With EuroBasket 2025 tipping off, this is your one-stop destination for in-depth previews of all 24 national teams heading into Europe’s premier basketball tournament. Whether you’re tracking MVP candidates, X’s-and-O’s brilliance, or just figuring out who might crash the medal party, our Power Rankings and team-by-team breakdowns will keep you ahead of the curve.
Latvia: Beautiful Basketball, Home-Court Dreams and a Golden Ceiling
Group A – Hosts (Final Stage in Riga)
There’s a seductive clarity to Latvia’s game—what they lack in isolation scorers, they replace with rhythm, intelligence and spacing that would make a motion offense purist tear up with joy. Latvia’s undefeated run (6–0) in the qualifiers didn’t just punch their ticket—it launched them into the conversation. Quietly. Efficiently. Dangerously.
Let’s be clear: the 6–0 record, while statistically pristine, came with a few caveats. Yes, they beat Spain by 21 over two legs, but that was a young Spanish side—a development squad more than a battle-tested FIBA core. Belgium, their other notable opponent, isn’t a continental powerhouse. Slovakia offered little resistance. Still, you beat who’s in front of you and Latvia did so with conviction.
The Stars: Rodions Kurucs led in scoring at 14 points per game (in just 3 appearances), but Artūrs Žagars’ backcourt partner Kristers Zoriks has been the quiet heartbeat—13.7 points per game across all six qualifiers on strong efficiency. And then there are the NBA names: Kristaps Porziņģis and Dāvis Bertāns (Last played in the NBA during the 2023–24 season). Porziņģis, in particular, is the tournament’s biggest potential swing factor. If healthy and integrated, he brings not just elite scoring and spacing, but rare rim protection in a system that often needs help on the back end.
Strengths: Latvia lives—and often thrives—by the three. When they catch fire, as they did with a 14-of-31 night in qualifiers, they’re borderline unguardable. Their off-ball movement and tactical discipline create a symphony of cuts, flares and extra passes that can dismantle slower, iso-heavy teams. Head coach Luca Banchi has designed a system where no possession is wasted and everyone touches the ball—think old-school Spurs, Baltic edition.
Weaknesses: But that same ball movement can come at a cost. Latvia’s commitment to pace and passing can lead to turnovers, especially when opponents speed them up. They don’t have a clear-cut on-ball creator to break down switching defenses or beat traps. And when the three-point shot isn’t falling—as it didn’t during an 8-of-31 shooting night against Belgium—things can get shaky quickly.
The Bottom Line: Latvia isn’t coming in with the gaudy NBA-heavy rosters of France or Serbia, but don’t let that fool you. With home-court advantage through the final stage in Riga, an airtight team identity and two NBA level weapons in Porziņģis and Bertāns, this group has a real shot—not just to make noise, but to win the whole thing. They might not enter EuroBasket 2025 as title favorites, but come early September, don’t be surprised if they’re still playing when it matters most.
Expectation: Dark Horse Contenders
Dangerous dark horses with a system that can beat anyone, especially on home soil.
This article was co-written by the hosts of the European Hoops podcast, Tiago Cordeiro and André Lemos. Subscribe to the podcast and follow European Hoops on Twitter: @EthosEuroleague.
