A look at the preliminary round of EuroBasket 2025 has some familiar faces at the top of the group standings. Defending FIBA Basketball World Cup champions Germany lead Group B, while Greece is the pace setter for Group C. Poland taking the top spot in Group D is proof that one doesn’t need NBA players to thrive. 

And then there’s Turkey. 

Turkey has never won a major international tournament and they’ve only come close twice. They encountered the vaunted Yugoslavia (otherwise known back then as Serbia and Montenegro) squad and Team USA in the finals of FIBA EuroBasket 2001 and the 2010 FIBA World Championship, respectively, sadly ending up on the wrong end of both contests. 

In EuroBasket 2025, though, they’re looking to change that. 

Turkey’s current roster is a healthy mix of talent and youth, with cornerstone Alperen Sengun being one of two players born after the year 2000. Seven of their players also have NBA experience in one way or another, with Sengun and Adem Bona being the only ones still in the league. Turkey normally fields a tall roster and this one is no different as it has helped them settle in the top five in rebounds per game (39.0 on average through four games). 

Despite their youth, they’re one of the more disciplined teams on defense in EuroBasket 2025 as they are second-to-the-last in fouls committed (16.5 per game) aside from being third in blocks (3.3 per game) and 10th in steals (7.8 per game). 

However, it’s been their offense that has been key to them blowing away the competition thus far. Germany remains a dominant offensive squad, but Turkey is not far as they are in the top three in offensive efficiency. They can dominate the paint and punish defenses with their outside shooting. 

Part of it stems from Sengun’s ability to control the game from various areas on the floor. He’s cut from the same cloth as Nikola Jokic and Pau Gasol in how he can mix his playmaking with finesse and a power game. 

Sengun will have his work cut out for him when he and Turkey take on Serbia in their preliminary round finale. It’s Turkey’s early test in this stage of EuroBasket 2025, but it’s clear that they’re shedding the dark horse label and turning into bonafide contenders. Benchmarking against one of the world’s best will only bode well for them going forward. 

The knockout rounds are still days away, but it’s clear that Turkey is already playing as if it has already begun. It’s been a breeze so far for them, but their level of play has them in fine form. This will definitely prepare them for the tougher games ahead, where the element of surprise is lost and only proper execution matters.