Nikola Dzokic appeared to have never left the basketball court as he returned to his actions with Serbia.
It was a typical modest offseason for Nicola Djokic, returning to his hometown, where he spent time in his family’s horse racing business.
Jokic’s final NBA action took place in Western Conference semi-final game 7 when the Denver Nuggets were defeated by the ultimate champion, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The previous MVP has returned to the court with Serbia. They are preparing for the upcoming Eurobasket tournament.
Nikola Zhokic and Serbia competed in a friendly game with Greece, which turned out to be a bit disappointing.
This is because fellow NBA superstar and former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t sit and play the game. They may meet at a later date.
Greece still pushed Serbia hard during the game, but it had no edge and when Nikola Djokic returned to play in the fourth quarter after sitting in the third, they pulled away to record a 76-66 victory.
Jokic was his typical dominant self. He scored 23 points and recorded 19 rebounds in 27 minutes of action.
He didn’t have to be at his best. For each sofa score, I shot 2-2 from 3 and 8-14 from the field. He also only had four assists, but probably said more about his teammates.
Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nikola Jovic were Jokic’s next highest scorer Serb players, with nine points each.
Serbia is one of the favourites of the Eurobasket tournament, and their hopes rest on Nikola Djokic.
The game shows him as a model of consistency, and his national reporting responded to excitement about his performance.
Serbian outlet Mozzato Sports writes:
“We didn’t play near the real possibility of an offensive, and in the end there were good and bad moments, like Nikola Djokic’s pure, timeless talented defense.
“It’s clear to the eye that he’s not in the best shape yet, but Jokic played a great game. He’s like a real giant.”
Kurir’s newspaper looked at Serbian performance critically and wondered what the outcome was without joking.
Their headlines say, “What would happen if he didn’t come back from vacation? Look at what Nikola Jokic did to the Greeks. Everyone is incredible.”
Their report added: “This was a Nikola Jokic textbook match. Remember, “The Joker” has not yet reached the peak of his form. ”
Serbian outlet Mond posted, “The Serbian centre literally did whatever he wanted in the match.”
Djokic’s Serbia is next active in the Super Cup with the Czech Republic on August 15th.