Future of Serbian NT

[janketa]

You are right, I checked now boxscores.

I just can tell that I really don't think Đorđević put hate on him. I mean - why then he played in China? But of course, he could have logically play 2 windows plus Israel game (forgot that one) or taking into account he was called up but injured for Germany and Georgia away at least 3. So you are right 100 percent.

PS: I am everything but fan of Đorđević, believe me.

EDIT: I think btw that you are right and that Guduric wouldn't have been taken to China if Milosavljevic hasn't injured himself in pre-Olympic friendlies.

Ok now we understand each other, because just one look on that roster was enough to see that Guduric had to be part of that story.

Of course, Teo and Bogdan were something special, but rest of the backcourt wasn't on the level above him. BTW, I agree about Nedovic with you.

[Serbian_Layup]

I'm not trying to reply to previous discussion, but I think Djordjevic had absolutely fantastic tenure with Serbian NT. Thinking about circumstances when he became a head coach in 2013 and how bad things were looking for our NT after that encouraging start of young generation under Duda Ivkovic in 2009 and 2010, Djordjevic at that moment was basically the only one capable to shake things up and bring NT culture to new heights. He immediately made great connection with key players and had undeniable authority over entire team. Big unexpected results came right away. During his tenure, I think only campaign in 2019 was unsuccessful, every other tournament since 2014 either met expectations or over performed. I loved him as a player and as a coach, bad egos are the ones who tear their teams apart, Djordjevic actually made his teams way better in whatever role he's had. Kokoskov is a different kind of coach, he is a student of this game, while Djordjevic always relied more on heat of the moment, motivation and charisma. When I compare them, I think Djordjevic was the only one who could get us out of our slump while achieving great results, and Kokoskov is probably the one who has the potential to help us reach another dimension in our level of play.

Now, about Petrusev, the biggest takeaway IMO is his offensive versatility. He adjusted nicely from the PF spot when paired with a heavy center like Raduljica. Having in mind that our PF position besides Bjelica is rather weak, I think both Milutinov and Petrusev could share the floor with Jokic. They both have necessary athleticism, while Petrusev can also shoot, and they both can play the role of finishers around the basket without high usage allowing Jokic to do his things. If Jokic could work with Plumlee and Faried quite well, I think Milutinov and even more skilled Petrusev can be a good fit with Jokic. Actually, if there was a bright spot from 2019 campaign, it was Jokic/ Milutinov connection.

[Serbian_Layup]

Petrusev (his chances are getting better and better), Avramovic and Jaramaz could be considered for NT out of this group of players, IMO.

[Toruko]

Petrusev (his chances are getting better and better), Avramovic and Jaramaz could be considered for NT out of this group of players, IMO.

I was very high on Borisa Simanic but he doesnt have the leading mentalilty it seems. It would frustrate me if I was Serb but ok you have more than enough bigs.

[Katastroika]

Like always well-oiled postings, Serbian layup. I really like to read your comments.

Now that this annoying qualifiers are finished and we are through we can steadily think about June which is closer than it seems.

For me following players are into consideration for playing for national team in summer:

Teodosic / Micic / Jovic / Avramovic
Bogdanovic / Nedovic / Guduric / Jaramaz
Lucic / Kalinic
Bjelica / Smailagic / Petrusev
Jokic / Milutinov / Raduljica / Marjanovic

I cannot see anyone besides this 18 players who could compete for a spot. Of course we have to wait if this famous (infamous) Bjelica trade to Sixers will happen because Sixers have potential to go to the end so we would be weakened a lot in Belgrade tournament. Bogdanovic should be save, Rotoworld writes that he plans return even before All Star break and Hawks play horrible, I really don't see them going to conference final. Jokic and Denver is a strange situation but taking everything into consideration I would be highly surprised if they manage to make a PO run like last year. I really hope he will join in Belgrade and not make himself accountable just for Tokyo, it really would mean a lot to this team. Speaking about injury situation: Milutinov, everyone else is healthy. Almost all of our core players have good seasons and many are direct leaders of their teams.

