Lomažs shines, but rebounding remains a concern for Latvia

Latvia's men's national basketball team completed the first round of the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers on Monday, advancing to the second round with a 3-3 record after six games. The campaign also featured a head coach change. Now the team must overcome a negative head-to-head record against Poland (0-2) and the Netherlands (1-1, -5 points) to reach the finals, needing to surpass at least one of the top teams – Poland (6-0), Croatia (5-1), or Germany (5-1).

Rihards Lomažs was the standout performer, playing all six games and averaging 30.9 minutes – the fourth-highest in the entire qualifying tournament. He scored 17.5 points per game (eighth-best), ranked in the top 20 in assists, and led in efficiency. Lomažs attempted 20% of Latvia's total field goals and 30% of all free throws. Other notable scorers included Artūrs Žagars (18 points in two games), Artūrs Strautiņš (17.3 points in four games), and Mārtiņš Laksa, who scored 20 points in just 18 minutes in the last game against Austria.

However, rebounding was a glaring weakness. Latvia ranked 25th out of 32 teams with an average of 35 rebounds per game, and no player averaged more than 4.0 rebounds. The team struggled particularly against Poland, losing the battle on the boards. Although they grabbed 50 rebounds in the final game against Austria, upcoming opponents Germany (tournament leaders with 43 rebounds per game) and Croatia (sixth with 40.3) will pose a serious challenge. Latvia's next qualifying game is on August 27 away against Croatia.