Rio Olympics: Denver Nuggets in Qualifying Tournaments

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Oct 8, 2015; Boulder, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Joffrey Lauvergne (77) shoots the ball during the first half against the Chicago Bulls at Coors Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

Joffrey Lauvergne for France

Unlike his fellow Denver Nuggets Jokic and Gallinari, the French big man Joffrey Lauvergne has to travel away from his home country in order to qualify for the Olympics. Lauvergne and the French national basketball team must travel to Manila in the Philippines for their qualifying tournament. The fifth-ranked French, however, should be the favorites in Manila.

France is very talented and features six NBA players: Lauvergne, Nicolas Batum, Boris Diaw, Evan Fournier, Rudy Gobert and Tony Parker. One of their guards, Nando de Colo also drew interest from several NBA teams — including the Nuggets — before re-signing with his pro team in Russia this offseason.

Turkey likely poses the largest threat to France coming into the tournament as FIBA’s eighth-ranked team and possessing NBA-level players like the New Orleans Pelicans’ Omer Asik and recent Philadelphia 76ers draftee Furkan Korkmaz (a player the Nuggets brought in for an individual pre-draft workout.) But don’t sleep on the up-and-coming Canadians, more on them in the next slide.

France kicks off qualifying play Tuesday against the host Philippines.

Next: Jamal Murray wants to play for Canada. Will he?

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