Igor Rakocevic expanded on his stance about scoring differences between leagues during his appearance on Fullcourt Passport with Ric Bucher and Bostjan Nachbar. The former EuroLeague star leaned heavily on experience and structure to explain his view.
“I really think you’re right that it’s easier to score points in the NBA these days than in Europe,” Rakocevic said, recalling a conversation with his son. “And I couldn’t agree more.”
He dismissed criticism that followed his comments online. “I received huge backlash from people who don’t know what they’re talking about,” he said. “Honestly, you just have to follow the guys who experienced both sides.”
Rakocevic emphasized that the debate is not about talent level. “It’s not even comparing the quality of the players or the league,” he said. “It’s just that the system and the rules are completely different.”
He pointed to game structure as a starting point. “For a start, the game is 8 minutes shorter, so we give a good scorer 8 extra minutes — he can score 20 points,” he said. “Then the court is smaller. The three-point line is closer.”
Defensive rules, in his view, create the biggest contrast. “In Europe you could have a guy like Rudy Gobert or Marc Gasol or I don’t know, Shaquille O’Neal, who could stay in the paint and not move at all,” he said. “Now not everybody is going to be able to penetrate and score over those guys.”
He contrasted that with NBA spacing. “In the NBA they have to move with their player, which creates a huge gap and huge advantage because the NBA wants the game to be more attractive,” he said.
Rakocevic also highlighted footwork enforcement. “In the NBA you can lift both of your feet from the floor before the ball touches the ground,” he said. “In Europe you can lift only one, and in Europe they are very strict with calling this travel.”
He used international play as an example. “Everybody was waiting for him inside and he had trouble,” Rakocevic said, referring to Giannis Antetokounmpo. “He really had trouble to do this.”
The Serbian guard said preparation and tactics separate the leagues. “In the NBA, you get like a sheet. It’s like two pages,” he said. “While in Europe it’s all the way to the most tiny details.”
That impacts shot volume for stars. “I never or rarely saw in the NBA that you have a main guy… he takes seven shots because the defense closed him,” he said. “In Europe… you’re going to shoot three times and it’s completely okay.”
He also addressed roles for European players transitioning to the NBA. “If you give a good quality role to a good offensive guy, many European players are going to be able to put the numbers in the NBA too,” Rakocevic said.
Rakocevic stressed versatility as a requirement overseas. “You have to develop all these tools,” he said. “Cutting, running, anticipating… drawing the fouls, making screens.”
He also criticized modern scoring trends. “Nowadays you have 143 against 139,” he said. “For me this is not basketball… there is no defense.”
For Rakocevic, the philosophical gap remains clear. “Winning is way more important than having personal numbers,” he said. “You can say I’m going to score nine points or 11 but my team is going to win.”
