Serbia’s EuroBasket shock makes it clear: it’s time for the Nikola subject

Serbia was shocked again during EuroBasket. A 92-86 loss to Lauri Markkanen and Finald sent Serbia to the round of 16. It was a deeply disappointing performance, reminiscent of their loss to Italy in the round of 16 of EuroBasket 2022. While the disappointment is obvious, it clearly showed that it was time to overhaul the Serbian basketball team.

Why the Nikola subject is the key to the future of Serbian basketball

It was Serbia’s backcourt, and primarily their point guard play, that let them down this summer. In their loss to Finland, Vasilije Micic finished with eight points on 2-of-6 shooting from the field. Stefan Jovic added no points in 23 minutes and Aleksa Avramovic scored six points. That pales in comparison to the 33 points Nikola Jokic led the way with, and it’s a clear sign of a need for fresh blood at the position. The three point guards also combined for just nine assists and four turnovers, and Micic’s defense was a major obstacle for the team throughout the summer. A trend that has persisted since the Olympics.

Watching Serbia fail again at EuroBasket, one might have wondered: How did Nikola Topic not make this list? Topic is still very young, having only turned 20 last month, and most of his professional experience has been with KK Mega Basket and at the NBA Summer League, but it’s hard to imagine him not offering more than Micic, Jovic, and Avramovic combined.

Serbia’s head coach, Svetislav Pesic, has been coaching for over 40 years and, like most experienced international team coaches, he prefers experience in these summer tournaments. His roster decisions reflected that when he cut Topic, but he ended up paying the price with Bogdan Bogdanovic injured and stuck with three guards on the older side who couldn’t take the creative or offensive burden off Jokic’s shoulders.

The subject would have been better and he would have had more energy to compete defensively than Micic. He also would have made life easier for Bogdanovic, who turned 33 earlier this summer and is not a player Serbia should rely on in a major capacity for most international basketball going forward.

It’s time to pass the baton to Topic and start welcoming the next generation of Serbian basketball talent. Topic has just 20, and Serbia’s second-leading scorer against Finland was Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic, who finished with 20 points. Atlanta Hawks reserve Nikola Djurisic is also moving up the ranks, and if all three of them reach the levels they are capable of, Jokic will get the support he needs in the latter stages of his career.

The preference for experience is always understood in international tournaments, but if Jokic and Serbia want to win a gold medal during their careers, they will have to do it with new faces and new talents. They do not suffer from this; they just need to trust them.