Jokic Leads Serbia Past France, Count Them In the Olympics

Nikola Jokic of Serbia won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award three times. He's a six-time NBA All-Star. He led the Denver Nuggets to a NBA title last year. The Olympic gold medal is the only thing missing  in his trophy cabinet. The friendly game between Serbia vs France sent a clear message to other teams (competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics). Serbia is a gold medal contender.

Serbia was once part of Yugoslavia, which had an impressive record in international basketball. (Yugoslavia men's basketball national team is the 1980 Olympic champion. The former Balkan nation also won the FIBA World Basketball Championship in 1970, 1978, and 1990.

It was a five-time EuroBasket winner as well.) FIBA Hall of Fame members from the Yugoslavian men's team include Drazen Dalipagic, Vlade Divac, and Dragan Kicanovic. The Federal Republic (FR) of Yugoslavia, or the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, was formed after the start of the Yugoslav Wars and the subsequent breakup of Yugoslavia.

The 1990s and the early 2000s were a golden age for FR Yugoslavia, winning the EuroBasket on three occasions and the FIBA World Championships in 1998 and 2002. The following years yielded underwhelming results. There were flashes of old brilliance during the following decade. (Serbia won the silver medal in the 2009 EuroBasket.) The Serbia men's basketball national team lost to Germany in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Some basketball fans would call it Serbia's silver generation while others see it as Serbia's continuing resurgence.

The friendly game between France and Serbia took place in Lyon, the second-largest metropolis in France. France and Serbia aren't bracketed in the same group during the group stage of the Summer Olympics, which means they won't play against each other in Lille. There's a possibility that both teams could meet in the quarterfinals. The USA vs. Serbia game could be another factor. It might go overtime.

Sign up today with OKBet Sports - the leading platform to get NBA betting trends and news.  This friendly game may not be counted, but it gave fans, and bettors, lots of assumptions, or guesses, on how the actual competition would turn out.

5 Takeaways from the Serbia vs. France Friendly Game

• Nikola Jokic is the MVP of the Serbia vs. France friendly game. He could be the 2024 FIBA Summer Olympics Most Valuable Player (MVP). Let's go back to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics: Kevin Durant is the 2020 FIBA Summer Olympics MVP. Durant, along with Luca Doncic (Slovenia), Rudy Gobert (France), Patty Mills (Australia), and Ricky Rubio (Spain), were named as 2020 FIBA Summer Olympics All-Star Five.If the Serbia vs. France friendly game is any indication, then Nikola Jokic is certain of being named as one of 2024 FIBA Summer Olympics All-Star Five. How about the MVP? It depends on the Serbian team's performance. Serbia and the US will meet this week, which doesn't have any bearing. (It's another friendly game.) Many fans have reservations, as Serbia coach Stetislav Pesic might not reveal all his cards (during that game). It would be a fun game, but some fans could guess how Jokic could stack up against the A-team of Team USA (after that friendly game). 

• Nikola Jokic prevailed over Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. And this is another reason for the Denver Nuggets center to be named as the 2024 FIBA Summer Olympics MVP. The France men's basketball national team, or Les Bleus, have shown resilience, but this friendly game is a reminder for (French coach) Vincent Collet to look for other offensive options. Canada is France’s next, and final, opponent in its friendly series. This should test Les Bleus, if Collet has figured out his other options. (Evan Fournier might have to keep his cool.) The next item is an eye opener. 

• Serbia managed to score against France in the paint. Les Bleus might be most surprised at it. It wasn't only Jokic, but also Filip Petrusev, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Aleksa Avramovic sneaking in regularly. Avramovic, who plays in the Adriatic League, has shown that dribbling against him would be a nightmare. US coach Steve Kerr would take note of it, but the next item shouldn't surprise anyone.

• Serbia is missing Nikola Jovic, but Nikola Jokic looks hungry and determined (to win an Olympic gold medal). Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic has a fracture in his ankle. (The Miami Heat rather call it a sprain.) It doesn't affect Serbia's chances, though. (Basketball fans in LCDC Arena would attest to that.) It goes back to Jokic. 

• Is there anything that Nikola Jokic couldn't do? Let’s go back to the 2020 Summer Olympics: The US ended Spain's quest for the gold medal in the quarterfinals of the 2020 Summer Olympics. Ricky Rubio was spectacular in the Spanish men team's loss, scoring 38 points. Jokic can match that feat, but it might be good enough. Can he do more? Your guess is as good as ours.

What we like to see: Canada vs. Serbia rematch

Canada will play two friendly games. Just two. Canada men's basketball coach Jordi Fernandez would be wise not to let his team overplay. Furthermore, Fernandez is keeping his cards close to his chest (at the moment). It's a good idea after the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. 

Canada men's basketball national team won their first medal in the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Manila last year, but the semifinal game between Serbia and Canada stung the Canadian side. Canada's defense was atrocious. (The Canadian players refused to be interviewed after the loss.) Jokic didn't travel to Asia (after the Nuggets won the NBA Finals). Canada's Jamal Murray, who also plays for Nuggets, had the same reason. Their presence would make this rematch more exciting. (Canada and Serbia won't meet in the group stage, but there's a high chance that a rematch could happen in the knockout stage.) 

Serbia at the Olympics can win the gold medal

Serbia at the Olympics is a cinch for an Olympic medal. Most basketball fans are betting on the USA winning their fifth straight gold medal while Serbia is tipped for fourth place. (Canada is predicted to finish second behind the US. Host team France is predicted to settle for third.) The Serbia vs. France friendly game changed that impression, though. The Serbians are favored to finish second (at the least). As for the gold, the Serbia vs. USA match, the actual match, is a good indicator. Mark July 28 on your calendar.

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