EuroBasket 2017: Dates, Draw, Schedule, Live Stream and Preview

The biggest tournament for European basketball, EuroBasket, tips off Thursday in four different countries. This year marks the start of a new schedule for the event, which will now see EuroBasket occur every four years instead of every two years.

Spain won EuroBasket 2015 for its third tournament win in four chances, but it wasn't easy. The Spanish only won three of their five games in group play and weren't dominant in the tournament, either.

Unfortunately, several stars from around the continent will not play for their countries this year, including Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece and Nikola Jokic and Milos Teodosic of Serbia.

But the tournament, which features 24 countries divided into four groups, should still feature high levels of basketball. Let's preview the event's schedule, including how to watch games, then acknowledge some notable players and pick the tournament favorites.

EuroBasket 2017 Information

Dates: August 31-September 17

Locations: Helsinki, Finland, Tel Aviv, Israel, Cluj-Napoca, Romania and Istanbul, Turkey

Live Stream: LiveBasketball.TV / FIBA.com

Draw: Below is the complete draw ceremony for EuroBasket 2017, which was held November 22 of last year. Skip to the 1:22:30 mark of the video to see the draw for the group play stage of the tournament.

The full tournament schedule can be found here.

Players to Watch

Luka Doncic, Slovenia

It's safe to say that Luka Doncic's EuroBasket performance, whether good or bad, will be the talk of the tournament. The 18-year-old point forward is a strong candidate for the top pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, with an extremely high skill level that is almost never seen in players his age.

Doncic, despite his youth, is already a knockdown three-point shooter both from a standstill and on the move, an excellent ball-handler and a fantastic passer. At 6'7" with solid explosiveness, he can finish at the rim and rebound well.

Sonia Canada/Getty Images

Slovenia will have an exciting Big Three of Doncic, Miami Heat point guard Goran Dragic and former NBA player Anthony Randolph. All three can light up the scoreboard.

Unfortunately, Slovenia's roster as a whole may not be quite enough to overcome deeper teams in the tournament.

Lauri Markkanen, Finland

The Chicago Bulls surprised many people when they had the Minnesota Timberwolves select sweet-shooting big man Lauri Markkanen for them at the No. 7 pick as part of the Jimmy Butler trade. Chicago's point guard situation was (and still is) a disaster, and Markkanen was projected by most pundits to go a few spots later.

Markkanen didn't quell any criticisms during Summer League. He scored 14.0 points per contest in his three appeatances, but he shot just 29.3 percent from the field. Remember, the offensive end of the floor is easily his strong suit.

The 20-year-old power forward has a chance for redemption at EuroBasket. His Twitter account indicates that he's more than ready for the tournament to start.

"

Patiently waiting..  #EuroBasket2017 #Susijengi pic.twitter.com/Mg01WtygjI

— Lauri Markkanen (@MarkkanenLauri) August 29, 2017"

As Finland's only player under NBA contract, Markkanen will have a large role in the offense. Expect him to be aggressive in getting his shots up and to provide an idea of how he might fare against NBA competition.

Adam Hanga, Hungary

Hanga may end up spending his entire career in Europe, but he's still a great player. The 6'7" swingman earned the EuroLeague's Best Defender award last season playing for Saski Baskonia in Spain.

It looked like he might be heading stateside to join the San Antonio Spurs this summer, but Hanga wrote on Instagram that the NBA team decided not to bring him over after guaranteeing him a roster spot. Instead, he signed a three-year deal with FC Barcelona.

Hanga's Hungary squad is not expected to contend for the championship, but count on the 28-year-old to play hard on both ends. He should be one of the tournament's top players, whether his team advances to tournament play or not.

Which Teams Are the Favorites? 

Spain

The Spain team is the heavy favorite to win this tournament for the fourth time since 2009. With the Gasol brothers (Pau and Marc) and the Hernangomez brothers (Willy and Juancho) manning the interior and skilled guards like Ricky Rubio and Sergio Rodriguez making plays, this team has all the talent it needs to dominate its competition.

Barring significant injuries, Spain's squad will be too skilled on the outside and especially the inside for anyone to contend with it.

France

France has finished in the top three at the past three EuroBaskets, including a first-place finish in 2013. They should have a great chance at doing so again, but it won't be easy. Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum aren't participating this year, and Tony Parker has now retired from international play.

Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images

The French roster is still very good. Evan Fournier is a capable go-to scorer on the wing and Boris Diaw, Joffrey Lauvergne and Kevin Seraphin are physical interior weapons with some skill.

Serbia

It was a tough decision for this final spot between Lithuania and Serbia. In the end, the Serbia squad's recent experience winning on the international stage won out—remember, the country placed second to the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics at Rio.

Serbia will be without Jokic, its young star center, a ball-handling wizard in Teodosic and explosive shooting guard Nemanja Nedovic for this year's EuroBasket. However, a lethal outside-inside combination of Bogdan Bogdanovic and Boban Marjanovic should be enough to help the Serbs place well.