RIO DE JANEIRO (2016 Rio Olympics) - Brazilian basketball has an opportunity to enhance its status as a leading nation in the international game next year when the country hosts the Olympics.

It will be an exciting time for the land that gave the world Oscar, the Hall of Fame legend.

But when a national team suffers back-to-back ninth-place finishes at FIBA Americas Championships as the Brazilians did in 2013 and 2015, and when it crashes out of the FIBA Basketball World Cup as Brazil did in 2014 in an 84-56 Quarter-Final mauling by Serbia, one has to wonder about the prospects.

Coach Ruben Magnano will be hoping that the best of Brazil from the 2014 World Cup appears.

The Brazilians are almost certain to be better than this year's team, which had none of the country's NBA players.

Magnano took a squad to Toronto and won the Pan American Games yet nine of those players, and three newcomers, fell flat in Mexico City at the FIBA Americas Championship.

Their early elimination from the competition was assured after an 89-72 defeat to Panama.

When it was over, Magnano acknowledged that his squad had a big shortcoming.

"It was a very physical tournament and we couldn't withstand that," he said.

So how does Brazil get better in this regard?

Three big men who featured at the World Cup but sat out this summer should return and bolster the Olympic squad. 

They are Tiago Splitter, Nene and Anderson Varejao.

Each has gotten off to slow starts in the NBA this season.

Splitter is averaging 5.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game for Atlanta, Nene 8.2ppg and 5.3rpg for Washington and Anderson 2.8ppg and 2.9rpg for Cleveland.

Anderson's biggest issue since recovering from last year's injury problems is the need for playing time but that's hard to come by in a squad that finished runners-up to Golden State last season.

His minutes have increased of late, though.

Anderson has averaged 14.3mpg in the last three games, wins over Milwaukee, Atlanta and Orlando.

His coach, David Blatt, would like to get him on the court even more. 

"He's been ready," Blatt said last week.

"He's worked very hard to get himself back to game shape after a difficult, difficult, injury."

Splitter had to leave Atlanta's game against Cleveland over the weekend with a sore right hip and he has already been ruled out of Tuesday's game.

Nene had his best game of the season on Sunday against Detroit, making nine of his 10 shots and scoring 18 points.

But he is now being slowed by a calf problem.

The Chicago Bulls' Cristiano Felicio (23) and Toronto's Bruno Caboclo (20) and Lucas Nogueira (23) were not in the World Cup squad.

The three have not played much at all this season.

Augusto Lima had 25 rebounds in four games in Mexico City to claim the honor as the team's leading rebounder.

The 24-year-old is averaging 4.7rpg early in the Spanish Liga Endesa with Murcia.

The return of Alex Garcia, the team's combative small forward, will help.

He will be 36 when the Olympics are held.

There are questions in the backcourt, too.

Raul Neto is a rookie point guard starting with the Utah Jazz.

He is getting to play but is not putting up big numbers.

Marcelo Huertas has not gotten off the bench in four of the Lakers' last five games.

He has played in seven of the team's 13 games.

Leandro Barbosa is playing regularly with the Golden State Warriors and should provide scoring.

With many of Brazil's players over the age of 30, there will be plenty of experience for coach Magnano to call upon.

There is plenty of time for the players in the NBA to earn more minutes, and for those based in Europe and Brazil to prove their worth.

Magnano will be considering all of his options.

FIBA