There are a few star players who won't make it to Latvia. That doesn't make the remaining players less dangerous as Gilas and five other teams battle for the lone Olympic berth.
The FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament is perhaps one of the toughest competitions in basketball.
It features teams which have competed in the FIBA Basketball World Cup, teams which are hungry for a comeback after missing the Olympic slots available.
But this tournament offers no consolation, no leeway for mistakes. There's one thing at stake and one thing only--a lone berth for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Gilas Pilipinas will be competing against five other teams for that lone Olympic berth.
And it's going to be even tougher for the Philippine squad, which would only be fielding 11 men due to injuries and other issues:
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Japeth Aguilar, Mason Francis Amos, Justin Brownlee, June Mar Fajardo, Chris Newsome, Calvin Oftana, CJ Perez, Kevin Quiambao, Dwight Ramos, Kai Sotto, and Carl Tamayo.
Here are the key players they would have to take down in Group A.
Latvia - Arturs Zagars
The Philippines-Latvia match will be a battle of movement. And coach Luca Banchi's team has shown incredible teamwork so far.
Technically, the spotlight for the Latvian squad would have been on Kristaps Porzingis--who was initially included in the pool. But an injury during the NBA Finals and his subsequent surgery put a damper on that.
Still, there's plenty of challenges coming from the fourth placed squad in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup--led by playmaker Arturs Zagars.
Recall that Zagars made a World Cup record of 17 assists against Lithuania in that tournament.
His playmaking makes smooth work of their offense--as shown in Latvia's 27 assists against Egypt in their 84-63 tuneup victory.
And that would certainly force a comparison against Gilas Pilipinas--who will have Dwight Ramos and Chris Newsome to fill the void of Scottie Thompson.
Georgia - Sandro Mamukelashvili
Giorgi Shermadini has been ruled out for Georgia, having broken his ribs during an ACB game for Tenerife. Instead, the squad will be relying on European icon Tornike Shengelia and Orlando Magic big man Goga Bitadze.
But we're making a case for San Antonio Spurs' Sandro Mamukelashvili.
In 2022, Mamukelashvili finished by averaging a double-double of 15.2 points and 11.0 rebounds pre game, while last year he contributed with 12.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest.
He is most certainly the future face of Georgian basketball after Shengelia.
If Gilas Pilipinas survives the group stage to reach the crossover, here's who they might face.
Cameroon - Fabien Ateba/Jeremiah Hill
Indiana Pacers' Pascal Siakam was initially named to the pool for Cameroon, but he won't be able to join the team. But living up to their name, the Indomitable Lions will not be deterred.
One thing people should know about this Cameroonian squad--the players are not scared to shoot.
Fabien Ateba, their 33-year-old captain, showed his sharpshooting skills by knocking down seven of 10 three-pointers in a tune-up against Egypt. That's 23 points in 25 minutes of action.
He will be joined by the 28-year-old Jeremiah Hill, who poured in 18.3 points while shooting 44.1 percent on three-pointers in the Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament. He also dished out 9.3 assists, grabbing 3.0 rebounds, and 2.5 steals.
Brazil - Bruno Caboclo
We should definitely talk about Bruno.
Even without the backcourt duo of Marcelo Huertas and Yago dos Santos, Caboclo led Brazil to a 91-75 victory over Poland in a tuneup game.
Bruno's dominance in the paint--leading to 21 points--will be crucial.
Here's a reminder of his 19-13 double-double against Canada in the World Cup.
Imagine what more he can do when Huertas and dos Santos do suit up for Brazil in Riga.
Montenegro - Nikola Vucevic
The Black Mountain will go as far as Nikola Vucevic will take them.
He definitely has shown his skills, with two double-doubles in two tune-up games.
In the loss against Greece, he delivered 20 points and 12 rebounds. In the victory against the Bahamas, he went 15-15.
And just to brush up your memory, he was hailed the Best Player of Group D in a field including Egypt, Lithuania, and Mexico in the FIBA World Cup.
The FIBA OQT will run from July 2 to 7.
Story summary:
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High Stakes: The FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament offers a single Olympic berth, intensifying competition among teams hungry for redemption or debut appearances.
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Key Players: Gilas Pilipinas faces formidable opponents like Arturs Zagars of Latvia, Sandro Mamukelashvili of Georgia, and Nikola Vucevic of Montenegro, each pivotal to their team's strategies and successes.
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Underdog Challenge: Despite roster challenges, Gilas Pilipinas must navigate through tough matchups and showcase resilience to secure their shot at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital team. The summary was generated by AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]