Nikola Vucevic spoke to Basketball Sphere about the upcoming Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the biggest favorites in Paris, how much he has changed since the beginning of his career, and he touched on what he would like to experience again.
Usually, in the NBA, for the former Yugoslavia, super quality was associated with the finesse of Vlade Divac, Toni Kukoc, Nikola Jokic or Luka Doncic. Rarely and with strength, when you take into account how much power Nikola Pekovic represented for years in the paint of the best league in the world. Rarely, players from there were identified with athleticism.
That January 2015, he used a body trick to throw Pau Gasol off balance, take advantage of an open left side and dunk effectively over one of Europe’s all-time great centers. Although by then an established NBA name with an enviable offensive repertoire, Nikola Vucevic’s work became the most famous then. Both finesse and strength, but also athleticism. All of that was part of the top talent of the Montenegrin center translated into the title of a double All-Star, although objectively even before 2019, when he was first included in the company of the best, he belonged to the very top.
“Greece? Sometimes it’s not bad when something like that happens”
He dominated in the Orlando Magic, had a season with an average of 24.5 points, and when he came to the Chicago Bulls, he got a slightly different role next to superstars Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. This did not prevent him from continuing with quality games, which will be needed by the Montenegrin national team at the upcoming Olympic Games qualifiers.
Led by Nikola Vucevic, they will try to win a historic participation in the most important competition in the world, for which Bosko Radovic’s team was preparing against Greece and the Bahamas. While the first duel marked a heavy defeat, already in the second match things were much better, which Nikola Vucevic talked about at the beginning of the conversation with Basketball Sphere.
“Considering that there are a lot of specific preparations, everything is condensed and takes a short time, we did it quite well. The first part in Podgorica was very good, we practiced well, we tried to play as well as possible and raise our physical fitness as much as we can. The first game against Greece was after the road and we didn’t play at the best level, but on the other hand sometimes it’s not bad when something like that happens, because you see things that you need to fix, you see against strong teams what you can do, what you can’t do and already against the Bahamas it looked better.
The first half, when the NBA players were playing for the rivals, was excellent. The shot percentage and some other things are still not as they should be, which is normal in this period and that will all come before the start of the qualifying tournament. We are satisfied, it was not easy to fit everything. Physically, we are not all at the same level, some have minor injuries, some finished the season earlier, some later. It all needs to fit in, it’s not like you have a month to slowly bring the team into shape. We will try to get the most out of it,” said Nikola Vucevic.
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Nikola Vucevic about the rivals in the tournament
Montenegro will play the first match of the qualifying tournament on July 2, when they will face off against Brazil at 2:30 p.m., followed by a match with Cameroon. In the second group there are co-hosts Latvia, as well as Georgia and the Philippines. Many quality names, but only one will go to Paris.
“It will be a very difficult tournament. All teams that have a certain quality made it to the qualifiers. First we play against Brazil, which is a very difficult team with many players in Europe and Brazil, they are athletically powerful and it will be difficult for sure. Cameroon is also a challenge. We don’t know them that well, but they are physically strong, they play fast, so we will have to prepare as much as possible for that duel, so we’ll see later.
Latvians are favorites, Georgia is also a good team. When you come to the tournament, there are no easy games, you have to do your best. Anything can happen. We believe that we have a chance, we are aware that we should play at the highest level and as a team. We must not allow ourselves to have a bad day. We’re going there with maximum focus and we’ll try to get to a place leading to the Olympics.”
USA is the biggest favorite, thinks Nikola Vucevic
The upcoming Olympic Games are announced by many as particularly high-quality. The USA comes with the strongest team, France is the host, Canada has shown a lot, Serbia is the vice-champion of the world… Who is the biggest favorite in this whole story?
“The USA. They have brought the strongest team they have and will be very motivated to show that they are the best basketball nation after a weak FIBA World Cup. The Olympics are the most important to them, they always want to take the gold and show their power. Serbia has a chance, because Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic and other experienced players are also playing.
Most of them won silver medal at the Mundobasket, they play big competitions and big games, they know what is needed for such a tournament. The French are also quite strong, as hosts they will be motivated. Canada is good, as is Greece, if they qualify, with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Basketball is now played everywhere, top players play in different countries, places, and all that raised the level of basketball. It will certainly be interesting”, underlined Nikola Vucevic.
About the USA’s results in previous FIBA World Cups
The USA did not have success in the previous two FIBA World Cups, as in both cases they were left without a medal. After a convincing win over Serbia at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, it was much more difficult for them to beat France five years later in Tokyo. Does this mean that the gap between the USA and Europeans is closing?
“It is realistic that the USA could have made three better teams at the last FIBA World Cup. They were quite young and it should be taken into account that NBA players play by completely different rules, FIBA rules. I believe that if NBA basketball were to be played, they would be even more powerful and thus it would be more difficult for other nations to follow the width of the field, the speed of the game and especially three seconds in defense, the three is further… Only when the USA come in the strongest composition, we get a real a picture of how powerful and strong they are.
It is certain that some European teams, such as Serbia, Slovenia, Greece and France, have extremely high-quality players in the form of Jokic, Doncic, Giannis, Wembanyama… Again, that’s only one such player per team, and the USA has 12 of them. Canada has some good players, but it’s not the same. If we were to go in order in the USA composition, from one to 12, if he put them in any national team, they would be the main players. The USA is still the strongest, they have the largest number of quality players. It was difficult how to play against them, when they are motivated.”
