Nikola Jokic will not play in 2023 FIBA World Cup
Serbia announced its 20-man extended roster for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, but the nation’s top player, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, was not included. NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed that Jokic would not play in the tournament Monday.
A fine mixture of tradition and talented prospects #FIBAWC x #WinForSrbija pic.twitter.com/T4nusRa7Un
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 (@FIBAWC) July 24, 2023
It is easy to understand why Jokic will not participate in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The All-NBA center faced a massive workload in the 2022-23 NBA Season. In the regular season, he played in 69 games; however, he played an additional 21 games in the playoffs as he led Denver to its first championship in franchise history.
The two-time MVP would have certainly been a welcomed addition to Serbia’s 2023 squad. Jokic is coming off an outstanding season where he averaged 24.5 points,11.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game. Needless to say, he would have been the most influential piece of Serbia’s roster.
In the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Jokic competed on Team Serbia and help the team take fifth.
It is not atypical for NBA stars to sit out of national tournaments. This is most evident in the copious amount of top players that will not suit up for Team USA. Although, elite players that represent smaller nations are more likely to play. For example, Luka Doncic is listed on Slovenia’s extended roster.
Serbia will still be able to field a competitive team without Jokic. The nation’s roster features quality NBA players like Bogdan Bogdanovic, Bojan Bogdanovic, Aleksej Pokusevski and Nikola Jovic.
In the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Serbia will be in Group B alongside South Sudan, China and Puerto Rico. Despite missing Jokic, Serbia should still be competitive and will have a good opportunity to make it out of the initial group stage.
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