Japan vs Brazil: Predicted Starting 5s and Depth Charts for August 2 | 2024 Paris Olympics Basketball

Pride will be the only prize on offer when Japan goes head-to-head with Brazil at Pierre Mauroy Stadium on Friday. Neither side has been able to record a win so far in Group B, so two points could prove to be their final chance to end the campaign on a high note.

Both have already been eliminated from the men’s basketball tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

These two nations have only ever met once in the past, that being a 1972 Olympics first-round encounter, which saw the Cariocas emerge victorious by 110-55.

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Japan vs Brazil: Starting lineups and depth charts

Japan starting lineups and depth charts

It is expected that Brazil will remain largely unchanged, having provided a fairly sound test against the French, who were certainly made to work for their win.

Position	Starters	Bench	Bench
PG	Yuki Kawamura	Keisei Tominaga
SG	Yudai Baba	Yuki Togashi	Kai Toews
SF	Makoto Heijima	Jacobs Tajon Akira
PF	Yuta Watanabe	Soichiro Inoue	Hirotaka Yoshii
C	Josh Hawkinson	Koya Kawamata

Brazil starting lineups and depth charts

It would come as no surprise if Tom Hovasse decided to make several changes to his starting five, which could include the likes of Cristiano Felício or Gui Santos being introduced to the lineup to tighten up his side's defense ahead of this clash.

Guard	Forward	Center
Georginho De Paula	Leonardo Meindl	Cristiano Felicio
Marcelinho Huertas	Bruno Caboclo
Vitor Benite	Lucas Dias
Yago Santos	Gui Santos
Didi Louzada
Joao Cardoso
Raul Neto

Japan vs Brazil: Preview

The Akatsuki Japan’s eighth Paris Olympics campaign will end in a group stage for the sixth time exit after failing to trouble France and Germany in their first two matches.

A 97-77 defeat to Germany in their opening game was followed by a 94-90 loss to France in the overtime on Tuesday, leaving Japan in third place and with no chance of making it to the knockout rounds.

Japan can count themselves unlucky after holding their own in the game against Victor Wembanyama’s France. They even had a four-point lead in the final seconds of regulation. However, a dramatic comeback by France forced the game into overtime, where they ultimately secured the win. They can be proud of their efforts. Qualifying for the Olympics itself was a monumental achievement, and they were close to claiming their first win.

They will be hoping to break their duck in their final group game; however, the FIBA World Rankings suggest that Brazil may go into Friday’s contest as favorites, with Cariocas ranked 14 places above Japan.

Brazil, meanwhile, have struggled to produce their best form at their sixteenth appearance at the quadrennial games. After suffering 86-76 and 78-66 defeats to both Germany and France, respectively, Aleksandar Petrovic’s men are left languishing at the bottom of Group B.

Creativity was not a problem in Brazil’s game; converting those chances into the basket was. If Petrovic’s side can conjure up similar chances, victory over Japan might be within reach. However, their recent form suggests that they might face a challenging task.

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Japan vs Brazil: Players to watch

Rui Hachimura vs Marcelinho Huertas

Rui Hachimura, as expected, has led the line superbly for Japan. He delivered a 24-point, 3-rebound performance against France before being ejected for an unsportsmanlike foul. Against Germany, he contributed 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists. He will be looking to continue his impressive form come Thursday.

Marcelinho Huertas has been Brazil’s best player going on a decade now. Now 41, this is his third Olympic campaign. He continues to be their creative spark, leading the team with an efficiency rating of 14, averaging 11 points, five assists, three rebounds, and a steal in 25 minutes per game.