Gianmarco Pozzecco’s Italy receives a little good news in view of the Pre-Olympic. Not only will the Azzurri not arrive in Puerto Rico not in the best conditions, with the absences of Simone Fontecchio, Gabriele Procida and Matteo Spagnolo. But even the biggest opponent for the five-round qualification, Lithuania, will not have one of its best players available, center Jonas Valanciunas, a player with over 12 points and 8 rebounds in America.
What puts a spoke in the wheels of the Baltic selection is his contractual situation in the NBA. His agreement with i New Orleans Pelicans has expired and cannot start negotiating with the other franchises before July 6, the day of the Pre-Olympic semi-finals. An injury would therefore not allow him to be attractive to American teams, thus risking signing a contract smaller than his capabilities.
Not only Valanciunas said no. I is also absent from the list of sixteen pre-summoned playersggy Brazdeikis, Olympiakos small forward, e Matas Buzelis, player of the Ignite in the G-League and candidate for a top 5 call in the next NBA Draft. Instead, Eimantas Benzdius from Sassari and above all Domantas Sabonis, a double-double player in the NBA with the Sacramento shirt, have been called up.
Lithuania is included in the other group of the Pre-Olympic with Mexico and Ivory Coast, while Italy is in the group with Bahrain and Puerto Rico; the top two teams will qualify for the semifinals, with first versus second, and the two finalists will compete for a place at the Olympics.
