Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic may be even more important to the Slovenian national team than his squad stateside these days, with the do-everything star needing to be at his best on a nightly basis in order to give his chance a team to win.

That said, even with the former No. 3 pick averaging 25.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game across his last two FIBA Senior Team events, Slovenia may not have what it takes to take down Team USA. Finishing sixth in the 2022 EuroBasket competition and fourth in the Tokyo Olympics, this isn't to say that they'll lay down without a fight or that Luka and company won't make for a tough out in any number of games.

However, they face a daunting task in trying to defeat the U.S. team on Aug. 12. Even with USA basketball sending a team without any previous All-NBA selections or Senior Team experience to the 2023 FIBA World Cup for the first time in history.

For starters, there's no guarantee that Doncic will even suit up against Team USA on Saturday, as Slovenian national team coach Aleksander Sekulic says that even though “the plan is to play” the former EuroLeague MVP, it “also depends on him, how he feels” (h/t Joe Vardon of the Athletic)

Sekulic also notes that there's a balance in preparing for the FIBA World Cup:

“It's a good question, but (playing extended minutes) is one of the things you have to learn to do to get ready for the (FIBA World Cup),” he says. “… there is going to be motivation (to play Doncic on Friday and Saturday) for sure. But we also have to be smart with load management for Luka. Not only him but everybody else, but of course Luka is our main player.”

Team USA likely wants and needs to see Doncic though, as they have plenty to figure out before the World Cup begins on Aug. 25.