I would like to see a starting 5 Micic / Bogdanovic / Lucic / Bjelica / Jokic with subs Jovic, Teodosic, Nedovic, Kalinic, Guduric, Petrusev. If Milutinov gets healthy, of course Milutinov. If 12th player will be additional PF or Center or Guard is rather uninteresting but I would take a shooter. Marinkovic or Andjusic. After watching Andjusic this seasons it's interesting how easy he creates and scores, he is really a pure oldschool scorer and could fit perfectly in a Prepelic role like Slovenia had 2017. Kokoskov often operated with 3 guards and 2 point guards simmilarily on the court with Slovenia and i think that some of Avram/Jare/Andjusic really could look nice in this fits. We have everything needed for a good team and I hope that finally everyone will be healthy to see this generation first time together completely with some additional fresh blood around them.

[Serbian_Layup]

Like always well-oiled postings, Serbian layup. I really like to read your comments.

Now that this annoying qualifiers are finished and we are through we can steadily think about June which is closer than it seems.

For me following players are into consideration for playing for national team in summer:

Teodosic / Micic / Jovic / Avramovic
Bogdanovic / Nedovic / Guduric / Jaramaz
Lucic / Kalinic
Bjelica / Smailagic / Petrusev
Jokic / Milutinov / Raduljica / Marjanovic

I cannot see anyone besides this 18 players who could compete for a spot. Of course we have to wait if this famous (infamous) Bjelica trade to Sixers will happen because Sixers have potential to go to the end so we would be weakened a lot in Belgrade tournament. Bogdanovic should be save, Rotoworld writes that he plans return even before All Star break and Hawks play horrible, I really don't see them going to conference final. Jokic and Denver is a strange situation but taking everything into consideration I would be highly surprised if they manage to make a PO run like last year. I really hope he will join in Belgrade and not make himself accountable just for Tokyo, it really would mean a lot to this team. Speaking about injury situation: Milutinov, everyone else is healthy. Almost all of our core players have good seasons and many are direct leaders of their teams.

I would like to see a starting 5 Micic / Bogdanovic / Lucic / Bjelica / Jokic with subs Jovic, Teodosic, Nedovic, Kalinic, Guduric, Petrusev. If Milutinov gets healthy, of course Milutinov. If 12th player will be additional PF or Center or Guard is rather uninteresting but I would take a shooter. Marinkovic or Andjusic. After watching Andjusic this seasons it's interesting how easy he creates and scores, he is really a pure oldschool scorer and could fit perfectly in a Prepelic role like Slovenia had 2017. Kokoskov often operated with 3 guards and 2 point guards simmilarily on the court with Slovenia and i think that some of Avram/Jare/Andjusic really could look nice in this fits. We have everything needed for a good team and I hope that finally everyone will be healthy to see this generation first time together completely with some additional fresh blood around them.

I agree...That's probably the best we have right now. Nominally, if we go strictly position by position, Micić-Bogdan-Lučić-Bjelica-Jokić is the best five we can field. But there are a lot of options to mix it up a little bit. You already mentioned Kokoškov likes to play with multiple guards lineup, so something like Micić-Bogdan-Gudurić is also tempting. Also a combination of Jokić/Petrušev, Jokić/Milutinov (reports are that he will make a full recovery by the end of June or early July, OQT is improbable for him, but if we make it he might be able to play on Olympics) is also very tempting, I'm especially intrigued by Jokić/Petrušev pairing given that Petrušev can stretch the floor and attack closeouts, not to mention his quick feet and athleticism. Also Lučić and Kalinić could spend some time at PF. There are legitimate options to cover some deficiencies we have at PF. If we want to dominate the game inside/outside, then I would definitely test Micić-Bogdan-Gudurić-Petrušev-Jokić lineup. IMO, that's unique balance of inside/outside threat which is really hard to defend and causes defenses to bend and pick their poison. You mentioned Marinković, you see that Kokoškov prefers those kind of players/shooters with low usage because of the way he uses Mahmutoglu and Eddie at Fenerbahce. He likes to have a shooter who will stay in the corner and knock down his shots. He doesn't really have to use Mahmutoglu much at all, but he clearly likes those kind of players who always present a shooting threat. And Marinković is a better player than Mahmutoglu, he can attack closeouts and finish at the rim, which is another plus. If he finds consistency I wouldn't be surprised if he makes the team. Anyway, we have time to speculate on this.

