Nikola Jokic’s summer misery continued after his early elimination from the Eurobasket in 2025.
Following a 4-3 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA playoffs, Nikola Djokic had the opportunity to redeem in the 2025 Eurobasket.
After all, Serbia was considered one of its favorites to win gold in the competition. However, the Serbian campaign was cut short by Finland during the 16 matches.
Finland soared into the quarterfinals of the competition, fans were surprised at the elimination of Jokic. But what was the real reason behind the defeat? ESPN’s Tim Regler appears to have an idea.
During the 2024-25 NBA season, Jokic carried the Denver Nuggets to his back for most of the season.
The Nuggets faced the rage of Jokic’s heavy workload. This was the key reason behind Serbia’s 92-86 upset defeat at the hands of the Finnish basketball team, according to Legler.
“I thought he really looked like he’d been in the gas, and for them, it’s summer. Essentially, they’re ready to camp here right away.
“They’re coming out of the summer and coming out of the longest break, but I’m sure they’re training together and he plays a lot of games,” Legler said on all NBA podcasts.
That’s not all. Legoler feels that the “emotions” that represent his national team also played a role in the loss of upset.
“So he’s probably in a better shape than there are a lot of people around this time of the year, but he seemed really tired.
“It drains your adrenaline. It’s really true. Your lungs start to burn. You’re hard to breathe because it’s very physical and it makes a lot of sense.
Even with fatigue settling, Jokic was his usual self, at least in terms of numbers. After all, the Joker finished the game with 33 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
He was also very efficient from the floor and shot nine-thirds from the field. So, what went wrong with Jokic? Legler explained next.
“And among some of those possessions he didn’t touch on it, I don’t know if he looked like he was in a position to run down there, post and do anything.
“He was breathing a bit of air and running up and down the floor, so I thought Finland had taken advantage of it,” concluded Legler.
Either way, Jokic’s journey at Eurobasket is over as the 3x NBA MVP prepares for the 2025-26 season with the Nuggets.