Serbia coach Svetislav Pesic highlighted that the “Orlovi” are far more than just “Nikola Jokic’s” or “Bogdan Bogdanovic’s team,” emphasizing that their strength lies in collective chemistry and roster depth.
“This is not a team of Jokic and Bogdanovic and the remaining 10,” Pesic explained to Serbian network RTS. “This is a team of 10 players plus Jokić and Bogdanović. When you understand that, then you’ll understand why we are a team. This team has continuity, individual quality… I tell one player: ‘You will never be Jokić, do you understand? But Jokić will never be you either. Jokić is Jokić. Give what you know best and are good at.’”
Pesic made it clear that while Jokic and Bogdanovic are central figures, the rest of the roster is equally important.
“Of course they are both fantastic players and there are no top teams without leaders,” he said. “So don’t do that. The rest are quality guys, talk about others too.”
Despite Serbia being widely regarded as a favorite for EuroBasket gold, Pesic acknowledged that the competition will be fierce.
“Turkey is one of the favorites,” he said. “Then comes Lithuania, Latvia, and even Italy. There is also Greece. They have Giannis, who raises the value of every player in the team. Germany, Spain, France, but without some key players. It is difficult when you are left without those leading players, but if that is compensated, anything can happen.”
Pesic also emphasized the high level of competition in European basketball and expressed nostalgia for when EuroBasket was held every two years.
“Compared to the NBA or EuroLeague, this is the strongest thing you can watch in the world when it comes to quality basketball,” he said. “European basketball has experienced enormous development in the last ten years, its popularity is definitely soaring… This does not apply only to Europe, basketball is becoming a global sport like football. But, at the Olympic Games, three European teams were in the semifinals, and a year before that, at the World Championship, two European teams were in the finals… But, at those competitions, due to the system and qualifications, not all European teams can qualify. Now they have a chance. I miss that EuroBasket is not held every two years like it used to be. Because, after the NBA, the most popular sport and the greatest interest, from a sponsor and financial perspective, is European basketball.”
