Nikola Jokic is widely regarded as the best player in the world, and Bogdan Bogdanovic has witnessed his greatness first-hand with the Serbian national team. Bogdanovic was asked what makes Jokic so special during an interview with Eurohoops, and he gave an answer that you might not expect.
“I think everybody knows about his IQ and feel for the game, but what is really making him special, I think, is his basketball shape for his size," Bogdanovic said. "The ability to run and his conditioning."
Jokic tends to look tired when he's on the court, but he has great endurance. He can run around for longer than you might think, and a lot of this is down to his decision to start taking better care of his body back in 2019.
Jokic drank three litres of Coca-Cola per day before he came to the NBA, and couldn't even hold a plank position for 20 seconds upon arrival. While he took some steps in the right direction over the years, he realized they weren't enough after the Portland Trail Blazers eliminated the Denver Nuggets in the 2019 playoffs.
According to ESPN, Jokic underwent a physical transformation that offseason, losing 20 to 30 pounds while gaining muscle. That shift in focus continues to pay dividends even today.
Jokic averaged 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 10.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Nuggets in 2024-25. The 30-year-old finished second in the MVP race, which in turn meant he had ranked in the top two in each of the last five seasons. He is the third player in NBA history, after Bill Russell and Larry Bird, to pull that off.
There is so much to like about Jokic's game, and Bogdanovic pointed to what impresses him the most.
“His front vision, I feel, he knows what's going to happen steps ahead," Bogdanovic stated.
Even LeBron James had stated that Jokic sees plays before they happen. Both of them have high basketball IQ and are able to read the game better than most. It's a big reason why their teams have been so good over the years.
Bogdanovic, Serbia's captain, stated that playing alongside this version of Jokic makes him more confident about his chances of winning than with anyone else. These two are hoping to power the country to its first EuroBasket title since 2001.
Serbia is the favorite, but they will face some tough challenges. Bogdanovic pointed to Spain, France, and Germany as their biggest threats in the tournament. He also spoke glowingly about two of the other big superstars in it, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic, when asked what makes them special.
"I feel like when you play against [Antetokounmpo], he's just athleticism," Bogdanovic said. "You can’t make mistakes against him because he is punishing it all the time. His ability to play defense as well, it's not easy to go around him. And there's no easy shots with him. And also when he's running in transition, so these three things are pretty much unstoppable."
As for Doncic, Bogdanovic stated he is capable of killing any team in the tournament because of his ability to go off for 50 or 60 points. It will be fascinating to see how this edition pans out.
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