Olympic Basketball 2012: Each Team's Biggest Standout from Group Play

Olympic basketball is moving on to the elimination rounds, which means that a handful teams are headed home. 

There's no better time to pause and look back at the group stage than now, so let's take a look at each team's biggest standout through the first five games of the competition. 

Some team's have a number of star players competing for top dog honors, while other's feature a clear No. 1 option. 

Let's find out who they are. 

Argentina: Manu Ginobili

The San Antonio Spurs' southpaw has not only been the best player on the Argentine squad, but also one of the best players in the entire Olympic field.

Manu Ginobili sliced and diced defenses on a consistent basis throughout the group stage, getting to the rim at will and hitting big shots from downtown whenever the need arose. 

With 24 assists to just 11 turnovers, Manu wasn't just a scorer though. He's been a great facilitator for his talented teammates and a pest on the defensive end. 

Per-Game Stats: 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.0 blocks, 2.0 steals

Australia: Patty Mills

Patty Mills hasn't been a big contributor during his three seasons in the NBA—even if he has been an efficient one—but he's emerged as the leader of the Andrew Bogut-less Australian team. 

The scoring point guard has taken a backseat to Matthew Dellavedova when it comes to the dimes, but he's lit up the scoreboard on multiple occasions and played a big part in Australia's three-game streak to end group play. 

Mills hasn't been particularly efficient with his shooting, but he has hit numerous big shots from downtown and helped nullify the misses with the extra points. 

Per-Game Stats: 20.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.2 blocks, 0.6 steals

Brazil: Marcelo Huertas

The two main standouts for the Brazilian squad have been Marcelo Huertas and Tiago Splitter. Even though Splitter has emerged from a crowded frontcourt that features Nene Hilario and Anderson Varejao, this spot has to belong to Huertas. 

One of the most talented players in the world who doesn't play in the NBA, Huertas has been a sensational floor general during Brazil's 4-1 stint in group play. 

He simply sees the court in ways that other players can't comprehend and has the skills necessary to hit players in small openings. Always under control, he's one of the best distributors in the Olympics. 

Per-Game Stats: 9.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 0.0 blocks, 0.4 steals

China: Yi Jianlian

I know it's going to be hard for NBA fans to read this without laughing, but Yi Jianlian has been absolutely sensational during the Olympics. 

Given an opportunity to take over for China in London, Yi has capitalized with an inside-outside game on offense and intensity on defense. 

He averaged a double-double during the five games China played, blocked shots with ferocity and contributed in every aspect of the game. 

It still wasn't enough to avoid an 0-5 record though. 

Per-Game Stats: 14.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 2.2 blocks, 0.8 steals

Nicolas Batum

Nicolas Batum has been his typical shutdown perimeter defender while guarding his opponents' best offensive wing player, but he's been so much more than just a one-dimensional player. 

Using his athleticism and a consistent jumper, Batum has excelled on offense as well. 

He's leading the French team in scoring and rebounding, tied for first in blocks and trailing only Nando De Colo in the thievery category. 

Plus, Batum has shot 60.4 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from behind the three-point arc and 88.9 percent from the charity stripe. 

Per-Game Stats: 16.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.6 blocks, 1.0 steals

Great Britain: Luol Deng

Luol Deng was handed an extraordinarily weak British squad to work with and has excelled as the team's No. 1 option. 

Even though Great Britain finished the group stage at 1-4, Deng still almost managed to single-handedly lead an upset over Spain in the third game of his Olympic experience. 

Deng hasn't shot efficiently because of all the defensive attention paid to him and the dearth of viable options on his team, but he's scored a lot of points while contributing in every area and playing great defense. 

Per-Game Stats: 15.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 0.0 blocks, 1.4 steals

Lithuania: Linas Kleiza

Linas Kleiza has scored nearly twice as many points as any other player on the Lithuanian roster and also leads the team on the boards. 

This is just about the easiest pick of the bunch, as the Toronto Raptors forward has been head and shoulders above the rest of the players in performance, even if he isn't when it comes to height. 

Kleiza's Olympic experience will continue in the quarterfinals when Lithuania takes on Russia, but his highlight will likely remain the 25-point outburst against Team USA. 

Per-Game Stats: 18.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.0 blocks, 0.4 steals

Nigeria: Ike Diogu

With the exception of the opening game against Tunisia, the Nigerian team wasn't able to win a single game during the group stage. 

It's hard to fault Ike Diogu for the performance though, as he gave everything he had and then some. 

The undersized but hard-working forward was a terror on the boards and offense alike, nearly averaging a double-double. 

He consistently elevated above everyone on the court to grab control of a loose ball and then drew contact en route to the rim. 

If Al-Farouq Aminu had been able to hit the broad side of a barn, this team might have been able to pull of an upset along the way. 

Per-Game Stats: 14.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.0 blocks, 0.2 steals

Russia: Alexey Shved

The battle for this spot came down to Andrei Kirilenko and Alexey Shved, both of whom are set to join the Minnesota Timberwolves when the 2012-2013 season begins, but the point guard reigned supreme at the end of the group stage. 

While Kirilenko's versatility was impressive, Shved's passing nudged him just past the small forward. 

AK47 had one of the best games of the tournament when he exploded for a 35-point outburst in the opening victory against Great Britain, but that was partially due to Shved's 13 assists in the game. 

For emerging as one of the biggest threats on the Russian team, Shved earns the spot. 

Per-Game Stats: 12.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.2 blocks, 1.2 steals

Spain: Pau Gasol

Pau Gasol's versatility is always on display during international competition, and the 2012 Olympics haven't been the exception to the rule. 

The big man has left Los Angeles Lakers fans wondering why he can't play like this on a regular basis during the NBA season. 

With his great passing and outside touch, Gasol has been a true force to be reckoned with on the offensive end of the court. It just hasn't been enough to avoid back-to-back upsets at the end of the group stage. 

Per-Game Stats: 20.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.4 blocks, 0.2 steals

Tunisia: Makrem Ben Romdhane

This is another easy one, as Makrem Ben Romdhane isn't just head and shoulders above the rest of his teammates on the Tunisian national team, but rather head, shoulders, knees and toes above them. 

Ben Romdhane is leading the team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals while placing second in blocks. 

It's not even close. 

Per-Game Stats: 15.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.8 blocks, 2.0 steals

United States: Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant hasn't surpassed LeBron James as the best basketball player in the world, but he has been the biggest standout for Team USA through five games of action. 

The small forward was given the green light and has used it to his advantage, firing at will to lead the top team in the Olympics in scoring. 

Durant has also dished out nearly as many assists as LeBron and has been absolutely scorching from downtown, hitting on 60.6 percent of his 33 attempts. 

LeBron has been the one to step up his game in tight situations, but Durant has been the more consistent player. A lot of that is LeBron's doing though, as he's been content to take a backseat role and let his teammates do the heavy lifting in the group stage. 

Per-Game Stats: 18.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.4 blocks, 1.8 steals