JAKARTA (Indonesia) - Brazil enter the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 spearheaded by their depth and leadership in the backcourt.

The Roster

Raul Neto, Bruno Caboclo, Marcelinho Huertas, Yago Santos and Didi Louzada are all prominent figures in the Brazil squad, which has been cut down to 14 players. 

Neto, Marcelinho and Santos could be among the most impressive trio of guards at the World Cup. Being able to shuttle players in and out at the floor general spot ought to be an advantage.

If Neto and Marcelinho are the better known guards, Yago's star is rising after appearing at the last World Cup, and because of his heroic Americas Qualifiers campaign.

In the last game against USA that Brazil needed to win to qualify, he had 17 points after drilling four of five shots from the arc, and eight assists. He played in 10 Americas Qualifiers and averaged 9.8 points while shooting almost 40 percent from long range. He also led the team in assists at 5.1 per game. In Germany with Ulm, he teamed up with Caboclo and led the team to the domestic title.

Bruno Caboclo

Also in the squad are George de Paula and Lucas Dias, teammates at Sesi Franca, the Brazilian club that won the Basketball Champions League Americas.

Marcelinho Heurtas (left) has featured at every World Cup for Brazil since 2006

The Question

Can Brazil's bigs produce enough on offense, and anchor the defense so that this squad has a chance to compete with Spain in the First Round, and potentially France and Canada in the Second?

Can Gustavo Conti find success in his first major tournament as the head coach?

Brazil have beaten South Sudan and Australia - yes, the Boomers! - and Venezuela in the buildup.

In the 85-75 win over South Sudan, Tim Soares played really well at center, spacing the floor on offense. He had 15 points and made all three of his shots from the three-point line. Forward Leo Meindl was active on the boards, finishing with seven rebounds.

In the 90-86 win over Australia, Brazil got 20 points and 12 rebounds from Caboclo, and 17 from sharpshooter Vitor Benite, one of the country's most experienced players. Yago also had eight assists to go with his nine points.

In the 83-71 victory over Venezuela, Lucas Dias had 10 points and nine rebounds, Caboclo 15 points and eight boards and Meindl 13 points and five rebounds. 

They are also taking on Italy and Serbia in their preparations. Can victories in the preparations boost the confidence and help the team hit the ground running at the World Cup, which they must do to have a chance of success?

Number 10 Tim Soares showed good things in the first friendly

The Hope

The optimistic scenario?

Brazil rely heavily on their three-headed backcourt and come through in a big way to not only advance from Group G, but also from the Second Round Group L and into the Quarter-Finals. Thanks to their depth in the backcourt, when the starting point guard leaves the game, it's a next-man-up mentality and there's little to no drop-off in production.

The South Americans' different generations of players - some more experienced and others who are emerging as part of the future of the national team - blend together nicely and come together as a unit to see the fruits of their labor for Brazil's best finish at a World Cup since 2014, when they were sixth.

The facts?

In the recent win against South Sudan, Brazil shot well from deep (12-29 from three) and the guards did a good job of distributing the ball (nine assists for Huertas and four for De Paula). Against Australia, Brazil were 16 of 35 (45 percent) from deep.

George De Paula

The Fear

Brazil don't get back to the Quarter-Finals.

They finish in the top two of their First-Round group but do not have enough to get past France and Canada in the Second.

Caboclo may not have the superstar consistency required and Neto, as good and talented as he is, suffers in the chemistry department since he hasn't played for the country since the 2016 Olympics.

 IN THE LAST 10 FIBA EVENTS

The Poll

More?

For a deeper look on Brazil's journey to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, click here.

FIBA