Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic feels there should be changes made when it comes to FIBA's scheduling of the EuroBasket. After all, as things currently stand, the schedule is brutal for teams and players alike.
French national team captain Evan Fournier echoed the sentiment on Monday, and Doncic agreed with him after his own Slovenia team had to play back-to-back games less than 24 hours apart.
“We’re going to play four games in five days,” Doncic said, per Eurohoops. “Yesterday, basically we had two games in 24 hours. Yes this should change for everybody. Everybody is doing the same. Everybody has less rest. It’s a problem because of injuries you know. More injuries can happen. Especially the clubs wouldn’t be very glad.
“I agree [with Fournier]. More rest is always better.”
It's not hard to see where Luka Doncic is coming from, especially since he has already experienced the tough schedule first hand. Furthermore, he himself has been affected by it, with the Mavs playmaker sustaining a wrist injury in their recent game against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It doesn't seem to be a long-term concern for Doncic, but the point remains: the hectic schedule of EuroBasket puts players at a higher risk of sustaining an injury.
If FIBA doesn't fix the scheduling, it could very well affect the participation of players in the tournament. After all, these players are professionals who have commitment to clubs that pay them a lot of money. In most cases, their respective ball clubs have a say on whether they should participate in international games or not.
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