The game with the United States was not only a defeat for Serbia, but also revealed an important detail about Jokic
Artemy Berstenev July 29, 2024, 18:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
With and without Nikola, the Balkans have two different teams.
Yesterday, July 28, the US team began its Olympic journey with a confident victory over Serbia by 110:84. Yes, Kevin Durant returned and scored his 23 points with great precision, but let’s focus on another important point. Nikola Jokic, despite his best efforts, could not prevent his team from being crushed. This match gives us food for thought about how both teams will advance in the tournament.
Olympic Games (m). Group C. 1st round
July 28, 2024, Sunday. 18:15 Moscow time
Serbia: Plavsic, Petrushev, Jovic, Bogdanovic, Marinkovic, Dobrich, Jokic, Micic, Guduric, Davidovac, Avramovic, Milutinov
United States: Curry, Edwards, James, Durant, White, Haliburton, Tatum, Embiid, Holiday, Adebayo, Davis, Booker
Nikola Jokic was on the court for 31 minutes, which left him less than 10 minutes to rest, and those minutes were a real disaster for Serbia. When Jokic sat on the bench, the Serbians looked like a team that had lost its compass in a stormy sea. Without their MVP, they simply couldn’t find the rhythm and the US ruthlessly took advantage of every opportunity to extend the lead. It became clear: Serbia without Jokic is a completely different team.
There’s no denying the efforts of the Serbian team, but being 26 points behind without Jokic is simply unbelievable. This clearly shows how dependent the Serbians are on their star center. All of Serbia’s players except Jokic were plus or minus on the court. It’s noteworthy that Nikola is able to keep up with the American team even with the lineup he has, but only in those moments when he’s actually on the court.
Nikola Jokic vs Anthony Davis, 2024 Olympics
Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
However, it is worth paying attention to one important detail: the US national team is an extremely uncomfortable opponent for Serbia. Serbian perimeter players are simply lost under the pressure of NBA players. The Americans have so many elite big men that they can tire out even a giant like Jokic. Unlike the Serbians, Canada, Germany and Australia seem to be better positioned to challenge the US, although Serbia could beat all of those teams.
Serbia’s peripheral basketball players are simply incapable of creating opportunities against NBA-level pressure. As a result, they often failed at the end of the attack due to a lack of quality shots. Players of the caliber of Schroeder, Wagner, Giddy and Gilgeous-Alexander can execute their team’s setups against the Americans simply because they are used to that level of athleticism every day.
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