The season has just begun, and Serbia’s coach, Svetislav Pesic, is already facing a slight headache. The reason lies in the NBA league.
At first, it might sound strange because what connection could the most prestigious league in the world have with winning or not winning a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games? When we look back over the years, we will see that Serbian players in the NBA have always come home full of motivation. Players like Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic, for example, returned from the Sacramento Kings to national team gatherings brimming with confidence. This confidence stemmed from the trust they had from the Sacramento Kings when they were entrusted with the keys to the team.
Besides Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic, Serbian players are on the sidelines in the NBA
Looking at the start of this season, Nikola Jokic and his Denver Nuggets quickly sobered up from the “championship hangover.” They entered the season more focused and confident than ever, boasting a 10-4 record after 14 games played.
This leads us to just one thing – the Denver Nuggets are once again aiming for the grand NBA finals. If there are no injuries, they can easily achieve it. Nikola Jokic will likely come somewhat worn out, considering his modus operandi, but it’s very probable that he will respond.
There’s just one question – if he didn’t participate in this year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup due to fatigue and mental exhaustion from the long NBA season, how prepared will he be next summer in case of another title conquest or a battle in the final stages of the playoffs?
Micic and Pokusevski are getting minimal playing time
We’ve already discussed Vasilije Micic and how, after the family atmosphere at Efes, he faces the cold business world of the NBA. In the first 14 appearances for the Oklahoma City Thunder, he played seven times, averaging 12.4 minutes. During that time, he scores 3.6 points with 2.9 assists. What is particularly concerning is the fact that in the game against the Denver Nuggets, where his team was already trailing by about 30 points, and it was clear they wouldn’t win the game, the coach sent in reserve players who play less, but Micic was not among them.
The season is young, and Micic is a rookie. He certainly didn’t come with the idea of seasoning himself like a young Nikola Jovic for a season or two and then entering serious playing time. He is on the verge of thirty, and with each passing season, he has less chance of being part of something significant. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey have secured the guard positions, and Lu Dort is the team’s defensive specialist. Vasa simply “has no room to breathe.”
Micic is already criticized for never showing in the national team what made him the best player in the EuroLeague. If he falls out of the competitive rhythm throughout this NBA season, Pesic could have real headaches. Especially if Nikola Topic and Aleksa Avramovic continue to have such brilliant seasons in the ABA League and reach their peak form.
Aleksej Pokusevski is someone who shows exceptional potential after two years on the edge of the Thunder roster. Somehow, we all expected a more significant role this season. He demonstrated his versatility, recording a triple-double in several games last season and even burying opponents with three-point shots, making him the type of “unicorn” player that should be in high demand in the league. However, with the emergence of Chet Holmgren, who is a duplicate of Pokusevski in size and play but with much greater potential, we don’t believe the Serbian basketball player will have more chances than he currently has. In five games out of the 14 Oklahoma City Thunder has played, he scores 1.2 points in 6.2 minutes on the court.
Despite having an NBA pedigree and showing that he can, it will be difficult for Pesic to prefer him over Nikola Jovic. Jovic had an outstanding FIBA Basketball World Cup. Or even over Alen Smailagic, who proved himself in Zeljko Obradovic’s demanding system and also has NBA experience.
Despite the thin rotation of the Miami Heat, mentioned Jovic remains on the sidelines
Erik Spoelstra praised him after the FIBA Basketball World Cup, and so did Jimmy Butler. Max Strus, a key member of the rotation as a stretch four in some combinations, has left the club. Due to his age, Kevin Love has transitioned to the center position, and Nikola Jovic, at least on paper, began to emerge as the ideal option for a spot in the tighter rotation. For some strange reason, he got the opportunity in only two out of 14 games. Playing seven minutes in one and finally showing what he can do when given a greater chance in the other.
In 21 minutes on the court, he scored eight points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and recorded four assists (3-6 from the field, 2-4 from three). There is still hope for him to break through this season, but when he gets only seven minutes in the absence of Bam Adebayo, we’re not overly optimistic. He has been transferred to the Development League, and things don’t look great. Nevertheless, his performances in this year’s FIBA World Cup earned him the trust of coach Pesic.
