Team Profile: High octane Serbia believe in chances with players on board

MANILA (Philippines) – Serbia should believe, and will believe, in their chances of getting back to the podium as in 2014 when they reached the Final before falling to the USA.

The Roster

Head coach Svetislav Pesic leads a Serbia team that can compete for the title. Serbia will definitely not lack scoring punch from the guards and wing spots. Bogdan Bogdanovic accumulated the most points at the 2019 World Cup and could repeat that in 2023.

Alen Smailagic, Aleksa Avramovic, Marko Guduric and Nemanja Nedovic can also score.  Stefan Jovic, Ognjen Jaramaz and Uros Trifunovic all are capable of playmaking and Vanja Marinkovic is a deadly marksman from the outside. There is also the versatility of NBA youngster Nikola Jovic.

The key to Serbia’s campaign could be the combination of Nikola Milutinov, Felip Petrusev and Dusan Ristic. If those bigs control the paint, that will make Pesic’s job much easier.

Nikola Milutinov and the other bigs will need to step up

The Question

With leadership spots up for grabs, the biggest question mark is which players will step up and take over the responsibility – and if they are enough. Bogdanovic will undoubtedly be there as a leader. How will having their backs against the wall in in the European Qualifiers and surviving benefit many of the Serbia players that faced that adversity? 

Then again, Serbia also were ousted in the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Round of 16. So questioning this team is not without reason.

The Hope

Serbia will be carried by their excellent scoring potential and the coaching genius of Pesic and should believe they will go deep in the tournament. On top of the ability to put the ball in the basket, Serbia will keep opposing teams off the glass and limit opposing teams’ possessions, allowing them to use their own offensive efficiency.

Then comes the added confidence of having made it through the tough, awkward times in the qualification campaign. Maybe there is a bonus, too, that less pressure is the result of some big names missing. 

Vanja Marinkovic and Nikola Milutinov will be crucial for Serbia’s chances

The Fear

The absence of some superstars proves too much and Serbia crash out earlier than feared. While Bogdanovic and company prove they can score enough points, the team just cannot defend well enough and teams simply outscore them.

The players on hand try to step up in leadership roles but just cannot fill them, and Pesic can never reach the team to give it the direction it needs.  

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