While the majority of NBA players are still enjoying the final days of their well-earned rest, their European counterparts have been active on another competitive front over the past two weeks. Despite the withdrawals of a worrying number of NBA players (31 to be precise), this year's edition of Eurobasket featured some amazing games and performances by NBA prospects and veterans.
Dennis Schroder (23.7 pts, 5.6 ast), Evan Fournier (15.8 pts), Bojan Bogdanović (22.5 pts, 4.8 reb), Jonas Valanciunas (15.8 pts, 12 reb), Kristaps Porzingis (23.6 pts, 5.9 reb) and other NBA Europeans have proven once again why they are important pieces of their respective teams “across the pond”, but ultimately fell short at their attempt of honoring their country with a medal. It is rather the Slovenians, who surprisingly ended the Spanish era of dominance in an incredibly humiliating fashion, and the Serbs, who played the USMNT in the Olympics final last year, that will battle it out in another European basketball classic.
In spite of the lingering skepticism towards Euro ball, there is a number of reasons why this finals matchup should intrigue NBA fans:
1. Classic European vs. NBA-ready team matchup
Igor Kokoshkov, a basketball savant who's been an assistant coach in the NBA since 2002, has completely transformed the Slovenian national team. The fast-paced brand of basketball he instilled upon his team left the opposing coaches completely clueless thus far. They entered riding a seven game win streak, mostly thanks to excellent shooting, efficient finishing in transition, and periods of individual inspiration by Goran Dragić and Luka Dončić. Most of their games, especially the one against Latvia led by Porzingis, had an undeniable NBA vibe.
On the other side, the Serbian team coached by Saša Đorđević entered the competition handicapped by the absence of their key NBA stars – Miloš Teodosić, Nikola Jokić and Nemanja Bjelica. However, their fierce mentality and constant focus on the end goal willed them all the way to the finals, which probably wouldn't be possible without the ingrained playstyle that made them arguably the second best European team of the century. Tough individual and coordinated team defense, offense predominantly oriented at gaining advantage through set plays, and just the general sense of not letting the foot off the gas both mentally and physically is what consistently gets them to the position they are currently in. Not necessarily attractive type of team basketball, but it gets the job done.
2. The NBA guard showdown.
Goran Dragić was nominally the best player on the court. The 30 year old Heat point guard was almost flawless over the course of the tournament, recording 21 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. Although other players played perfectly to their roles, such as Gašper Vidmar, sharpshooter Klemen Prepelič and naturalized Warriors' draftee Anthony Randolph, a lot of Slovenian success will depend on the Dragon's aggressive drive-and-kick game, smooth finishing and veteran leadership.
The Serbian backcourt, however, has a player to match. With the withdrawal of Miloš Teodosić due to alleged injury concern, Bogdan Bogdanović, the new shooting guard on the Kings' roster, was suddenly propelled to the role of the team leader. He handled the new expectations extremely well, posting an incredible 20.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5 assists per game. Bogdan is now the clear go-to guy when the Serbian team is in dire need of some individual creativity; he's proven to be an amazing scorer, especially in the clutch, and a surprisingly good distributor as well. His inside-out game with Boban Marjanović, the Pistons' 7'3” center, will definitely be one of the biggest threats for the Slovenian defense. If Buddy Hield is supposed to be the lite version of Stephen Curry, the addition of Bogdan Bogdanović could give the Kings an opportunity to field their own version of the Warriors' backcourt next season.
3. Luka Dončić. The hype is real. The 18-year old Slovenian wonderkid, dubbed as a surefire top three pick in 2018., has been truly impressive going head-to-head with grown men at the tournament. The level of maturity he plays with is virtually unparalleled at that age; his vision, decision-making in traffic and all-around skillset leaves all basketball fans who catch a glimpse of his talent breathless. Looking for any flaws in his game is a tough task. He's already an excellent scorer (15.1 points) with some serious NBA range, surprisingly good at cleaning the glass for his position (8.3 rebounds, good for fourth best at the Eurobasket) and an amazing facilitator (3.8 assists), which helps in taking the load off of Dragić's back. Some comparisons even go as far calling him the Mini Lebron, sans the insane athleticism. These comparisons and expectations definitely put a certain amount of pressure on Luka, although he repeatedly stated that they don't faze him much. One thing is sure though, GM's of teams that are looking forward to top 2018 draft positions will pay close attention to how Dončić reacts in one of the first career defining games of his basketball journey.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-_3IP_2YPY
Given the long period with lack of any NBA action, this heated matchup between two rival ex-Yugoslavian nations provided a dose of long-needed competitive basketball to all NBA fans. It was interesting to see Slovenia manage their high tempo, high volume shooting style of play, while deciding when to let Serbia slow the pace down and impose their recognizable brand of basketball. The veteran presence of Goran Dragić was a golden opportunity for him to lead his team to a historical achievement.
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