The incredible seasons that Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic have had got me thinking about the kind of international team that could be assembled today if Yugoslavia were still united.
Historical Context
Before Yugoslavia collapsed, it finished with the silver medal over Team USA in 1988, featuring stars like Vlade Divac, Toni Kukoc, Drazen Petrovic, Dino Radja, and Stojko Vrankovic. Most were 20 to 21 years old at the time, and we never got to see what they would have been capable of against the Dream Team in their prime.
Even if Yugoslavia were still united, it would be a relatively small country. Serbia won Silver in 2016 with only 6 million people, and the fact that a country of only 2 million people like Slovenia can compete and finish 4th in Tokyo against much larger countries is remarkable. It’s a testament of the talent of Luka Doncic. Combining these countries would create a team with a population more comparable to other strong basketball nations, enhancing their competitive edge. As it stands population size wise even the biggest country, it’s more like South Carolina or Wisconsin who are about 6 million each to put it into perspective for Americans.
A hypothetical Yugoslavian team in 2024, with cornerstones like Jokic and Doncic, would certainly have a great chance at gold. Let’s take a look at what other former Yugoslavian countries have today that could have been put around them.
Potential Yugoslavian Team Roster of Recent NBA Players
Nikola Jokic
Luka Doncic
Bojan Bogdanovic
Jusuf Nurkic
Mario Hezonja
Dario Saric
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Nemanja Bjelica
Aleksej Pokusevski
Alen Smailagic
Milos Teodosic
Goran Dragic
Vlatko Cancar
Nikola Mirotic
Nikola Vucevic
Cedi Osman
Ivica Zubac
Nikola Jović
These are the names NBA fans would recognize, and I didn’t even list a few like Boban Marjanovic and Dragan Bender, whom I thought would have little chance of making the team. As you can see, this hypothetical team would be loaded with big men, similar to how Spain was in 2008. Obviously, all of them can’t play, and there would be non-NBA names needed on the wing and at guard to fill out this team. That would be the biggest weakness, as it is for many international teams, trying to guard USA wings like Kevin Durant. The counter to that is any USA team would certainly have their hands full with Jokic and Doncic, who might be two of the top two players in the NBA currently.
Bojan Bogdanovic as the third option, given the way he has played this season, fills out the team well. He’s averaging 20.9 points per game on 63.4% true shooting and playing nearly half of his minutes at the wing. He’s also capable of playing at power forward and would fit well with Doncic and Jokic’s rebounding abilities. Cedi Osman might be the closest NBA player a Yugoslavian team would have as a wing stopper. He plays on the wing in the NBA and even played 32% of his minutes at shooting guard last season, so I think it’s possible he starts given the lack of other options. The team would need a more defensive-focused spot-up shooter. Bogdan Bogdanovic is also quietly having a nice season, averaging 17.7 points per game on 58.1% true shooting. Putting another 40+% three-point shooter around passers like Jokic and Doncic would be trouble. He played 73% of his minutes at shooting guard last season and is capable of defending there.
Defensive Strategy
This hypothetical team could also go bigger at power forward. Any team that could bring talents like Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Vucevic off the bench is stacked. There would probably even have to be some NBA players cut from this team in the post. There simply aren’t enough minutes or room on the roster. They would need more defensive role-player wings and guards to fill out the rest of the team, in my opinion. They already have plenty of offensive engines with guys like Jokic and Doncic. Their fifth or sixth options are nearly 18 points per game type of NBA scorers currently.
Conclusion
If this team had played this summer internationally, it would likely be the best non-NBA team ever assembled. If it had played last year in Tokyo, it probably would have won a gold medal.
