Though fans will have to wait until October to see the 2015-16 Kings in action, several Kings players will be participating in the upcoming Eurobasket 2015 tournament starting on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Four players in total will represent Sacramento and their home countries, including: Marco Belinelli (Italy), Omri Casspi (Israel), Duje Dukan (Croatia), and Kosta Koufos (Greece).
Learn more about each players prospective tournament and international history below.
Marco Belinelli (Italy)
The Kings newly acquired guard will be playing for Italy in his third Eurobasket tournament after being a key for his team in 2011 and 2013. The three-point sharpshooter averaged 12.8 points, 3.4 assists and 2.7 rebounds in his Eurobasket career.
Marco Belinelli and Italy will be looking to rebound from an 8th place finish from the 2013 Eurobasket tournament, and will open up group play against Turkey. Here is a look at the rest of Italy’s Group B schedule.
Omri Casspi (Israel)
After a visit to Israel earlier this summer with friends and teammates, Omri Casspi will be all business on the court as he suits up to play for his home country. This will be Casspi’s fourth time participating in Eurobasket, with his first appearance coming in 2009 during the same summer when he was drafted by the Kings in the first round of the NBA Draft.
Israel will be in Group A and matches up against Russia in their first game. Here is the rest of the schedule for Casspi and Israel for their group play.
Duje Dukan (Croatia)
After helping Wisconsin to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Tournament this past April, Duje Dukan will be looking to help Croatia excel in the first Eurobasket competition of his career.
Dukan does have some experience playing international basketball, however, playing for Croatia in the European U20 Championship back in 2011. During that stretch of seven games, Dukan averaged 4.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in his 13.4 minutes per game.
Croatia, who just missed out on a medal in Eurobasket 2013 with a fourth place finish, will face Slovenia first in Group C. Take a look at the additional games on the schedule for the Kings forward Dukan and Croatia.
Kosta Koufos (Greece)
Though he has not participated in a Eurobasket since 2011, Kings big man Kosta Koufos will certainly be a crucial part of Greece’s team during this tournament.
In his last Eurobasket campaign, Koufos averaged 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest. This year, he will also be playing alongside other NBA talent on his team with the likes of Nick Calathes and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Greece finished in 11th place without Koufos in 2013 and opens up the 2015 tournament against Macedonia. Also in Greece’s Group C is Duje Dukan and Croatia, with the Kings teammates facing off on the second day of group play
The EuroBasket 2015 tournament begins this week and will run until the Championship Game on September 18th. The top two teams will automatically qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games while the 3rd through 7th place finishers will be entered into the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament to try and earn a bid.
For more information on teams, players and schedules, click here.
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