Nobody thinks Serbia can beat Team USA in the Olympic semifinal on Thursday, but Kendrick Perkins has a different view.
After Nikola Jokic’s stunning performance against Australia, where Serbia came back from being 24 points down, Perkins shared his thoughts.
He praised Jokic for leading Serbia to the semifinals with only one other NBA player, Bogdan Bogdanovic, on ESPN’s “NBA Today.”
> “He proved that he’s still the best player in the world,” Perkins said of Jokic’s performance on Tuesday. “I know KD and Bron have been doing their thing [for Team USA], but at the end of the day, Jokic is still the best basketball player. He’s doing more with less. It’s not a knock on his teammates, but those guys are not stacked like Team USA.” “He is so dangerous that if there’s one individual who can rally a team and do it singlehandedly in all phases, Jokic is that guy. He’s done it multiple years in the NBA, and he’s doing it right now in the Olympics… Jokic scares everyone, including the guys representing our country.”
Kendrick Perkins’ Take:
Perkins believes nobody else knows how to win with less talent around them like Jokic. Last year he won an NBA title without any All-Star or All-NBA teammatesโsomething only Dirk Nowitzki did back in 2011. Also, since 1984 no MVP has won without an All-Star or top-tier teammate through their first nine seasons except for him.
Fans might think this makes Thursday’s game super exciting.
Jokic has played against Team USA stars many times in the NBA. He knows all their tricks and defensive movesโwhether it’s Joel Embiid or Anthony Davis trying to stop him.
These experiences will be crucial when he plays on Thursday.
When Serbia faced Team USA earlier at Paris Games opener, Jokic sat out nearly ten minutes (out of FIBAโs 40), during which his country was outscored 29-3! The score was tied at 81-81 when he was playing though. Donโt expect him to sit much this time; he played almost every minute against Australia!
Let’s hope for some thrilling basketball action as Jokic challenges Team USA to its limits!
What do you think? Will Jokic surprise everyone again?
