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Even without Nikola Jokic, Serbia will have some NBA Finals experience with them in Nikola Jovic for the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
He played sparingly during the entire NBA playoffs, mainly because Jimmy Butler needed to play extended minutes as the Miami Heat's starting small forward. However, Jovic thinks he gained enough experience to be of good help for Serbia to make a deep run in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Speaking to reporters, including that of Sportskeeda, on Thursday night after Serbia's practice at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Jovic said:
"It helped me a lot. Seeing guys at that level, you're not gonna see guys compete more than what we did and what they did in the finals."
Nikola Jovic's Heat faced off with Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals, with Jokic's team prevailing in five games.
Despite falling short, however, Jovic cherished the NBA Finals experience, especially since it was his rookie season with Miami.
He further said:
"The experience is just to the roof for me, and I think it's gonna help to get to another level."
Nikola Jovic shifts focus to FIBA World Cup
Now that Year 1 is over for him in the NBA, Nikola Jovic shifted his attention to the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Serbia is tipped to top Group B, which also consists of China, South Sudan and Puerto Rico, with some projections even saying that the team could vie for a medal.
However, Jovic said that there is no reason to rest on their laurels come the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
He said:
"We're just gonna give everything we have. We're gonna compete, and we're gonna do whatever we can to be the best version of ourselves."
He added that Serbia is eyeing an outright qualification for the Paris Olympics:
"We're gonna see how it's gonna go. Of course, the goal is to get to qualify for the Olympics."
Serbia must finish among the two best European teams in the FIBA Basketball World Cup, regardless of whether it wins the championship or not, to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