After a brilliant season with Crvena Zvezda, Filip Petrusev experienced a trade after just three minutes of play
It must be acknowledged that Dusko Ivanovic extracted the maximum from Filip Petrusev in the Crvena Zvezda jersey last year. This came after a year of warming the bench with Efes, following his outstanding MVP season with Mega. He attempted to follow the path of Dario Saric (MVP of the ABA League, Anadolu Efes, NBA) but, just like Dzanan Musa. He didn’t get much playing time under the coaching of Ergin Ataman. Petrusev found himself again in Crvena Zvezda, played well throughout the season, and showcased himself in a very positive light at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, despite being troubled by an injury.
However, the call of the NBA was stronger for the younger player. He went to the Philadelphia 76ers to be a backup option to last year’s MVP winner, Joel Embiid. Initially, he was destined to warm the bench and gain experience, and then came the shock.
He was part of a major trade between the 76ers and the Los Angeles Clippers, where the central theme was James Harden. At first, it might have seemed like a good thing for Petrusev, but when we consider how firmly the Clippers believe in Ivica Zubac as their starting center during the era of Leonard and George, and how he consistently repays that trust, there was no luck for Petrusev in that team either.
Soon after, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings, a club with a significant history of Serbian players. Then came the news that he was on the verge of moving to Olympiacos, but in the end, it won’t happen.
Inconsistency, time on the bench, and an uncertain environment could significantly affect the form of the young Petrusev. This is not what Pesic wants to see when the national team gathers next summer.
Marjanovic and national retirement as a logical sequence of events?
The seventh and final member of the Serbian expedition in the strongest league in the world is Boban Marjanovic. He will once again serve as a club reserve this season. The smiling giant is a year older, and it is not expected that he will play significant minutes. It is a disheartening fact that Boban Marjanovic has played 94 games in the last three seasons, which is barely one full season. He has played less than 10 minutes on average. Therefore, he is far from competitive form. Given the presence of Nikola Jokic, Nikola Milutinov, and Filip Petrusev in his position, we somehow doubt that he will play for the national team again.
Questionable form of EuroLeague players
Two seasons ago, Vladimir Lucic finished in the All-EuroLeague First Team at the end of the regular season. Today, at the age of 34, he struggles with injuries, and as such, he might be absent from the list of Serbia. Nikola Kalinic has decent playing time, as well as Marko Guduric, Ognjen Dobric, and Vanja Marinkovic, but there isn’t enough space for each of them.
Nemanja Nedovic, after leaving the national team this summer, is likely to conclude playing in the national jersey, at least while Svetislav Pesic is the coach. Milutinov dominates in Olympiacos jersey and will be the backup to Nikola Jokic.
Many questions that Pesic will seek answers to throughout the season
Stefan Jovic is in his later years but played very well in the FIBA Basketball World Cup. The open question remains whether Pesic will trust Jovic’s proven experience or throw Nikola Topic into the fire.
Many questions arise for coach Pesic. He himself is under scrutiny despite his achievements throughout his career. He will undoubtedly base the system on the duo of Bogdanovic and Jokic. An essential aspect is that Jokic has shown he can be dominant in FIBA basketball, addressing the criticism that some had against him.
This axis, on paper, should be enough for Serbia to go far. With the questionable form of most of the mentioned players, the popular “Kari” could have a significant problem forming a cohesive group, as he did this summer.
Bogdan’s ego shouldn’t be a problem, he remains the captain. He is aware of Jokic’s power, came to cheer for him in the NBA Finals. He will be ready to relinquish the leadership on the court when the moment comes.
As for Jokic, we all know he is a player of the system and the team, not one to seek the spotlight. Despite that, many questions remain for coach Pesic to answer throughout the season.
The “Golden generation” could miss its final confirmation
When everything is added up, this generation should bring gold to Serbia after years of waiting. Nikola Jokic is already the best Serbian player and one of the best European players of all time. We have multiple players with EuroLeague MVP titles, people who were in the EuroLeague’s Best Team and won it. There’s also a coach who has won major competitions. If they all come together, it would be a fantastic team.
However, the Micic-Bogdanovic-Pokusevski-Jovic axis doesn’t play much. Teodosic, Bjelica, and Marjanovic are on the decline, Lucic is injured, and Nedovic fell short. Although Jokic alone is enough for great things, it’s a shame that we will never see Serbia in its strongest form.