Brazilian guard Raul Neto ruptured his patellar tendon in his right knee during Brazil’s 2023 FIBA World Cup opener against Iran, Eurohoops.net reports. Neto will miss the rest of the World Cup.
It’s a brutal blow for Neto, who recently signed overseas with Turkish club Fenerbahce. In a recent interview with Eurohoops, Neto spoke about his excitement for joining one of the top overseas clubs. Neto didn’t rule out an NBA return, where he played from 2015 to 2023, but he said he was a bit disappointed with not receiving a contract offer after impressing with the Wizards in 2020-21, where he averaged 8.7 points. After leaving Washington in 2022, he signed with the Cavaliers, where he spent all of last year, but he didn’t play much.
“I just think that the NBA season… It’s very hard if you aren’t a role player,” Neto said. “It’s hard on you. You don’t play much.”
Neto, 31, was hoping that his time with Fenerbahce would allow him to see the floor and show that he’s still got his guard skills, according to his interview with Eurohoops. However, this recent injury puts his time with Fenerbahce in doubt. Patellar tendon ruptures typically take six-to-12 months to recover from, so it’s safe to say that Neto’s 2023-24 season is in jeopardy.
The Brazilian guard was poised to be a significant part of not only Brazil’s national team but also Fenerbahce, as he was essentially signed to replace Nick Calathes.
We have more World Cup notes:
- Bulls guard Carlik Jones, playing with South Sudan in the World Cup, put up a record-breaking performance in the team’s opening loss to Puerto Rico. Jones recorded 38 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and four steals in the loss, hitting four of his nine attempts from downtown. According to HoopsHype, that is the best scoring mark for an African National Team at the World Cup. He also recorded the first 30-point, 10-assist game in tournament history. This was South Sudan’s World Cup debut. Jones is signed to a non-guaranteed deal for the Bulls, which becomes partially guaranteed for $250K if he makes the opening-night roster.
- Mavericks star guard Luka Doncic made a statement in Slovenia’s opening game of the World Cup, putting up 37 points in their matchup with Venezuela. Doncic’s 37 points were a tournament-high briefly before Jones had his record-setting performance. Former NBA center Mike Tobey had a terrific game for Slovenia, putting up 21 points on 9 of 9 shooting.
- Serbia’s World Cup experience has been a rollercoaster so far. While the team blew out China 105-63, it also lost center Filip Petrusev due to injury. Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic is one of the leaders on Serbia’s team and spoke about its World Cup experience thus far in a recent interview with Eurohoops. "We expect the next two games to be much harder than the first against China. They’re both experienced teams, with a lot of good players,” he said of the schedule. Serbia takes on South Sudan and Puerto Rico next. In the interview, Bogdanovic talked about his main goal for the World Cup, which is to qualify for the Olympics and medal in the event.
- In case you missed it, we had more World Cup notes Friday.
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