Netanel Artzi knows this is not a window to take lightly. Speaking to ONE ahead of Israel's preparation match against Georgia in Tbilisi on Sunday, the Hapoel Holon forward framed the friendly as the opening test of a camp that will decide far more than one exhibition result.
"We understand the importance of the current window," Artzi said. "As long as there's a chance, we need to come as focused as possible." He added that the Georgia match will "give us the first feel of what things should look like" before the far weightier assignment that follows just four days later.
That assignment is Poland, away in a neutral venue in Latvia on Thursday at 21:00 local time, in the Second Round of European qualifying for the 2027 FIBA World Cup. Israel sit in Group K alongside Poland, Croatia, Germany, the Netherlands and hosts Latvia, with only the top three advancing — making the Poland fixture, not Sunday's exhibition, the true business end of the trip.
Israel travel light on frontcourt experience for the Georgia game. According to ONE, the available squad numbers 13 after Idan Zalmanson and Ilay Dolinski were left out of the group cleared to play. Ynet reported separately that NBA duo Deni Avdija and Ben Saraf were unavailable for the entire window after their clubs declined to release them for national team duty.
Georgia, by contrast, arrive at full strength. ONE reports the hosts will field 16 players for Sunday's match, including two active NBA rostered big men in Sandro Mamukelashvili of the Lakers and Goga Bitadze of the Magic — a considerably higher level of opposition than a routine August warm-up would usually bring.
The buildup itself was disrupted before a ball was bounced. Israel's delegation reached Tbilisi later than planned after strikes at Ben Gurion Airport delayed the squad's departure, compressing an already tight preparation schedule into the final days before kickoff.
For Artzi and a squad missing several established faces, Sunday is as much about finding rhythm together as it is about the scoreline against Georgia. The real examination comes Thursday in Latvia, where a result against Poland will go a long way toward shaping Israel's path through the qualifying group.
