuania. Regardless of who makes the final roster.
FIBA World Cup – Lithuania: Previous editions and the best results of the national team
Apart from the fact that Lithuania will be part of the World Cup for the sixth time, this is their fifth Mundobasket in a row. They reached the quarterfinals twice (1998 and 2006), but after that even better results came.
The best result for Lithuania is certainly the bronze medal they won in Turkey back in 2010. It’s their only medal at the World Cup so far. Led by the masterful Linas Kleiza, they outplayed Serbia by 99:88. Four years later, in the clash for third place, they were defeated by France in a very close ending.
FIBA World Cup – Lithuania: Road to Mundobasket
Lithuania dominantly strolled to a place at the FIBA World Cup. In the first part of the qualifiers, their rivals were Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic and Bulgaria. They recorded only one defeat and that was against Czech Republic for a 5-1 record. In the second round, both losses came to France.
Lithuania outplayed Montenegro and Hungary twice. At the end, they booked their ticket to Manila right behind first-placed France. Interestingly, Montenegro will be their rival during the first phase of the World Cup.
FIBA World Cup – Lithuania: Roster and focus on those who are expected the most
“There was a lot of talk about the fact that individuals will not participate in the World Cup. Certainly we will have less talent, but with desire and discipline we can achieve our goals. I think we have put together a respectable roster for the highest ranges” – these were head coach Kazys Maksvytis words addressed to the Lithuanian nation at the press conference.
Of course, Maksvytis aimed primarily at Sabonis absence, but he is not the only one missing. Players such as Rokas Giedraitis, Lukas Lekavicius, Edgaras Ulanovas and Marius Grigonis will not be in Asia either.
In the absence of all the mentioned players, it is expected that Jonas Valanciunas will take the big responsibility and carry the burden on his back. He will join the team a little later due to NBA rules.
Valanciunas made 79 appearances last season, and his average of 14.1 points and 10.2 rebounds sounds promising. In addition, he shot 55% from the field, which is more than solid. In addition, he visibly practiced his three-point shot, which will be another weapon for Lithuania.
As in previous years, veteran Mindaugas Kuzminskas will have a role in the national team jersey. During the qualifiers, he played seven games and recorded 12.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and slightly more than two assists.
The rest of the gang
Besides them, it is expected that in the starting five we will see Rokas Jokubaitis, then Donatas Motiejunas, as well as Zalgiris player Ignas Brazdeikis. Under Sarunas Jasikevicius, Jokubaitis made 39 appearances in the EuroLeague with figures of five points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
Motiejunas extended his cooperation with Monaco and now approaches the duties in the national team with complete relief. Behind him is the club’s historic season, where they reached the EuroLeague Final Four, and won the French League for the first time in history. His contribution is reflected in 8.7 points and slightly less than five rebounds per game.
Brazdeikis also extended his contract with Zalgiris and is more than motivated to help the national team. He can be the cohesive factor of this team, and connect the two sides of the floor, although at first glance the numbers don’t say so. In this case, stats aren’t really something that tells the real story.
Eigirdas Zukauskas and Margiris Nomantas played the most games in the qualifiers. They are true “soldiers” on the court and will do everything coach Maksvytis asks them.
FIBA World Cup – Lithuania: More about head coach – Kazys Maksvytis
Kazys Maksvytis is maximally connected to the country of his birth in every sense. In addition to leading Zalgiris in the EuroLeague last season, he became the head coach of the national team in 2021.
Since he has been coaching (2011), every job except one has been in Lithuania. There, he lead Aisciai (first club in his career), Sakalai, Neptunas, Lietkabelis and now Zalgiris. The aforementioned job in Russia tied him to Parma, where he spent three seasons.
As Neptunas head coach in 2014, he won the award for Coach of the Year in Lithuania. He lifted the domestic championship trophy with Zalgiris last season. Maksvytis led Lithuanian youth national teams with great success. Four gold medals speaks for itself. He won three of them at the Eurobasket (U-16 in 2008, U-18 in 2010 & U-20 in 2012) and one at the U-19 FIBA World Cup in 2011.
FIBA World Cup – Lithuania: Expectations
Lithuania has had quite a bit of luck when it comes to the World Cup draw. They are in Group D together with Montenegro, Egypt and Mexico.
Coach Maksvytis team is the main favorite to finish first in this group. What does not work in their favor is that Greece and United States are awaiting them in the second round. Recent history taught us that Lithuania should never be written off.
What will adorn them this time, is the exceptional dedication that starts with coach Maskvytis. They have the potential to play excellent defense, and if the three-point shot works, Lithuania can surely beat almost all rivals in the tournament.
It seems that the game against Greece will be like “the round of 16”, and if they make it to the quarterfinals, then the road is open for a lot more.