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Olympic NBA Prospect Power Rankings: Knockout Stage

By Matthew Medley

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 07: Dario Saric
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - AUGUST 07: Dario Saric /
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Aug 15, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Spain guard Sergio Rodriguez (6) controls the ball as Argentina shooting guard Patricio Garino (29) defends during the men's preliminary in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Aug 15, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Spain guard Sergio Rodriguez (6) controls the ball as Argentina shooting guard Patricio Garino (29) defends during the men’s preliminary in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports /

4. Patricio Garino

Patricio Garino has been inconsistent in this tournament, but played an important role in helping Argentina reach the quarterfinals.

The San Antonio Spurs prospect earned a reputation for his defense in Rio, particularly for his play in a double overtime victory over Brazil, in which the guard essentially locked down Raul Neto and Leandro Barbosa for most of the day.

Garino’s best statistical game was Argentina’s opener against Nigeria, in which he scored 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting, but it appears those aren’t the type of offensive numbers fans can expect from the 24-year-old on a regular basis.

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    • What will earn Garino a job in the NBA is his hustle and scrappy defense.

    There are far worse reputations to have than “defensive stopper” and even if that is the only aspect of his game that can make him a role player in San Antonio, it’s always useful to have guys like that on any team’s NBA roster.

    For as great as Garino played against Brazil and Nigeria, he was less effective in Argentina’s other three games and the team will almost certainly be knocked out by the U.S. in the quarterfinals.

    He’ll be one of a few players to watch for in that showdown, as the lone South American nation left standing in the tournament will have a raucous crowd of Argentinian fans in attendance, along with a large contingency of fans who are just hoping to see the downfall of the juggernaut Americans.

    Next: 3. Mindaugas Kuzminskas