MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on My Mind) – World Cup fever has gripped Asia as the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 tips off in China this weekend, but how are our FIBA Asia teams projected to do at the quadrennial event?

With the biggest stage in international basketball set to begin action very soon, I take a look at each of the eight FIBA Asia teams that successfully qualified to the World Cup and see where they stand heading into group play.

China

 
The hosts have been on a bit of a hot streak of late. They had impressive wins over Puerto Rico and Angola and even had a stint in the NBA Summer League. Prolific guard Guo Ailun is expected to be among the most explosive backcourt players not just for the team but for the entire Group A, but there is no denying that China's main strength lies in their size, what with the "Walking Great Wall" trio of Yi Jianlian, Zhou Qi, and Wang Zhelin anchoring their frontline.

It's also quite fortunate for China that they have no team ranked higher than 20th in the FIBA World Rankings joining them in Beijing for the group stage. Honestly, China is the odds-on favorite to top the group, what with their unmatched size and of course, homecourt advantage.

Korea

 
A wicked World Cup Draw will be the biggest obstacle to one of the most impressive Asian Qualifiers teams. Against Argentina, Russia and Nigeria, the Koreans will be heavy underdogs, and they will certainly face staggering odds.

Talented guys like Ra GunA, Kim JongKyu and Lee JungHyun should still put up good numbers for Korea, but against foes that are generally bigger and better than any they faced at the Asian Qualifiers, the Koreans will likely be playing from behind more often than not. Despite having a balance of the country's top veterans and a sprinkling of rising stars, it'll take nothing short of a miracle for this squad to advance past the group stage.

Iran

 
Team Melli were mighty impressive with wins over Jordan, Hungary and Russia in their preparations earlier this month, but the Iranians have also been defeated twice by Greece. Iran do have some strong talents here like seasoned veterans Hamed Haddadi and Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, both playing in their third and very likely final World Cup, but the bigger question is can they match the talents they'll face from Spain, Puerto Rico, and Tunisia.

Much of the scoring cudgels will fall on some of their rising stars like Behnam Yakhchali, Mohammad Jamshidi and even Meisam Mirzaei, but mark my words, this team will struggle and frankly speaking, I just don't see them getting past the group stage unless either Tunisia or Puerto Rico really mishandle their opportunities.

Philippines

 
Gilas Pilipinas will only go as far as naturalized player Andray Blatche will take them, which actually isn't very different from their previous World Cup appearance. Blatche will carry a lion's share of the load this year, though Filipinos hope their five-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo will have a sharp rise in his production to aid Blatche.

In terms of tune-up games, the Philippines haven't had much, and in those they've had, their results haven't been all too promising. They split two games against Congo, beat Cote d'Ivoire twice and then split two more games against the Adelaide 36ers. Not the best way to prepare for the World Cup, that's for sure, but remember that this team's guard play will also be crucial. Veteran Gabe Norwood will be the leader trying to shepherd young guys like RR Pogoy, Kiefer Ravena, and Mark Barroca to play great two-way ball.

Japan

 
This is my being biased - I'm going out on a limb and picking Japan to advance from Group E. The main reason? I'm really high on the trio of Rui Hachimura, Yuta Watanabe and Nick Fazekas. I believe all their skills complement each other really well, and on a good day, they can challenge any team out there, bar none. Remember, too, that Japan never used all three in the same game during the Asian Qualifiers, and I have no doubt they will be quite effective here in China.

Having said that, Japan's tune-up matches have been up-and-down with losses to Tunisia and Argentina alternating with huge wins over Germany and New Zealand, though they also lost to the Tall Blacks in their rematch. Still, the Akatsuki Five look to be a really promising team as long as they're complete and healthy. Obviously, much of their collective fortunes is dependent on how Hachimura, who is a once-in-a-generation type of athlete, actually plays, but I wouldn't be shocked to see him carry Japan to the second round.

New Zealand

 
The Tall Blacks would have been an absolute beast had they gotten Steven Adams to wear the black singlet, but even without the OKC center, coach Paul Henare's boys remain solid. They are fresh off a nice win over Italy in Anshan, China after being competitive in a loss to Serbia the night before. If that's not a good sign, then I don't know what is.

Then again, who will lead this team? I expect the Webster brothers (Corey and Tai) to be at the forefront, while experienced players like Isaac Fotu, Shea Ili and Tom Abercrombie should help out in big ways. Even then, however, it'll be quite challenging for the Tall Blacks to go beyond the group stage, especially with Greece, Brazil and Montenegro in their way.

Jordan

 
Yes, it's true that Jordanian fans really have to manage their expectations, and yes, that's the case even with the presence of seemingly ageless Zaid Abbas, naturalized player Dar Tucker, and prized Fenerbahçe S.K. center Ahmad Al-Dwairi. At full strength and on a good day, the Falcons may be able to put a scare in any of their Group G foes, most likely against the Dominican Republic.

Against France and Germany, however, even Jordan's finest may fall way short. The only for Jordan to have a shot at an upset is if they shoot the lights out in Shenzhen.

Australia

 
Lithuania may be ranked higher in the FIBA World Rankings Presented by NIKE, but I just cannot help but choose the Boomers as my pick to top Group H. Yes, they are missing some guys like Ben Simmons, Jonah Bolden, Dante Exum and Thon Maker, but the Australians still have a host of NBA talents to drive their machine forward and upward.

Patty Mills, in particular, has been just amazing, especially in their huge win over Team USA several days ago. Floor general Matthew Dellavedova has been reliable, too, along with other NBA guys like Joe Ingles, Andrew Bogut, and Aron Baynes. The late addition of former Brooklyn Nets forward Mitch Creek is also a bit of a shot in the arm, and it'll be interesting to see if they can indeed sweep this group and move to the second phase.

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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