Serbia have started the first round with a convincing victory against Angola. According to bookmakers, the biggest favourites for lifting the trophy for the third consecutive time in a row are the United States, however, there are other teams that might step up with the challenge and Serbia is definitely one of them.
Serbian national team is ranked fourth in the FIBA World Rankings and in the past several years they have been constantly positioned high on that list. After three silver medals on the biggest basketball competitions, they are looking forward to making another step forward and there are several good reasons to believe that Serbia might upset the US team.
Serbia is ranked as the top favourite for winning the World Cup according to a top Canadian betting sites comparison site rating and they have overtaken the USA. This is due to Serbia’s excellent form in the preparation matches in the build-up of the main tournament. They booked some notable victories against very strong sides such as Italy, Lithuania, Greece and eventually France. Serbia won the Acropolis Cup that is traditionally held in Greece after beating the hosts led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, the last NBA season’s MVP. The success is even greater due to the fact that Milos Teodosic and Nikola Jokic didn’t participate on that tournament. In total, Serbia booked eleven consecutive victories and they are expecting the kick-off full of confidence.
Although Milos Teodosic, the leading playmaker, got injured during the pre-tournament period, Serbian team is still full of talents. Unfortunately, the crowd won’t be able his great assists, however there are a couple of players that can step up. Stefan Jovic, who joined Khimki this summer, will be the first option on that position, while in-form VasilijeMicic, who had one of the best seasons in his career at Efes, can also step up.
Bogdan Bogdanovic is expected to be one of the team leaders and his shooting capabilities may be lethal for any opposition. He has enough experience to lead this team to glory and if he manages to keep up the form, he is going to be one of the best players in the tournament. Bogdan has significant NBA experience now, and that can be very beneficial for him and Serbian team in general.
Another NBA player, Nemanja Bjelica, is expected to have significant role in Serbia’s quest to the top of the world. He can cover multiple positions, and he was even playing as a playmaker under SvetislavPesic’s command although he is 2.08m. Nemanja usually plays as Forward, he has great jumping reach and his shooting capabilities are also excellent.
Vladimir Lucic, current Bayern München player, can be used as a backup player at this position as well as Marko Simonovic, who joined CedevitaOlimpija this summer. Although Simonovic don’t have an impressive career, he is one of the most integral members of the team as he brings additional aggressiveness to the defence. He had some great roles in the past, and although you shouldn’t expect exceptional moves from him, Marko’s three-pointers decided many important matches.
Another fresh NBA name in Serbia’s roster, Marko Guduric, could be one of overachievers of this tournament. New Memphis Grizzlies signing had a couple of great seasons in Fenerbahce and he plays as a Shooting Guard. Although he is one of the youngest members of the team, Guduric has already shown high level of self-confidence and he really enjoys of taking responsibility in tight matches. Some of his last-second three-pointers broughttrophies to his former clubs, especially Red Star Belgrade.
Forward-Center and Center positions are one of Serbia’s strongest points. Nikola Jokic decided to participate on this tournament after he missed a couple of big competitions in the past. He definitely brings another dimension to Serbia’s game and it is expected that one of the best NBA players in the past season shines at the World Cup. He is going to be helped out by 2.22m tall BobanMarjanovic, “giant” who can upset even the best defences. It is almost impossible to beat his height combined with jumping reach and it is very likely that Boban will collect everything or provide spectacular dunks. We shouldn’t forget to mention Nikola Milutinov, the best Euroleague centre in the last season who is currently a member of Olympiakos.
Finally, Serbian team is led by Aleksandar Sasa Djordjevic, former player and one of the best Point Guard players of his time. He was the World Cup Gold medal winner back in 1998 and he definitely knows how to prepare the team for tournaments like this one. Djordjevic also led Serbia to six silver medals as a head coach, and he also feels the time has come to step up and climb to the very top of the winners’ stage. Anything is possible if Serbia managed to keep up the form and we can see them in action on 31st August against Angola.
