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Basketball at the 2021 Olympics has started with some tremendous competition, as the super USA team has already fallen in its debut against France, before wiping Iran out in the second match. NBA talent at the Olympics isn't reserved for the US basketball team anymore, and other countries have had their fair share of solid displays from NBA players.
Best individual efforts by an NBA player at the 2021 Olympics so far
Spain, Australia, France, Argentina, Slovenia, and some other counties have NBA players on their rosters and can clearly compete against anyone on any day. So far, Luka Doncic and Slovenia have arguably looked the most impressive, with the Dallas Mavericks' guard demolishing Argentina almost single-handedly in their first outing.
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Meanwhile, France has also done a great job, beating the USA in their debut and recently blowing the Czech Republic out.
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In this article, we will have a look at the five best individual performances by NBA players in the 2021 Olympics so far.
Without further ado, let us start.
#5 Jordan Nwora (Nigeria) vs Germany
Milwaukee Bucks forward Jordan Nwora is playing at the 2021 Olympics for Nigeria and has already shown the scoring talent he has. Even though Nigeria have fallen in their two outings so far against Australia and Germany, Nwora has done a great job for the squad.
The NBA champion had a great outing on the second matchday against Germany, though he could not prevent Nigeria's seven-point loss. Nwora put up 33 points (the second-highest tally in the tournament so far) and grabbed seven rebounds in 30 minutes of action.
Nwora also had a 35 Efficiency Rating and was the team's offensive leader coming off the bench.
Also Check out: Nigeria Olympic Basketball Team 2021
#4 Ricky Rubio (Spain) vs Japan
Already an NBA veteran and playing for the third time in the Olympics, Ricky Rubio is Spain's leader on the court. The point guard, who played for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the last NBA season, often plays at a high level for his national team and also led Spain to the championship in the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
At the 2021 Olympics, Rubio has already shown his worth at the 2021 Olympics. His best outing so far came on the first matchday against Japan, when he led Spain to a 88-77 victory by scoring 20 points on 8/13 shooting and also dishing out nine assists.
Rubio played only 21 minutes in the game, and had an Efficiency Rating of 25 and a 27 Plus/Minus (the highest of the game).
Also Check out: Spain Olympic Basketball Team 2021
#3 Patty Mills (Australia) vs Nigeria
Patty Mills is the leader of Australia at the Olympics and he was also a flag bearer for the entire Australian delegation. Accordingly, Mills has performed extraordinarily for the team on the court and has already had one of the best individual outings of the tournament so far.
In the debut against Nigeria, Mills led Australia to a 84-67 victory after scoring 25 points and recording six assists and four steals in 34 minutes of action.
Mills scored seven of his 16 field goals and was Australia's driving force on offense and was alert on the defensive end.
#2 Evan Fournier (France) vs USA
The US basketball team fell in its first game of the 2021 Olympics against France and while the narrative was often directed to the USA's loss, France had a lot to do with it, especially Evan Fournier's offense.
Fournier put up 28 points against the stacked US team in the first game of the tournament and led France to a 83-76 victory. He scored 11 of his 22 field goals, including 7/10 from the three-point line, and was clearly the best scorer on the court during that game.
Fournier has already led France to two victories in the tournament as he also put up 21 points in a 20-point victory over the Czech Republic.
#1 Luka Doncic (Slovenia) vs Argentina
Luka Doncic was named the best basketball player on the planet by Argentina's coach Sergio Hernández after Slovenia's rout against the Argentine squad in the first round.
While that opinion is definitely debatable, Doncic has had the best single-game performance by a player in the early stages of the 2021 Olympics by far.
In Slovenia's 118-100 victory over Argentina on the first matchday, the Dallas Mavericks superstar put up 48 points (second-most in the history of men's basketball at the Olympics) and also 11 rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes.
He also had an Efficiency Rating of 49 and pretty much defeated a solid Argentina squad all by himself.
Also read: Who is on the Spain Men's Olympic Basketball team? Looking at the key players leading the charge at 2021 Olympics