[Serbian_Layup]

I was very high on Borisa Simanic but he doesnt have the leading mentalilty it seems. It would frustrate me if I was Serb but ok you have more than enough bigs.

Simanić has a good body, athleticism and potential to be a nice 3&D PF, maybe a change and more playing time would do good for him.

[Serbian_Layup]

Now I have to drop some fun Poku highlights
When he is not focused on bricking threes, he does some of his stuff.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Thunder/com...ack_finish_in/

https://twitter.com/okcblue/status/1363883990055280645

https://twitter.com/okcblue/status/1363891771177136129

https://twitter.com/okcblue/status/1363894169350135814

https://twitter.com/okcblue/status/1363910575131156482

https://twitter.com/okcblue/status/1363911457935675393

[Katastroika]

https://twitter.com/LukaBassin/status/1363883578707369996

In all games that Kokoskov coached directly whe had tremendous out of bounds and after TO plays.

[Serbian_Layup]

https://twitter.com/LukaBassin/statu...83578707369996

In all games that Kokoskov coached directly whe had tremendous out of bounds and after TO plays.

I'm not an expert, but it's clear watching Fenerbahce this year that he's got tons of special sets ATO or out of bound plays.

[Serbian_Layup]

Thinking about a two PG lineup and it just strikes me how incredibly good and important for our scheme was Stefan Marković. I still remember quarter finals of Olympics vs Croatia in 2016 when we were struggling to defend Bojan Bogdanović in the first half, and he just took that matchup in the second half, locked him down and completely erased him from the game. Such a great player on both ends, especially for Đorđević's scheme (it's not by accident that he still plays for Đorđević, and that Marković and Teo still look good together on the court).

I mentioned this because it's not easy to just plug and play two PG's like in a video game. Teo and Marković both have ridiculous basketball IQ, and besides that their skills are absolutely complimentary. That's the key trying to build a winning team - find players whose skills are complimentary the most. We have quality point guards, but I'm not sure that, let's say Micić/Teo, Micić/Jović duos will work out like Teo/Marković tandem. It's not like Micić and Jović are not good enough, I just think that Teo and Marković had great connection and mutual understanding. The way I see it, Jaramaz could be that combo guard that could work well with either Micić or Teo for some stretches of the game. But he is a long shot and probably won't be in the roster if everyone will stay healthy. Nedović...I don't know, his game is the same as it has ever been. He fits the role of a scorer of the bench, and I would consider him for that role in limited minutes, especially when we need to change the rhythm of the game or to speed things up a little bit. He could be a nice fit alongside Jokić (at least offensively) if he commits to use his athleticism a little bit more in off ball movement and cutting to the basket, that could bring him additional value as a rotation player.

[Katastroika]

Generally Micic is not complementary with anyone from out guard rotation except Jovic (at least in my opinion) because he needs the ball so badly in his hands. For Markovic, you are absolutely right, one of the players that didn't receive the fame they should have for all the good results in the last decade besides some who got way to much of it (like for example Raduljica who had some good stretches but usually when we were playing good and because of flashiness).

Calling up Jovic is the missing, big, aggressive, on ball defending reincarnation of Markovic with intelligence and team-orientation that we need. There are certain risky line-ups I don't think Kokoskov will use, for example Teo - Micic - Guduric - sounds great but we would have to ask FIBA to allow us to play with two balls and put additional 6th player on the floor for playing defense. I am still convinced that we lost in China against Spain and Argentina primarily because we hadn't answers to certain match ups (1-4 combo zone against Spain vs. Bogdan and total small ball of Argentina from Q2-4). I expect Kokoskov to work balanced here and by watching Fener I am highly optimistic that he will create proper roles without dependance on certain players or positions on the floor. Our reliance on Bogdan in China was maybe beautiful to watch but his way too heavy usage made the team weaker and weaker as the tournament went on. I want to see a grinding and fighting Serbia who attacks the offensive rebounds with 2 players, who is boxing out on every position of opponent and puts aggression on the ball. This was always our key for winning and should stay like it. If being cruel it has to be said that Micic is the one least complementary with our team if we take into consideration that Bogdan and Jokic will be alpha and omega of this team. I am curious if he is able to translate his game into off ball to an extent that can really help us and make us better - potential is there but I am sceptical.

