Next year when the 2013 FIBA Eurobasket kicks off, San Antonio Spurs draftee Davis Bertans and his country of Latvia may get the chance to face some current Spurs should they decide to dress for Les Bleus next summer.
Bertans and Latvia defeated Romania 85-77 to secure a place for the 2013 Eurobasket on Tuesday as Bertans finished the game with 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting in 20 minutes of action. Unfortunately for another Spurs draftee, Adam Hanga, his country of Hungary did not qualify to compete in next year’s Eurobasket.
Though Hungary defeated Cyprus 63-58 on Tuesday, they did not earn enough points in their group pool to secure a place in next year’s FIBA games. In 18 minutes of play, Hanga tallied just five points and only took two shots. He did however shoot five free throws, but he also turned the ball over five times in the game.
As the Eurobasket qualifying round comes to an end, Hanga and Bertans both showed improvement in their games as they each had several games where they showcased some new additions to their skill set, in the eight game span of the qualifying round. For Hanga, he showed not only his ability to penetrate the lane and get to the foul line, but he also improved his defense while also learning to facilitate and get his teammates involved.
Bertans continued to show he can be a huge weapon from the outside, but his length in grabbing rebounds and blocking shots were also a major improvement in his individual game. Both Hanga and Bertans showed through these eight games that those two weeks they spent training in San Antonio were valuable, and this could mean that as they continue to develop, they’ll only continue to grow in their individual games as they hope to one day wear the real silver and black.
