FIBA 3x3 World Tour Jeddah Final 2021 Power Rankings

JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) - It's been a wild year on the FIBA 3x3 World Tour 2021, with old favorites dominating, new superteams, and a series of Tissot Buzzer Beaters we will never forget. 

Ahead of the World Tour Jeddah Final 2021, we take a closer look at the power rankings for the 12 teams in the field and break down who are the contenders and the pretenders.

1. Riga (LAT)

The defending World Tour champs are coming into the 2021 final following two Masters wins at Abu Dhabi and Mexico City. The slow start earlier this season is long forgotten. Nauris Miezis and Karlis Lasmanis are the number one and two players in the world, and their trophy case is getting heavy following their Olympics win earlier this year. They are the top team in the rankings and the number one seed at the event, and if you need another reason to love their chances, everyone is healthy. It's scary to think how good these guys have been in 2021 and what it would mean to finish the year on top.

 

2. Ub (SRB)

For the majority of the season, Ub were the number one ranked team thanks to wins at the Debrecen and Montreal Masters. If it wasn't for Riga's recent ascent, they would be the clear favorites in Jeddah, but they might embrace the number two spot, taking some pressure off of a team that we all considered the top dog for so long. Strahinja Stojacic has been epic for the Serbs this season, third in overall P-VAL, while Dejan Majstorovic, aka 'The Maestro' is once again making string music. We can only be so lucky to see an Ub-Riga showdown sometime in Jeddah.

 

3. Amsterdam Talent&Pro (NED)

They might be ranked fourth, but the Dutch squad never finished lower than 5th in four World Tour appearances and were third in winning percentage over the course of the season (70%). Arvin Slagter continued his hot form from the Olympics, making it rain with 27 two-pointers made on 38% shooting from behind the arc. But, it was Maksim Kovacevic the newcomer, who really took their game to the next level. The former Liman man has been the difference-maker for the squad that finally won a Masters (in Doha) and has a great chance to win it all.

4. Antwerp (BEL)

We're pushing Antwerp ahead of Liman in the power rankings for two reasons, and their names are Thibaut Vervoort and Nick Celis. Celis led the field in P.Val per game (8 games minimum) with 6.7 per contest, and both players were in the top-10 of P-VAL for the season. Some might argue that Liman should be higher on this list, but at their best, Antwerp are one of the most difficult teams in the world. It's a team game, but in a format like 3x3, where shot-making and Tissot Buzzer Beaters are paramount, there are few players we'd rather have than these guys.

 

5. Liman (SRB)

It wasn't Liman's year. We grew accustomed to their dominance in 2020, which might hurt their spot in rankings, just because we expect so much more from them. Mihailo Vasic and Aleksandar Ratkov were fantastic once again, but it seemed like Liman was always bested in the end, whether by another team's hot hand, or missed opportunities. We might regret putting them this low in our power rankings, but Jeddah has too many powerhouse teams to have even a slight off day.

6. Jeddah (KSA)

After winning the Prague Masters and playing at home, we are more than happy to put them in the top half of the power rankings. The duo of Nemanja Draskovic and Ovidijus Varanauskas was special for Jeddah, winners of their first-ever Masters event in 2021, giving us plenty of theatrics along the way. Add in Kevin Corre, a handful underneath the basket and first-ever Frenchman to win a Masters, and you'll have a team nobody wants to face in pool play.

 

7. San Juan PCI Group (PR)

San Juan gave us some of the best moments of the 2021 season, winning their first Lausanne Masters, many thanks to Angel Matias, the tournament MVP, and buzzer-beater aficionado. They came back down to earth in Abu Dhabi, before finishing as runners-up in the final Masters of the year in Mexico City. These guys are more fun to watch than Peter Parker and have us ready to see if they'll surprise us once more in 2021.

 

8. Gagarin (RUS)

These guys just keep getting better and better. We saw their abilities at the Tokyo Olympics, winning the silver medal, but they began their World Tour season a bit flat. Since Lausanne where they finished 12th, the team went on to place 9th, then 7th, and finally 3rd in Mexico. See the pattern here? Kirill Pisklov, Stanislav Sharov and Alexander Zuev are back for the Russians and are looking to bring back their Olympic magic.

 

9. Sakiai Gulbele (LTU)

The Lithuanians never finished higher than 4th this year, and while we keep waiting for them to bust out, their best seems to be suboptimal for the kinds of talent that 3x3 is producing in 2021. Aurelijus Pukelis was once again great, but it seems like this team will go as far as Darius Tarvydas can take them. When he gets hot, look out - but can he do it for an entire weekend?

 

10. Princeton (USA)

Princeton is the only American team to make it to the World Tour Final this year, having only come in 3rd place at the Montreal Masters. Kareem Maddox is still a force, but the team has been rather toothless this year without Robbie Hummel or a true second scoring threat. But before you write them off, remember 3 of their players came very close to winning the World Tour just 2 years ago.

 

11. Graz (AUT)

We are always going to give Graz their due respect because the team plays hard. Filip Krämer always comes to ball - usually well above the rim - and while they have earned their spot in this tournament, they are a clear underdog amongst all of these quality teams. It would be a surprise to see them make it into the bracket, but never count out the Austrians. 

12. Lausanne Sport (SUI)

They snuck into the final at the buzzer and only won 30% of their games this season so it's tough to put them higher in the power rankings. But they did get a quality win against Jeddah at the Mexico City Masters, which makes us think that every single team can make a run at the Jeddah Final. We'll see  Westher Molteni in the Top 10 plays video, that's a guarantee. But more good things could happen to the Swiss team.

FIBA