Jovic - Teo - Bogdan sounds ultra brutal to me and that is a line up I would like to see against many strong teams as often as possible. Bogdan and Jovic would have to sacrifice for Teo, but I am sure he is still alpha and most respected player in the locker room so it shouldn't be a big problem. And offensively it's a pure nightmare for opponents. Putting Bogdan on 3 has been highly discussed on literally every team where he played. Usually it was vice versa and because his great handles and creativity, feeling for pick and great spot up he was put rather on 1 than on 3. But there were also situations, especially in Kings, where played this role great. Question is if he and we are ready to see a Serbia where Bogdanovic is used differently than in last 4 years.

[janketa]

Jovic- Teo -Bogdan... I wolud like to see that lineup one time in my life. Plus Jokic and Marjanovic...

Pure dream team imo

[Serbian_Layup]

Generally Micic is not complementary with anyone from out guard rotation except Jovic (at least in my opinion) because he needs the ball so badly in his hands. For Markovic, you are absolutely right, one of the players that didn't receive the fame they should have for all the good results in the last decade besides some who got way to much of it (like for example Raduljica who had some good stretches but usually when we were playing good and because of flashiness).

Calling up Jovic is the missing, big, aggressive, on ball defending reincarnation of Markovic with intelligence and team-orientation that we need. There are certain risky line-ups I don't think Kokoskov will use, for example Teo - Micic - Guduric - sounds great but we would have to ask FIBA to allow us to play with two balls and put additional 6th player on the floor for playing defense. I am still convinced that we lost in China against Spain and Argentina primarily because we hadn't answers to certain match ups (1-4 combo zone against Spain vs. Bogdan and total small ball of Argentina from Q2-4). I expect Kokoskov to work balanced here and by watching Fener I am highly optimistic that he will create proper roles without dependance on certain players or positions on the floor. Our reliance on Bogdan in China was maybe beautiful to watch but his way too heavy usage made the team weaker and weaker as the tournament went on. I want to see a grinding and fighting Serbia who attacks the offensive rebounds with 2 players, who is boxing out on every position of opponent and puts aggression on the ball. This was always our key for winning and should stay like it. If being cruel it has to be said that Micic is the one least complementary with our team if we take into consideration that Bogdan and Jokic will be alpha and omega of this team. I am curious if he is able to translate his game into off ball to an extent that can really help us and make us better - potential is there but I am sceptical.

Jovic - Teo - Bogdan sounds ultra brutal to me and that is a line up I would like to see against many strong teams as often as possible. Bogdan and Jovic would have to sacrifice for Teo, but I am sure he is still alpha and most respected player in the locker room so it shouldn't be a big problem. And offensively it's a pure nightmare for opponents. Putting Bogdan on 3 has been highly discussed on literally every team where he played. Usually it was vice versa and because his great handles and creativity, feeling for pick and great spot up he was put rather on 1 than on 3. But there were also situations, especially in Kings, where played this role great. Question is if he and we are ready to see a Serbia where Bogdanovic is used differently than in last 4 years.

