SERBIA has established itself as one of the best basketball nations in the world and not even the absence of two of its top stars could dim their shine in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade.
Gilas Pilipinas coach Tab Baldwin made that assertion on Monday, saying the Serbians remain formidable despite not having 2021 NBA MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Bogdan Bogdanovic of the Atlanta Hawks.
"How do I see them without Bogdan and Jokic? I see them as world class, I see them [as] elite," he said on Monday, going as far as saying, "I would think Serbia right now, arguably, is in the top three teams in the world."
Serbia is currently ranked No. 5 in the world and won the silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Baldwin feels they are better than that ranking.
"Obviously if they had Jokic and Bogdanovic, that would probably cement that thinking. But this is a country that continuously produces great players, great teams, and just as important, maybe the best coaches in the world."
Jokic and Bogdanovic had big parts in Serbia's 59-point mugging of the Philippines, 126-67, in the group stages of the 2019 Fiba World Cup in China and a 94-89 victory over the United States en route to its fifth place finish.
But the two aren't the only marquee names which aren't part of this Serbian team.
Other notable absentees in coach Igor Kokoskov's lineup are Oklahoma City Thunder's Aleksej Pokusevski and Golden State Warriors' Alen Smailagic.
No Jokic, no problem for Serbia
Nonetheless, Serbia still has a potent roster led by veteran point guard Milos Teodosic, Euroleague MVP Vasilije Micic, Dallas Mavericks center Boban Marjanovic, Miami Heat forward Nemanja Bjelica, and youth team star Filip Petrusev.
That, to Baldwin, still means trouble for Gilas Pilipinas ahead of their July 1 match.
Gilas Pilipinas plays Serbia on July 1 (Manila time) at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall, with both nations seeking to snag the lone ticket to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
"When you put all of that together, you should expect extremely high-caliber basketball team. And now that they're playing for the Olympics, and at home, you put all that together and you have a formula for a great team," he said.
"That's what we expect to run out to the court against in a couple of days."
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