The 2024 Paris Olympics has kicked off and the first few basketball games have commenced. Team USA Basketball once again comes into the tournament as the odds-on favorite to take home the gold. While the states have taken home the gold in the last four Olympic games, many believe that the 2024 team is the best put together since the Dream Team. In the exhibition stage, Team USA went 5-0, but all five games were much closer than expected.
Whether it could be rust or just not giving 100%, it is not a hyperbole to say that Team USA disappointed in early action. Now, they get a chance to defend their goal, starting with Nikola Jokic’s Serbia team in the first round of action.
Team Serbia Basketball Employs Four NBA Players
There is no doubt that the United States has the much better team in this game, but Team Serbia has the best player. Nikola Jokic is a top-three player in not only the NBA, but the world. The thing is he certainly lacks the support that he has with the Denver Nuggets. While Jamal Murray, Michael Porter and Aaron Gordon aren’t here, it is not like Jokic has no help. His teammates include Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nikola Jovic and Vasilije Micic. The standout of that group is Bogdan Bogdanovic, who averaged just short of 17 points per game for the Atlanta Hawks this past season.
Bogdanovic is a knockdown three-point shooter, and a sneaky trash-talker, who will always put his heart on the line. Nikola Jovic had somewhat of a breakout season for the Miami Heat this season, averaging 7.7 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game 2 assists per game on 45% shooting. As for Micic, he put together a 10.8/2.1/6.2 line last season for the Charlotte Hornets.
As I said before, Team Serbia is going to go as far as Jokic takes them. In the first matchup against Team USA, the Americans destroyed the Serbians, winning 105-79. That game did not feature Bogdanovic though. Bogdanovic is certainly good enough to put a dent into that 26-point differential. Team Serbia plays with a great synergy that provides great spacing with Jokic and Bogdanovic’s three-point shooting. The problem is that rebounding could be an issue if Jokic is outside of the paint. The Serbians do not have a body to match up with Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis or Bam Adebayo. While Jovic provided great minutes for the Heat last season, he is certainly not good enough to keep up with the likes of LeBron James or Jayson Tatum.
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Team USA Basketball Defense Should Outclass Team Serbia
As stated before, Team USA basketball is by far the more talented team here. What stands out to me about the Americans is their athleticism. That athleticism stands out when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. What also works in the American’s favor here is the international rules. With the lack of a defensive three seconds, Team USA has a little more flexibility to pack the paint against Jokic. Nikola Jokic is going to step out to the three-point line, which can hurt, but in the grand scheme of it, keeping Jokic out of the painting is probably the key to success here.
Adding players like Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White to lock down the perimeter will be tough for the Serbians to counteract. As we have seen in the NBA Playoffs recently, Anthony Davis has struggled to guard Jokic, but if Steve Kerr rotates Adebayo and Embiid on Jokic, I think the Americans can neutralize the best player in this whole tournament. With Holiday on the team, players like Steph Curry can relax on defense and focus on scoring.
Best Bet for Team USA Basketball vs Team Serbia
With Team USA coming in as 12.5-point favorites, I am looking at the total here. At 181.5, I like the under, based upon Team USA’s ample defensive presence. On top of that, we have seen Team USA take a little while to build synergy, I can see the Americans get off to a slow start. Look for Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo and Jrue Holiday to win this game on the defensive end for Team USA.
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