Good post. You’ve got something here that also troubles me to some degree – too many ballhandlers. I think that will be the biggest challenge (besides time needed to implement his scheme) Kokoškov will face trying to incorporate all those on ball players in our guard rotation, and turn them into a functional team. When you look at it, at any time on the floor we’ll have at least two prominent ballhandlers (probably three most of the time), Micić/Teo/Jović, Bogdan/Gudurić/Nedović, and even Bjelica likes to handle the ball, too much for my taste (IMO, Bjelica should play exclusively as a stretch PF, use his unlimited range and not try to initiate offense through him when we already have plenty of guys who can do it better than him. He was handling that ball and trying ISO plays too much in 2019, he should make plays only when our offense generates space and that’s where his passing and IQ should be helpful), not to mention Jokić (it’s really time to play through him and let him unlock the offensive potential of this team). I think won’t be easy task for Kokoškov, especially if he won’t have enough time to build the right role of every player and make them feel as important parts of the team. What encourages me in that regard is that all of those players are highly intelligent, they don’t necessarily need scheme or patterns to get going, they all enjoy free flowing basketball, it’s just important to set some basic principles and establish what is our bread and butter offensively (I believe that will be P&R with Jokić, his play from the low post and high post, off ball movement and cutting, finding open looks, sharing the ball, Bogdan’s ability to create good looks for himself and others). Micić is an excellent penetrator, but in this team he will have to make faster decisions and don’t stop ball movement. That also includes Bogdan, he was amazing in 2019, but as you said, if we want to reach new heights in our offense, we can’t be dependent solely on Bogdan. That is Kokoškov’s job to do. He has to find ways to include a whole team in passing, sharing the ball and shooting. He’s got excellent players to implement that strategy, but the whole team needs to buy into it (leave their individual talent at the service of the whole team). I think with Jokić both Micić and Bogdan will have to sacrifice a little bit, and do a better job as off ball players. I remember that Jokić and Bogdan actually had a few nice plays with Jokić passing to Bogdan on some off ball backdoor cuts. Nedović, for example, would increase his value for this team so much if he would use his speed and athleticism far more often in off ball movement then in ISO plays. Those are the kind of sacrifices this team needs in order to reach its potential.

I respect Jović and love his skill set, and hope he will be healthy to play this summer. That trio of Jović-Teo-Bogdan looks good to me, a nice balance of offense/defense. And if you want to play fast, throw in Lučić at PF and Jokić at C. Jović and Lučić to play of off Jokić as off ball threats, with Teo and Bogdan working magic with Jokić. Definitely exciting. The problem I see with Jović is that teams will use him as a conceptual risk, they will double Jokić in the post by helping of off Jović and let him shoot threes, which he can hit, but isn’t good shooter. Teams will be willing to take this approach. In the crunch time of a tight game that could be expensive gamble for us. We have possibility to throw lineups that will cover everything offensively without any visible liability, and opponents will just be forced to gamble a lot and hope good shooters will miss. But I’m definitely a fan of this trio in some stretches of the game, but not necessarily crunch time.

I think Raduljica was pretty much vital for our success in 2014-2016 era. Funny, I’ve got completely opposite impression about fans’ takes on Raduljica. There were far more takes such as “ohh, Raduljica, he wouldn’t be nearly as good if he didn’t have Teo by himself”. That is a bad take. As much as Raduljica profited by playing alongside Teo, the same could be said about Teo. Raduljica has appearance of lazy and laid back guy (his defense is bad that’s true), but he is a great finisher around the basket, with great feel as a roll guy which in combination with Teo was absolutely crucial to our success during that time. I mean, Raduljica carried our frontcourt in 2014 (Krstić could barely move due to injury), was good in 2015, and absolutely fantastic in 2016 (I think he was the best and most efficient center in that tournament offensively), he even added mid range game and hit them in high percentage. The point is that Raduljica got a lot of heat because of his laid back appearance, and everything good that he did was discredited because of Teo effect, which is hilarious, because he worked really hard and flashed great offensive skills which were absolutely complimentary to Teo’s skillset, and that is why they had a great two man game. I mean, besides Krstić, what other center would be as good as Raduljica was with Teo during that time? None. That shows there is another side of the coin equally important as the first one. Besides that, what he brought us offensively heavily outweighed his defensive deficiencies. Now, of course, Raduljica has regressed and probably won’t be with the team, but he deserved every bit of recognition for his tenure with NT 2014-2016. IMO, that team and our offensive scheme wouldn’t be as deep and effective without him.

[Katastroika]

Kalinic plays basketball of his life at the moment. It's a joy to watch him in ACB and EL. He matured. He's just speaking 25 times with refs a game. And basketballwise he really looks polivalent and defensively great.