Jusuf Nurkic, preparing to face Greece, reflected on the unique challenge of defending Giannis Antetokounmpo in EuroBasket. He compared the NBA’s open floor to FIBA’s congested paint, while making an assessment of Giannis’ past performances.
When Bosnia and Herzegovina step onto the floor to face Greece on Tuesday afternoon for EuroBasket Group C, the storyline writes itself: Jusuf Nurkic against Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Player of the Game
Simone Fontecchio
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Simone Fontecchio
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One anchors his team through bruising battles in the paint, the other dominates with relentless speed and power. And for Nurkic, the key to survival is simple in theory, brutal in execution — build the wall.
Bosnian Beast vs. Greek Freak
Nurkic's eagerness to bring home what could be Bosnia's second win in the tournament will be tested. The Milwaukee Bucks superstar has already piled up 56 points and 15 rebounds on 74.2% shooting in his first two games, battering Italy and Georgia in the process.
“Of course, you’ve got to slow down Giannis. You’ve got to build the wall for him,” Nurkic said.
“He’s not the only one. We have to contain everybody else. We can’t allow so many threes like tonight. When we build the wall, we’ve got to still protect the three-point line. That’s going to be a key. Slow him down on the fast break, which is his number one thing to do.”
A different task
Nurkic faced Giannis often enough to know the task never ends.
“I think it’s different. Now he’s playing more at the '5'. Obviously, he will have to defend too," he pointed out.
Italy's captain Nicolo Melli quipped that the only way to stop Giannis is with a sniper in the stands. Nurkic hadn't seen the quotes when asked, but his respect for the Greek superstar was clear.
"He's a great player, man. MVP type of player in the NBA...
"But you've got to slow him down by stopping the transition and by forcing him to take many jump shots.
That's what everybody does, and that's how you defend such a high-motor guy who can really run the floor well and bring the ball full court in three dribbles. So it's a team effort. It's not a single-player effort," he argued.
Jusuf Nurkic
Jusuf Nurkic
Position: C
Age: 31
Height: 213 cm
Weight: 132 kg
Birth place: Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Nurkic also reflected on the differences between Giannis in the NBA and in FIBA play.
Credit AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin
“Of course he’s different. In the NBA he has so much space, with shooters like Brook Lopez spreading the floor, he’s almost unstoppable. Here it’s another game — no defensive three seconds, so much happening in the paint — but he’s still a dominant player,” the Bosnian center said.
Is it easier in FIBA play than in the NBA? Nurkic acknowledged that the tighter court and different rules offer some relief, but not much.
"A FIBA setting is probably a little easier than an NBA setting because he's spacing the floor better in the NBA than here," he opined.
"But he's still going to score his points. I think it's most important to think what everybody else around him is going to do, not just what Giannis will do.
Giannis is going to do what he does and score the points. You're not going to be able to stop Giannis by getting in the paint or something like that.
But what you can control is what his teammates are going to do, how many shots people are going to make around him," Nurkic stressed.
And if anyone can maximize the Greek Freak’s impact in FIBA basketball, Nurkic pointed to one man: coach Vassilis Spanoulis.
“Of course he can," he responded when asked about whether the former EuroLeague scoring king can bring out the best in Giannis.
"If a legend can’t find it, then no one can find it.”
Giorgos Kyriakidis
Born and raised in Athens, Giorgos Kyriakidis turned his passion for writing and basketball into a career. With a BA in Communication & Media Studies and an MA in Sport, Culture & Society, he’s spent nearly two decades reporting, commentating, and interviewing for outlets like Athens Municipal Radio and TalkBasket. Since 2021, he’s been a staff writer for BasketNews.
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