MUNICH (Germany) - The countdown is on, as FIBA EuroBasket 2025 tips off in just over 20 days.
The reason why we're all here again is because most of the preliminary rosters have been announced. The first friendly games have been played, which allows us to move the teams up or down in the Smart Power Rankings, again.
#1 Serbia (0)
It was a kind of a funny exchange as Serbia started their training camp. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nikola Milutinov were pretty open about wanting to win their first EuroBasket with Serbia.
Meanwhile, Svetislav Pesic, being the wise man we all admire so much, warned not to set unrealistic goals, because "even the realistic ones are hardly attainable."
So while the fans are dreaming of finishing first on September 14, the coach is focused on finishing first in a tough group with two other Top 5 teams from this edition of the Power Rankings.
#2 Germany (+1)
You know how easy it was to move up the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 winners one spot here?
We just needed to see Franz Wagner and Dennis Schroder going at it 1v1 in practice, and we got the jitters again, feeling that Manila heatwave coming back once again.
Quick aside: keep an eye on David Kramer, Real Madrid's new sharp shooter, coming off of an amazing season with both the national team and La Laguna Tenerife. This is him:
#3 France (-1)
No Wemby, no Rudy, no Evan.
For any other team, losing three such superstars would be a devastating blow, but for France it just means more room to operate for guys like Guerschon Yabusele, Nadir Hifi or Isaia Cordinier.
Maybe not having these guys turns out to be a good thing for France, giving them a chance to be an underdog for the first time in a long time. No pressure is better than all the pressure, right?
Right.
#4 Türkiye (+5)
The most polarizing team of the entire FIBA EuroBasket 2025. Why?
Because when we're talking about them over here at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Smart Power Rankings Headquarters, you hear opinions about them clearly being a lock for the Semi-Finals, at least, and then you hear others saying they aren't even a Top 10 team.
On paper, they look incredible. Alperen Sengun knows it, and feels this is the time for the On Iki Dev Adam to recreate the magic of 2001 and 2010.
#5 Latvia (0)
So Group A is apparently that strong that the hosts are fifth best in the Power Rankings and only third best in their group, huh...
Their preparation games will tell us if they are capable of moving all the way up to the top of the standings, or if placing them in fifth was a smart thing to do. That's because they will face Italy (twice), Slovenia, Lithuania and Greece.
Tough teams there. Tough team here, too.
#6 Greece (-2)
Compared to their Olympic summer, they won't have the big guy Georgios Papagiannis, nor their point god Nick Calathes. So, take them one spot down for each of those guys, and you get a bump down to number six in the Power Rankings.
They do still have Giannis Antetokounmpo, so of course they are among the favorites to go all the way. Don't forget they had a 10-point lead in the Quarter-Finals of the Olympics this time last year, they really are that strong.
#7 Slovenia (-1)
Just thought we should share Luka Doncic's 2017 highlights. No reason.
Anyway, Josh Nebo and Vlatko Cancar are out, so Slovenia lose a spot in the Power Rankings, but you know Luka can go and win this entire thing all by himself, so don't underestimate them.
#8 Spain (-1)
The defending champs are down in the eighth spot, and they have changed a bit since that 2022 run. The good thing is that both of the Hernangomezes are back, with Willy explaining that he wasn't the MVP three years ago, "La Familia was the MVP."
And that's really all there is to say. The team, the system, the family, the culture they built over there is what wins medals, so the names on the back of the jerseys don't even matter.
Spain will somehow be there when it matters most. You know it, we know it, they know it.
#9 Lithuania (-1)
No Domantas Sabonis, no Matas Buzelis, so they lose one spot in the standings.
Wait... So that means Jonas Valanciunas is the man in the middle, surrounded by Tadas Sedekerskis, Rokas Jokubaitis and others.
That's the backbone of the roster which defeated the United States at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. Maybe we're underestimating these guys by putting them at #9.
#10 Finland (0)
It's hard to explain this, but if you've ever been around these guys, you know the smiles aren't fake, not one bit, and they really enjoy spending time together.
Also, they are eager to prove to the rest of the continent that their Quarter-Finals run in 2022 was no fluke. In fact, they were by 15 against Spain in that game, too.
Dangerous team. Especially at home.
#11 Italy (0)
Stop the count, Italy already won the FIBA EuroBasket!
Or at least they won the smoothest jersey contest, because this one is exactly what the fire emoji was created for.
Basketball-wise, Donte DiVincenzo would've been fun, but let's turn that page over.
#12 Israel (0)
Deni Avdija averaged 16.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists across 72 games with the Portland Trail Blazers last season, so we listen when he speaks:
#13 Bosnia and Herzegovina (+1)
We give them a +1 because they already were the feel good team of the Qualifiers, and now they added even more height and muscles to their lineup with Jusuf Nurkic headlining the lineup.
