On Thursday, Team USA will take on Team Serbia in the semifinal of the men’s basketball tournament at the Paris Olympics. The star-studded roster is expected to continue on its merry way and secure a berth in the final against Team France, who pulled off an upset win over Team Germany in the other semi. But Steve Kerr is wary of the threat Nikola Jokic poses as he anointed him the best player in the world.
In an interview with Rachel Nichols ahead of Team USA’s semifinal clash, the veteran head coach heaped praise on the Serbian center. He claimed that the three-time NBA MVP is capable of leading his tenacious team to the final. He said,
“[Nikola Jokic] is the best player in the world… We have 12 of the best players in the world and they would all tell you he’s the #1 guy right now. And he’s so good that he’s capable of carrying his team.”
View this post on Instagram
Kerr added that Jokic isn’t the sole threat on the Serbian roster. He gave props to his teammates and the coaching staff, noting that they are a well-drilled team and play excellent defense. The head coach claimed that he intends to use every resource at his disposal to slow down the center and the rest of the team and is banking on his defense to get the job done.
The two teams have already met twice in the last three weeks. They first battled in an exhibition game, which finished 105-79 in Team USA’s favor. Their second meeting was in their Olympic tournament opener, which Serbia lost by 26 points.
Since that loss, Jokic has been splendid. He has averaged 19 points, 14 rebounds, 7.3 assists, two steals, and 1.3 blocks in their last three matches and led them to the semifinals. The center engineered a 24-point comeback win in the quarterfinal against Tokyo Olympics’ bronze-medalists Australia.
While Team USA is the heavy favorite, Jokic’s presence gives his nation a chance of pulling off the greatest upset in Olympic basketball history. As Kerr noted, the entire roster knows how surgical the Serbian center can be. They’ve all been on the receiving end of an exceptional performance from the Nuggets superstar.
Team France is expecting to face Team USA in a repeat of the gold medal match from Tokyo on Saturday. However, Victor Wembanyama and Co. won’t discount the possibility of facing the best player in the world.
