The 2024 Olympic games in Paris kicked off on Saturday, and with four basketball games now in the books, the tournament began with a bang. The heavily favored Americans didn’t play in Saturday’s quadruple-header, but eight other teams did, and among them were some of the international basketball community’s heavyweights.
The games began with Josh Giddey leading Australia past Spain, an aging giant in the basketball world still seeking an identity beyond the Gasol brothers. Defending World Cup champion Germany was up next, and a resounding win over Japan got their Olympic bid off to the right start. The home team played third, and debuting for France in its game against Brazil was NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama. The hosts got off to a shaky start, but ultimately pulled it together enough for double-digit victory. Canada closed out Saturday’s action with a win over Greece, but nearly blew what was once a double-digit lead in the final minutes.
One day of games are now in the books, and while there is still plenty of time left in the tournament, we’ve now gotten our first taste of how this tournament is going to play out. Here were some of the biggest headlines from Saturday’s slate.
Saturday’s scores
Australia 92, Spain 80
Germany 97, Japan 77
France 78, Brazil 66
Canada 86, Greece 79
Josh Giddey grabbing the baton for Australia
Australia has long been among the more formidable teams in international basketball, but the past few years have been something of a transitional period for the Boomers. Longtime standard bearer Andrew Bogut is gone, and in all likelihood, Patty Mills is playing in his final Olympics. Several of the younger players stood out against Spain on Saturday, with second-time Olympian Jock Landale leading the team in points (20) and rebounds (9) and first-timer Dyson Daniels contributing 13 points and seven rebounds of his own.
But the standout was Josh Giddey, who was just entering his rookie season the last time Australia competed in the Olympics and wasn’t on the roster. In all likelihood, he will be the primary ball-handler for the Boomers moving forward. He opened the tournament on a great note: 17 points, eight assists, eight rebounds, and most importantly, as any Thunder fan of the last few years could tell you, 2-of-4 on 3-pointers. His shaky shot is his one major weakness, but when Giddey is comfortable and moving the ball, his teams thrive. Australia started the Olympics on a great note behind his performance, and that’s a great sign for his future as the face of this team.
The Victor Wembanyama era is at hand
There might’ve been some nerves for the French team to kick things off. Brazil led by as many as 12 points early on. The exhibition season didn’t go especially well for the tournament’s hosts, and with a front-court heavy roster, the fit of this otherwise talented roster is certainly a bit awkward. Fortunately for France, it had the best player on the floor on Saturday.
The stats don’t do justice to how dominant Victor Wembanyama was at points in this game. He had 19 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and four steals, but more importantly, he completely swung the game when Brazil led by 12 in the second quarter. He was simply too big for the Brazilian team, deflecting passes, scaring drivers away from the rim and scoring near the rim with ease. His partnership with Rudy Gobert created one of the most fearsome rim-protecting duos the Olympics have ever seen, and with those two leading the way, the hosts are a forced to be reckoned with in this tournament.
Canada’s depth outlasts Giannis Antetokounmpo
Greece has the second-best player in the tournament in Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Canada has an entire roster full of NBA players. Things therefore played out much as you’d expect them to: Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 34 points, but only one teammate, former Houston Rocket and Denver Nuggets Kostas Papanikolaou, scored in double figures. Canada, meanwhile, had a more balanced attack. RJ Barrett led the way with 23, but 21 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and 14 from Dillon Brooks helped get Canada across the finish line.
Of course, doing so was no easy task. Canada led by double-digits early on, but Greece managed to trim the lead down to two in the final minutes amid a Canadian foul-fest. Three Canadian starters fouled out as Brooks, Lu Dort and Kelly Olynyk all picked up five fouls. Unfortunately for Greece, a 24-for-32 performance at the foul line was just inconsistent enough to keep them out of this game in the closing seconds, and Canada’s reserves did just enough in crunch time to help Barrett and Gilgeous-Alexander secure the victory.
