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MANILA, Philippines – Dominican Republic gears up for a serious contention bid in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, tapping Minnesota Timberwolves star big man Karl-Anthony Towns and Boston Celtics veteran Al Horford to lead the massive 29-man pool, per a FIBA release on Thursday, July 27.
Also leading the Dominicans are other young NBA-caliber talent like Sacramento Kings guard Chris Duarte, Golden State warriors prospect Lester Quinones, and former Los Angeles Clippers center Angel Delgado.
Nailing the commitment of any of these players, most notably Towns and Horford, can only mean trouble for host team Gilas Pilipinas, which shares Group A with the Dominican Republic, Angola, and Italy.
Towns is coming off an injury-plagued season with Minnesota, averaging 20.8 points – his lowest since his NBA rookie season – 8.4 rebounds, and a career-high 4.8 assists. He has since moved to the power forward spot following the Timberwolves’ highly scrutinized trade for French center Rudy Gobert.
Horford, meanwhile, remains a serviceable do-it-all anchor for the Celtics as he averaged 9.2 points on an elite 44% clip from three, 6.2 boards, 3.0 dimes, and 1.0 block in his age-37 season.
A name to also look out for is Duarte, who showed flashes of brilliance for the Indiana Pacers before being traded to Sacramento at the cusp of his third NBA season.
The Philippines, however, will at least have an NBA star already fully committed in Utah Jazz leader Jordan Clarkson to make things interesting for the rest of Group A’s contenders.
Gilas first takes on the Dominican Republic in the World Cup Philippine leg opener main event on August 25, 8 pm, at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
– Rappler.com
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