Technically, they could just play Xavier Castaneda and 11 guys taller than 2.00m. Size matters. Deal with it.
#14 Poland (-1)
Names are complicated, okay? Especially those with Slavic background, as evident by three different Nikola Kalinic pro athletes, Nikola Jokic and Nikola Jovic, Bogdan and Bojan Bogdanovic and a bunch of other similar cases.
Add this generation of Poland to the list, because Igor Milicic is their coach, but Igor Milicic is also their player.
Anyway, they lose a spot here because they lost to Senegal in their first friendly game, and even though (1) it's only a friendly, and (2) it's only their first game, and (3) Senegal won't even play the EuroBasket; we told you these Power Rankings movements were based on rosters and friendly games results.
(And Igor Milicic wasn't even playing.)
#15 Georgia (+1)
Good news? They held Israel to just 76 points in their friendly opener. Bad news? They scored only 66 themselves.
Good news? Goga Bitadze needed less than 15 minutes of action to get 10 points and 8 rebounds. More good news? Tornike Shengelia and Giorgi Shermadini also looked comfortable, scoring in double digits. More, more good news? They are playing Estonia next, so we'll see if we were right to switch their places in the Power Rankings.
#16 Estonia (-1)
Losing a place just based on their 89-68 defeat to Lithuania on August 1. That's all.
You may be a bit disappointed we knocked them down a bit, but consider this: Estonia last finished higher than 16 in a FIBA EuroBasket event back in 2001, and they are in that same group with Serbia, Türkiye and Latvia, so reaching the Round of 16 would be considered a success, for sure.
#17 Belgium (+2)
Their NBA guys will not be making an appearance this summer, but actually, not having Toumani Camara or Ajay Mitchell could make things smoother.
After all, this generation has been together for a long time, the core of it built back in the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Pre-Qualifiers, so they obviously enjoy flying under the radar.
They are the only team that has defeated Spain in 2022. Feels like one of those "tell me a crazy fact which is true" threads.
#18 Montenegro (-1)
Excuse us while we cry in a pillow because Nikola Vucevic announced this is his final summer with the national team.
The nicest guy ever. You lose one spot because we're sad, Crna Goro.
#19 Great Britain (-1)
Is it really a national team summer if you're not warning all your mates to follow Team GB because Myles Hesson, Luke Nelson, Gabe Olaseni, Tarik Phillip and Carl Wheatle are finally gonna go off and make some noise?
Is it really a national team summer if you're not rewatching Gabe Olaseni's FIBA EuroBasket 2017 highlights?
Is it really a national team summer if you're not upset at us for putting them at #19; HOLD UP, 19!?
Ah, feels like summer.
#20 Czechia (0)
No clue what kind of Czechia will show up this time around.
But it's another Jan-Vesely-less summer for them, and not having that kind of a big guy on the roster while having to go up against Nikola Jokic, Nikola Milutinov, Alperen Sengun, Kristaps Porzingis and all the other man-mountains of Group A, that hurts.
#21 Portugal (+2)
Oh yes, add Neemias Queta to the list of dominant big men in Group A.
His name made us rethink the bottom part of the Power Rankings, because Portugal were really good in the Qualifiers and showed they have plenty of potential to stir things up if they just added one big name to the mix.
Well, Queta is that kind of guy who could turn Portugal in a blender, if you want to keep the mixing analogy alive from the previous paragraph.
#22 Sweden (-1)
We're yet to see Sweden in action this summer, so until we do, they fall down a spot just based on the fact that Portugal got their big guy confirmed for the event.
But whatever happens, we'll make sure to post Ludvig Hakanson and Simon Birgander together because they just can't live without each other anymore - they joined UCAM Murcia together in 2023, they joined Joventut Badalona together in 2025, and they already were national team teammates for what feels like a century.
Best friends forever.
(Just send a cryptic "I'll be the Hakanson to your Birgander" message to your crush, if they get it, they're the one.)
#23 Iceland (-1)
Again, Iceland are still waiting for their first ever FIBA EuroBasket win. Until they get it, they won't be out of the danger zone.
They went 0-2 in Trento last week, but they did have a 90-point performance against Poland, so that's something to build on for Iceland.
#24 Cyprus (0)
Not much to say, because it's impossible to move somebody from the bottom spot if they haven't won a game or two.
First two major clashes coming this week, facing Israel and Serbia in Limassol. One win certainly moves them out of this spot.
Note:The Power Rankings are entirely subjective and is in no way a true, accurate ranking system. All comments are purely those of the author.