Nikola Kalinic spoke to Basketball Sphere about the changes in European basketball, and how much he adapted the game to modern trends. He touched on Crvena Zvezda and Partizan, the atmosphere in the “eternal derbies”, and he also referred to his cooperation with Zeljko Obradovic. A part of the conversation was also about the Serbian national team.
Role player or leader. Assist, rebound, score, steal or block. Low post, mid-range or three-point shot. Effective dunk.
Nikola Kalinic has showcased throughout his career that he can adapt to various roles and extract maximum performance in each. In the 2014 FIBA World Cup, he played a crucial role for Serbian national team, becoming very important part of Aleksandar Djordjevic’s mosaic during that tournament. Three years later, he played a pivotal role in Fenerbahce winning its first EuroLeague title, contributing to Zeljko Obradovic‘s ninth championship.
His rise began with the Serbian national team, and Fenerbahce solidified his status in European basketball. Kalinic embraces responsibility, and as the stage gets bigger, his winner’s mentality becomes more pronounced. He rounded off all these experiences with Crvena Zvezda, elevating his leadership qualities to another level. Few players in the EuroLeague can match his skills in his position.
Adapted to every system
He wasn’t one of the most talented players, those earmarked to fill NBA scouts’ notebooks. At one point, he even contemplated whether to forsake his basketball journey and pursue an academic career.
It’s precisely that journey, where everything he achieved had to be earned, that made him ready to adapt, evolve, and progress season after season. The Kalinic of 2023 is not the same as the one from 2022, let alone 2014.
From Dejan Radonjic‘s strict defensive systems to Obradovic’s perfectionism and Sarunas Jasikevicius‘ conservatism, to Roger Grimau‘s more liberal approach, he has proven that he can adapt to any challenge.
Now entering his second season as a starter for Barcelona, a team that is an offensive force in the EuroLeague under Grimau, Kalinic plays a crucial role. With 6.6 points, four rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, he demonstrates versatility, and the two-time EuroLeague champion is doing well (7-2) – only Real Madrid is ahead of them in the competition (9-0).
The Catalans have changed their philosophy from earlier seasons, which was mostly about a slower, more controlled rhythm. Ever since Xavi Pascual‘s Barcelona, this team has been known for being the best in positional play. In the Blaugrana, they assessed that such an approach, which was also pushed by Jasikevicius, is no longer the most suitable for increasingly fast, modern, European basketball.
“More possessions, points, tighter play…”
The evolution of basketball in Europe was the first topic that Kalinic spoke about for Basketball Sphere.
BS: Considering the offensive ratings over the past five seasons, it’s noticeable that the game has accelerated further. Apart from Anadolu Efes, which was the vanguard in 2019 with 123 points per 100 possessions, the other teams did not have nearly such a performance. For example, the sixth-best offensive team in 2019 scored 114 points per 100 possessions, last season 118/100. It’s a similar thing with defensive ratings and rhythm control. Considering that you have been at the top EuroLeague level for a long time, how do you see all these changes?
“A lot has changed. Since the first season, both the format and the rules have changed. We were trying to keep up with that, following some trends, trying to please the younger generation, who want to watch something like the NBA, with as many possessions as possible, effective dunks, three-point shots. Starting with fouls from the 80s, 90s, 2000s, that interrupted transition plays. It is Yugoslav school, which everyone later started to follow.
That got thrown out now. Referees tolerate the first step more, and contact play increased. All of this contributed to the fact that, above all, the Americans, who are comfortable with that style of play, play much more easily in the EuroLeague. More possessions, more points, more field goal attempts and a physically much tighter game. Those are the biggest changes. We remember earlier that we had 25-30 free throw shots per game. Today it is less”, said Kalinic.
About how Kalinic changed the game
BS: And what suits you better? How much did modern trends influence you?
“I’m trying to adapt my game to the trends. That’s why everyone has shifted outside, due to the physical and tougher style of play. There are more and more young players who are stronger, tougher and more athletic, so those of us slowly entering our 30s must move away from the paint. We’re trying to find our role in all of this. It’s something I’m trying to do, like most veterans. A few seasons ago, I realized what the trends are.
If you can’t shoot from beyond the three-point line at a higher percentage, you can’t play at the top level. Rarely today does a center not shoot three-pointers. That’s a significant change in the last 25-30 years. I feel good, my body still serves me quite well, and I don’t see that I have major problems keeping up with all the demands. You simply can’t endure so much contact play, so much ‘fighting,’ so you have to start playing more from the outside.”
“We managed to improve the conditions of the players”
BS: Talking about modern flows and schedules, one of the biggest changes compared to the past is the more frequent games, which means that the players are more tired, the risk of injury increases, and at the same time it all affects the plans, with the national team in the summer. Considering that for a time you were the vice president of the EuroLeague Players’ Association, how do you see the role that the players have in that whole system? Basketball is still watched because of them? How much is their voice heard?
