Nikola Jokic did his best to carry Team Serbia to victory in their first game of the 2024 Olympics, but a star-studded Team USA squad proved too tough to handle. While the Americans won 110-84, Serbia actually stayed even with the United States while the Denver Nuggets superstar was on the floor.
In 31 minutes with Jokic in the game, Serbia tied Team USA 81-81. In just nine minutes without the Joker, the Serbs were outscored 29-3. Jokic’s absence made his team 26 points worse in a 40-minute contest, displaying just how badly Serbia needs the reigning MVP to succeed.
Jokic put up 20 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and four steals. Bogdan Bogdanovic, one of Jokic’s three Serbian teammates from the NBA, finished second in scoring for his country with 14 points on 14 shots. Bogdanovic played almost 28 minutes and finished with a -16 plus-minus.
The Joker is no stranger to carrying a hefty load. Over his last three seasons, Jokic has swung his team’s net rating by more than 22 points per 100 possessions – the best mark in the league by far – per Cleaning the Glass. The Nuggets have been a bottom-of-the-barrel team with Jokic on the bench during this time, but it didn’t stop them from cruising to a historic championship in 2023.
Team Serbia might need Nikola Jokic to play even more minutes
Jokic played close to 40 minutes a night during his epic title run, and he averaged more than 40 minutes in this year’s postseason. The Serbian sensation may need to average that kind of playing time for his country to make it out of Olympic group play this year.
In Group C of the Olympics, Team Serbia will also face off against Puerto Rico and South Sudan. Despite the relatively weaker competition, the Serbs should still make sure to play through their Hall-of-Fame center. Building good habits around Jokic could go a long way for the Serbian squad.
Jokic also showed serious improvement on the defensive end when the Nuggets won a title. His underrated activity in the passing lanes led to his quadruple-steal performance last game, and it played a big role in Serbia keeping up with Team USA in the Jokic minutes..
Given the lack of NBA talent on Team Serbia, Jokic did an incredible job to keep his countrymen afloat. The Team USA juggernaut struggled to contain the best player on the planet, a common theme for almost anyone who has ever dealt with the Joker.
In a battle of former MVPs, Jokic dominated Joel Embiid. Embiid somehow logged a -8 plus-minus in a 26-point win, meaning Team USA saw a 34-point positive swing with Embiid off the floor.
Jokic will play his next game of the Olympics on July 31 at 3 pm when Serbia takes on Puerto Rico. Jose Alvarado is the only current NBA player who plays for the Puerto Ricans, and his backcourt mate Tremont Waters used to play for the Boston Celtics.
Nuggets fans should expect another Jokic masterclass as Team Serbia looks for its first win at these Olympics. With the best player in the world on their side, the Serbs still have as good a chance as any to advance past the group stages.