Chicago Bulls version of Nikola Vucevic
There is no doubt that basketball in the NBA has become Europeanized due to all of the above and that now players from the Old Continent have a much more important role in their teams. Nikola Vucevic has always been one of the leaders, no matter whose jersey he wore. With an exceptional “in and out” game, he is a true prototype of a modern center and one of the examples of basketball evolution.
“I have changed a lot, just because basketball has changed as well. In the NBA, the game is very different compared to when I came. Previously, the power forward and center played inside and rarely shot, maybe mid range. Block, roll and play in the paint. Over time, the NBA has come to the point where the center needs to do some things like the guard – dribble, shot for two and three. The game is much faster and I had to adapt. My experience and knowledge that I have gained over the years has helped me to spend less energy, to play more efficiently, to know how to position myself better and to read defenses better.”
It is the competition that demands constant progress.
“If you stay in a certain time, it runs over you. New and young people come, eager to prove themselves, to take your place and you fall out. Most people don’t know, the average career of an NBA player lasts three to four years, very short. Every year 60 new ones come through the draft, they want to take your place and you have to constantly prove yourself and fight. There is never any relaxation, you have to adapt. What basketball was like before, it’s all a matter of taste, but regardless, it’s changing and the players have to adapt to it and play the way the clubs and coaches want”, Nikola Vucevic was clear.
Who helped him to better understand his game?
He was lucky enough to share the court with numerous superstars throughout his career, who helped him to better understand his game, to progress and improve. As he stated, from the earliest stage he looked up to numerous aces, which is a practice he does not change even as a 33-year-old. Vanity does not exist, only the desire to be better.
“Given that my father played professional basketball for a long time, I grew up with it and always liked to follow it. I still do that to this day, I want to see what happens, to take something from everyone. Since I started playing as a tall player from the age of 16-17, my favorite was Dirk Nowitzki, so I watched him a lot, and also the Gasol brothers, who were at their peak at that time.
I saw that I could play like them, in terms of technique. I also watched Tim Duncan, older players like Vlade Divac. Even though I’m an older player and now I’m watching some players coming up and doing some new things. I’m constantly learning and trying to improve as much as I can, whether it’s for basketball or outside of basketball, as far as nutrition, the gym and fitness in the summer.”
Role models are not only from basketball.
“It’s always something new, new research. It can also be learned and seen through other sports. Today, we like to listen when Novak Djokovic talks about something, how he is recovering, how he is preparing for some challenges. And you take a little of each and see how it suits you. I was also lucky when I got to the Orlando Magic, there were Jameer Nelson, Hedo Turkoglu and JJ Reddick, veterans who had a lot of experience.
When I was younger, I often watched older players prepare for practice, recover and eat. It is different compared to the previous 10-12 years. I never hesitated to ask and learn something. Even today, when we have access to everything, I read and watch to improve myself. Everything is absolutely essential for the player to progress. Not only the basketball part, to which he needs to dedicate himself the most, of course”, explained Nikola Vucevic.
About the state of Montenegrin basketball
The position of Montenegro on the basketball map of the world is extremely good, when you take into account the human potential of a small Balkan country. In addition to the success of the national team and the fact that the continuity of playing in major competitions is sought, things are also looking great at the club level. Bubucnost is a stable EuroCup team, Mornar is in ABA League, and the Studentski Centar has profiled itself as a talent mine in recent years. Podgorica made a breakthrough in the Second ABA League, Niksic has always been a basketball environment…
“It is inconvenient for us, we are a small country, and as far as the conditions and the financial side are concerned. It is not easy to follow the budgets of the EuroLeagu teams. There is a lot of good work and there are many children and young players who want to play basketball. A lot needs to come together for someone from small Montenegro to express himself, move on and develop. There are talents and there is a desire of people to force younger players through some clubs, to give them a chance. It’s not always easy, because of the limits and conditions, it’s a small number of players. Montenegro has only 600,000 people and there are not enough players to make a strong league.”
Successes lead to increased interest.
“For the last few years, the national team has been producing great results for us, it is good for the development of basketball and to be a motivation for young players to be in such a situation. There is certainly room for improvement, working with young people, following methods and new trends. It doesn’t take much to get to a higher level. There is also room for people to broaden their horizons and accept things that are done elsewhere in the world. There are good and bad things, but people have a desire, you just have to be patient. We should continue to invest in sports, because it is a great choice for young people.”
What would he relive and what would he change?
In his 33 years of life, a large part of which he spent in professional basketball, Nikola Vucevic has been through a lot. A very successful NBA career, crowned with numerous achievements, will remain recorded as one of the most successful, when players from the former Yugoslavia are taken into account, which is no small thing. What is it that he would relive?
“The moment when I was drafted. The dream come true, to be called out by David Stern as the 16th pick, the emotions I felt, it was incredible. And to go back to being 20 years old again (laughs). There are a lot of things I would change and it’s easy to look at it from that angle. Some matches, some decisions… I try not to look at things that way, because one cannot look forward if one is constantly going back to the past.
There is nothing in particular that I would return, I am satisfied with how everything went. Thank God, I never had major problems with injuries, everything went my way and I try to make the most of every opportunity to play, and when I finish my career, the most important thing for me is to say that I gave everything. Sometimes you can influence results and games, sometimes not. That’s just the way it is”, concluded Nikola Vucevic conversation with Basketball Sphere.