“Anyone who has the guts to think about other things besides their work or simply has time, is obliged to expand their interests. We managed to create the Players’ Union, which improved the conditions for playing in the EuroLeague. Now it’s a pleasure for all players – starting from small things to big things. In the former Yugoslavia territory, this is considered exotic. That salary must be paid on time, that training sessions cannot be held at six in the morning after a game. The first obligation must be a normal night’s sleep and a warm meal after the game. All these things that are taken for granted, we have incorporated into the statute.
The clubs have recognized that, that these are normal things and everyone now adheres to them. We managed to improve the playing and living conditions of the players. Let’s face it, we live great lives. We are basketball players, we are privileged. We have time and money and everything, but it can all be better. Especially when you see how things work in the NBA. So why don’t we try to copy that system as best we can and make it better for all of us? Happy players will play better. More and more spectators will want to watch it, so there will be more money for both clubs and players. It’s all connected. As in any business, a happy worker works better”, said Kalinic.
“Crvena Zvezda and Partizan? Competition creates quality”
BS: Modern European basketball has long tended to embrace new markets like Paris and London, while recently Dubai has also been mentioned as an option for expansion. In this whole story and the new basketball reality, how do you see Crvena Zvezda and Partizan, which are striving for an A license? Both of them have, for these areas, extremely good financial opportunities. How sustainable is such a system in the long run?
“Everyone knows that with Paris, London and Dubai it would be a very serious league, with a serious markets. It would be 18, 19 or 20 clubs in top cities, with top markets, and it would be fun to play and watch. There is a saying that Dubai is not Europe. Maccabi Tel Aviv is not Europe either, so they are a traditional participant in the EuroLeague. Money is a question here, as is everything else, and I am not against all that.
When it comes to Partizan and Crvena Zvezda, they have been doing a great job in recent years, they are the driving force of the entire region for most of the good things that are happening, admittedly also for some bad things, but I guess that is a necessary consequence. Whether that system is sustainable, I don’t know. Apparently it works now, one way or another. As always, competition breeds quality. They push each other. With the return of Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan rose. Big names are signed on both sides. Spectators follow it and everyone can’t wait for the eternal derby. I can’t predict if it’s sustainable.”
“If I ever come back…”
BS: Your last tenure in Crvena Zvezda was marked by major disturbances in the “eternal derbies”. What is your opinion, how much has the situation changed since that period?
“I haven’t watched that many derbies, I’m just sorry that there is a big difference between those games in the Euroleague and the ABA League. In the EuroLeague, it can all be sports, cheering, not to throw anything in, because they know they will be punished. It all looks as it should. There are insults, but everything ends in verbal matters. Then the ABA League comes and starts throwing firecrackers, coins, bottles, chairs… And it all breaks down. Obviously, all this can be organized properly. Why the ABA League is not capable of sticking to the rules and penalties, I don’t know. It’s all the player’s fault as well.
If I ever come back to the ABA League, I will try to change all that in some way. When the referee is hit, they leave the floor, they don’t want to participate in it. If the referee is insulted, the spectator is kicked out immediately, and we players try to be tough guys and when we are targeted, we want to play even harder. Well, no, that’s exactly the mistake. Coaches and players need to agree on both sides, whatever enters the floor, both teams leave it and it does not continue until it is cleared. Some will say that the players are spoiled. If referees can respect these rules, why are we worse than them?”
“The ‘fire’ is still burning in Obradovic”
BS: You mentioned that Obradovic’s arrival boosted Partizan. You had the opportunity to work with him during the seasons at Fenerbahce. Is there anything you can think of that is striking about him?
“He lives basketball, he spends 24 hours in it. He used to come to practice in the morning and ask you if you watched an NBA game. I said ‘I’m not, Zeljko, I was sleeping’, so he would tell me ‘there was a situation when this one did this, that one did that’, then you realize that the man follows basketball on all fronts and really loves it. Or when he comes and passes the ball to the kids after practices and corrects their shots. A coach at that level rarely does that. The ‘fire’ still burns in him and that is why he is the best. He manages to maintain his motivation, after all the successes, to still be so ‘on fire’. That’s what sets him apart”, said Kalinic.
About the reasons for missing the FIBA World Cup and plans for Paris
BS: The Serbian national team had a superb summer. Despite the fact that they went to the FIBA World Cup without some players, such as Nikola Jokic, Vasilije Micic, as well as you, they won a silver medal. What were the reasons why you were not part of Svetislav Pesic’s team this summer?
“The older I get, the harder it is for me to make extended commitments. I told coach Pesic and director Dragan Tarlac, that I don’t feel like I can play and be in it 100 percent. It is better to have someone there who will be able to do all the duties with full concentration and full commitment, which in the end turned out to be the right decision. In short formats, it takes 12 guys who are most willing to do it right, to approach it with maximum dedication and motivation, to be successful. This has been shown once again. A great achievement for all those guys.”
BS: What are your plans for the Olympics in Paris next year?
“It’s far away. There should be 12 guys in the squad who function best together and who are ready to give up their summer in order to fulfill their certain wishes and ambitions”, Nikola Kalinic concluded the interview to Basketball Sphere.