By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic won a bronze medal with Serbia at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Denver Nuggets’ assistant coach Ognjen Stojakovic, who was also part of the Serbian set-up in France this summer, discussed how people in his home country perceive Jokic after his instrumental role in defeating Germany in the third-place game in Paris.
“Generally, the first thing I notice is that our people weren’t aware of how great a basketball player Nikola is, how good he is. Simply, if you don’t win something with the national team, you’re not valued as much as those who have, regardless of your success elsewhere. Nikola did win silver with Serbia in Rio, but he didn’t have as significant a role as he does now in the Olympic Games. My opinion—people are only now beginning to realize how great a player he is,” said Stojakovic, who joined Svetislav Pesic’s staff in 2023, during an interview with Meridian Sport.
Serbia played a memorable game against Team USA in the Olympic semifinals but lost to the star-studded squad in the final minutes.
“We played an almost perfect game. It’s impossible to play a perfect game, and we were just a step away from that. We did something that no one has ever done considering the strength of the opponent. One of the main points was not to let them go on a run. Unfortunately, it happened in the end, but one of the best in the history of basketball had to get into rhythm. We shouldn’t cry about it.”
Touching on his role with the Serbian NT, Stojakovic commented on the idea that he was brought in to help the team adapt to Nikola and vice versa.
“It’s both true and not true. People from the outside say it’s easy to play with Jokić, but they don’t know how hard it is to play with him. He’s atypical, which is difficult for some players to accept. Everyone has to adapt to him, to change, but at the same time, remain themselves. We did a good job, as the results show. But is it easy? Not really. Only after you adapt. Habits need to change. After all, you’re playing with possibly the greatest basketball player of all time on a team that is completely atypical.”
Without a doubt, he considers Jokic one of the best to have ever played the game.
“I don’t want to rank. In team sports, it doesn’t make sense to do that. Is he definitely one of the best who have played basketball? Absolutely! The main reason I say this—besides everything he has won, done, and his stats—is because he has changed basketball. All those revolutionary players are special. He belongs in that category.”
Nuggets added Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric in the offseason.
“The NBA show must go on. We all have to adapt now. We have quality players; we just need to fill the gaps, which young players should do. The core of the team is there. We move forward,” Stojakovic concluded.