Serbia has rocked up to EuroBasket 2025 with the strongest and deepest roster in the tournament. While teams such as Luka Doncic’s Slovenia and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece do not have the depth to rival Jokic and company, Dennis Schroder’s Germany may lack the same kind of firepower that Serbia boasts.
Leading the way are Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic, with Nikola and Stevan Jovic, Vanja Marinkovic, Vasilije Micic and Tristan Vukcevic providing an ideal mix of experience and youthful athleticism. Serbia have been commanding during buildup to say the least, having won each of their seven preparation games for the tournament set to tip off on August 27.
For a nation still looking for its first EuroBasket gold after finishing as runners-up in 2009 and 2017, the upcoming tournament is a major opportunity to bring an end to the drought. Here, we look at three bold predictions for Serbia at EuroBasket 2025.
Nikola Jokic, Serbia will win Group A
The Serbians are placed in Group A alongside hosts Latvia, Czechia, Turkey, Estonia and Portugal. They are expected to have a steamrolling run into the knockout stages with the top-four teams set to qualify.
Serbia posted a dominant win over Czechia on August 15, and did not break sweat throughout the seven-game run. It began with a win over Bosnia & Herzegovina, and concluded with a dominant showing against Slovenia. What was expected to be a showdown between two of the best players in the tournament, in Doncic and Jokic, quickly turned into a rout. Serbia beat Slovenia 106-72.
Jokic had 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists in that contest, per Basket News, and was not even the best player on the court. And that in itself is evidence of the fact that Serbia is not a one-man team. In addition to boasting the three-time MVP winner, they have multiple players who can step up, are strong defensively, and have the depth to maintain levels throughout games.
Serbia’s other superstars will ball out
Against Slovenia, Jokic was not the best player for his team. That title belonged to Jovic instead, who was the top scorer for his team with 18 points while adding seven rebounds. On the other hand, Bogdanovic added 14 points of his own while converting three of his four 3-pointers on the night.
Multiple other players have showed up during the seven preparation games. Aleksa Avramović shot lights out towards the end of the Greece game, with Jokic even having the luxury of resting in crucial matches already.
While that is not expected to happen at the actual tournament, Serbia have multiple other players to bank on. Unlike other nations that may be guilty of sending out their superstars without the requisite help they need to land the gold, Serbia find themselves as favorites because all signs point to a dominant tournament.
Nikola Jokic will win EuroBasket MVP
While Jokic was not overworked, he still showed exactly what sets him apart from the rest of the competition in multiple games. Against a Giannis-less Greece, he produced 23 points and 19 rebounds. Against Bosnia, Jokic came closest to a triple-double with 20 points, 19 rebounds and nine assists.
While a range of games did not even need the Denver Nuggets superstar to be in top form, Jokic has shown plenty of evidence of the fact that he is set to have a big tournament. Serbia may be the strongest team at EuroBasket this time around.
However, they finished ninth in the previous iteration and will need to be at their best to ensure a straightforward run, especially in the latter stages. Jokic can be expected to be at the forefront of everything they achieve, and we expect him to emerge as the MVP in the process.
