Mavs WATCH: Luka Doncic Speaks on Slovenia’s FIBA World Cup Prep

Mavs superstar Luka Doncic spoke to reporters ahead of competing with Slovenia at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

OKINAWA, Japan — Ahead of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Dallas Mavericks superstar and Slovenia team-captain Luka Doncic participated in a pre-tournament press conference. 

Doncic and the rest of the Slovenian national team had to adjust to a significant time-zone change. However, with a final match against Japan in Tokyo with numerous days of training within the country ahead of playing out FIBA competition in 

A surprise was thrown into the acclimation process for Slovenia and all of the teams in Okinawa. At roughly 4:00 a.m., an emergency siren in the city was raised due to North Korea missile activity in the region. 

"Oh yeah, the alarm was crazy," Doncic said of the siren noise. "I mean, I just saw missiles. It's coming. Missile, it's coming. So I was a little scared."

Slovenia begins their competition against Group F in Okinawa on Saturday, Aug. 26, against Venezuela. Other scheduled opponents include Georgia and Cape Verde. 

"First of all, we met Venezuela two years ago when we played pre-Olympic qualifiers we played in the semifinals," Slovenian national team coach Aleksander Sekulic said. "I know everybody is thinking about us as favorites and Venezuela underdogs, but I think we have to go on the court and prove this. 

"I believe they're a better team than the team we played two years ago," Sekulic explained. "We can expect that match from them."

Doncic is eager to help lead Slovenia to a birth for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, even though he believes there should already be qualification. 

"I think as European champions, we should qualify anyways, but we didn't," Doncic said "We know it's great. Countries from around the world are here, so I'm happy to be here."

By playing for Slovenia, not only does Doncic get a chance to compete while representing his country, he amplifies a platform to promote it. Doing so is of high importance and has been since he's played abroad. 

"It's important," said Doncic of promoting Slovenia. "I've been doing this since I left Slovenia, so it's really important to me. There are great places in Slovenia to visit."

In terms of basketball, Doncic has long solidified himself as one of the world's elite scorers and passers. Against, Japan in the team's final warm-up match, he played more off-ball by attacking off the catch, as well as gaining pre-catch positioning in the post as opposed to initiating the play. His continued to use of this area could be something to watch.

"I think it's exploring," Doncic said of playing more off-ball. "It gives me a little more rest trying to play off-ball. It's something new, but obviously, it's going to come good to me."

I asked Luka Doncic about playing more off-ball in Slovenia's final warm-up game against Japan and how that benefits his game.

"I think it's exploring. It gives me a little more rest trying to play off-ball. It's something new, but obviously, it's going to come good to me." pic.twitter.com/2E7cb9ZAcL

— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) August 24, 2023

As a team, there were plenty of ups and downs throughout the seven-game warm-up process. Against top competition such as Spain and Team USA, there was a displayed need for improvement on defense and rebounding. Both remained points of emphasis during the preparation process ahead of World Cup play.

"Yeah, you're right. It's a good observation," Sekulic said. "We try to pay attention to this and I think we need to improve in this part of the game. That's part of the defense anyway, so I hope we, we are gonna do a good job. We will. We paid attention a lot to this."

Doncic's full press conference is included in the embedded YouTube video below. Subscribe to my channel for more content about Doncic throughout the FIBA World Cup and about the Mavs during the 2023-24 NBA season. 

Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com for in-depth coverage of each Mavs player participating in the World Cup. 

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Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).

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