The Lithuanian Basketball Federation (LKF) on Thursday released the latest 24-man list for the country's men's national basketball team. Two NBA players, Domantas Sabonis of the Indiana Pacers and Jonas Valanciunas of the Memphis Grizzlies, have made the list.

As the son of the Lithuanian basketball legend Arvydas Sabonis, Domantas spent most of his time in Indiana as the team's Sixth Man, but that should not undervalue his contribution on the court. Domantas is one of the league's best inside finishers thanks to his combination of size, agility and complete offensive skills. In the 2018-19 season, he could drop 14.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists on average in the 24.8 minutes he played per game for Indiana. Domantas will be competing with Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell for this year's NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Valanciunas has a more complex case. As a European center, he is skillful in offense, though he cannot shoot 3-pointers. In defense, Valanciunas' 2.13-meter height and 120-kilogram weight are good enough to fill the paint and take on giants like Joel Embiid. He is also a qualified rebound and rim protector but he is not fast enough to switch to defend small guards or participating in many fast breaks, which is why he never got enough time with the Toronto Raptors and finally was traded to the Grizzlies.

What might surprise many was that Donatas Motiejūnas did not make the list. He spent the 2018-19 season with the CBA's Shandong Heroes for which he could get 27.3 points and 14 rebounds. After his time in China, he joined the San Antonio Spurs but did not get much time.

When Lithuania played the qualifiers of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Motiejūnas talked with the LKF and decided not to join the national team for that. However, as his country secured their spot at the World Cup, Motiejūnas still did not make the 24-man list, which means he will not join his teammates in China.

There's one thing interesting about Lithuania's 24-man list: there are seven center-size players on it. Sure not all of them will be in the final 12-man lineup, but it's a sign that this traditional basketball giant of Europe have a very specific target on their mind: Team USA.

Team USA so far have confirmed 16 players on their 18-man list and they only have two true centers – Andre Drummond and Brook Lopez. Meanwhile, as Lopez already earned himself the new nickname "Flash Mountain" for his incredible 3-pointers this season, Drummond may be the only traditional big guy Team USA have at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

Though it's true that the NBA still leads world basketball and the NBA is all about small-ball today, let's not forget that back at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, it was Lithuania that defeated USA in the group stage.

Lithuania are in Group H with Australia, Canada and Senegal in Dongguan City of south China's Guangdong Province. Their first game will be against Senegal on September 1.