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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 13, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Lithuania small forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas (19) makes a shot over Spain defense during the men's preliminary game in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 13, 2016; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Lithuania small forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas (19) makes a shot over Spain defense during the men’s preliminary game in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Mindaugas Kuzminskas

Mindaugas Kuzminskas proved to be a steady, reliable and, at times, explosive player in Lithuania’s first four games.

The New York Knicks prospect’s “statement game” came against Argentina, when he took over and scored a game-high 23 points to lead Lithuania to victory.

Even aside from that scoring outburst, the 26-year-old was an offensive rebounding machine and provided a spark whenever he was on the court in Lithuania’s first four contests.

Kuzminskas scored 17 points in a blowout loss to Spain and although there are no moral victories in a 50-point blowout, at least he was hitting shots.

He played his worst game of the tournament against Croatia, which is even more concerning due to the fact that the stakes were so high. The winner would take the top seed in Group B and have the easiest road to try to advance to the gold medal game.

Kuzminskas was nowhere to be found in Lithuania’s second straight loss, scoring just three points on 1-of-5 shooting.

It’s a horrible time for Lithuania to go cold and Kuzminskas, along with Sabonis, made a huge impact for his team in its first three wins. If those two players fail to show up against Australia in the quarterfinals, it could mean Lithuania’s run comes to an end on Wednesday.

Next: 2. Bogdan Bogdanovic