How strong is Serbia without Jokic?

World Championships and Olympic Games are the ultimate in most sports. Those are the tournaments you want and need to be at. But that doesn’t necessarily apply in basketball. The North American NBA outshines everything and that’s why some top stars voluntarily forgo the World Cup in the Far East in order to prepare for the new season with their clubs. This circumstance could well have an influence on our Serbia vs. China tip.

The Serbs would be one of the favorites to win at least one medal. In addition, there is for the best two European teams, in addition to France, the ticket for the Olympics next year in Paris on top. Nevertheless, perhaps the best basketball player in the world at the moment will not be taking part in the World Championships in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. Nikola Jokic is not part of the Serbian squad.

Nevertheless, the preliminary round should only be a formality for Svetislav Pesic’s team. The opponents from Puerto Rico, South Sudan and China are all of manageable quality. Anything other than a secure group win for the Serbs would be a sensation and therefore the forecast in this opening match between Serbia and China can only go to a clear Serbian success.

The Chinese had great times, when they even had a real superstar in their own ranks with Yao Ming. In the meantime, the Dragons have lost some ground even in the Asian field.

Serbia – statistics & current form

Svetislav Pesic is an absolute basketball legend. With Germany, the coach of the Serbs sensationally became European champion in 1993. With Yugoslavia, he even managed to triumph at the World Championship in 2002. He has also won numerous titles with Serbian, German and Spanish clubs. Now he is expected to lead the Serbian team to a successful World Cup and the prospects are not bad at all.

Serbia without many key players

Fortuna meant it very well with the Serbs during the draw. First place in the preliminary round should not be a big problem. In the intermediate round, they will probably play Italy and possibly the Philippines. The quarterfinals are therefore the minimum target, even if several top-class players such as Nikola Jokic, Vladimir Lucic, Nikola Kalinic and Vasilije Micic are not available.

Nevertheless, the Serbs have a squad with which they can aim for big goals. With Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nikola Jovic and Filip Petrusev, three players play in the NBA and have nevertheless decided to participate in the World Cup. In addition, there are numerous players who are under contract with top European clubs and play at the highest level every week.

Therefore, it should be clear that in the duel between Serbia and China you should only play the odds that have something to do with a clear Serbian victory. In the test matches there were four partly clear victories and only one narrow defeat against the strong Italians. Therefore, the Serbs seem to be well prepared even without their superstar and when you have Svetislav Pesic as coach on the bench, everything always seems possible anyway.

Predicted lineup of Serbia:
Avramovic, Bogdanovic, Davidovac, Dobric, Guduric, N. Jovic, S. Jovic, Marinkovic, Milutinov, Petrusev, Ristic, Simanic – Coach: Pesic

China – statistics & current form

For Aleksandar Djordjevic, the World Cup opener is anything but a normal game. As an active player, the current coach of the Chinese became world and European champion with Yugoslavia in the late 1990s. He also won silver at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. At several stations as players and coaches, Djordjevic and Svetislav Pesic have narrowly missed each other in terms of time. Nevertheless, the two coaches naturally know each other very well.

Djordjevic as joker

Among others, Aleksandar Djordjevic was coach of the Serbian national team from 2013 to 2019 and knows the first World Cup opponent for his Chinese like the back of his hand. However, it is doubtful whether this will be to his advantage given the quality of his team. In any case, we wouldn’t go so far as to predict a victory for the Asians between Serbia and China.

The Chinese don’t have any big stars in their team. Except for naturalized Kyle Anderson of the Minnesota Timberwolves, everyone plays in the Chinese league. Anderson, however, can’t be called a superstar either. He’s more of a glue guy, meaning someone who’s good for team cohesion and atmosphere. Nevertheless, his experience naturally gives him the qualities to stand out for the Dragons.

At times during the preparation, the Chinese showed what they are capable of. However, there were also some very clear defeats, including a 49-point difference against the German selection. In the last match, the team of Aleksandar Djordjevic was defeated by Serbia with a difference of 23 points. This should say everything about the balance of power before this match.

Predicted lineup of China:
Anderson, Cui Yongxi, Fu Hao, Hu Jinqiu, Hu Mingxuan, Wang Zhelin, Zhang Zhenlin, Zhao Jiwei, Zhau Rui, Zhou Peng, Zhu Junlong, Zhou Qi – Coach: Djordjevic

Serbia – China Direct comparison / H2H record

There have been matches between the former Yugoslavia and China. However, if we look purely at the encounters between Serbia and the Dragons from the Middle Kingdom, there are five matches to date. In the direct comparison, the Serbs are 4-1 up, with the first match at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens going to the Asians.

However, Serbia has won all of its other four matches. The last encounter was less than a week ago. Last Sunday, the Serbs won clearly with 87:64, which should be a clear indication that the second suit in Svetislav Pesic’s team also fits, at least when it comes to China. The basis of this clear victory was a terrific 11:0 run of the Serbs at the beginning of the match.

Serbia – China tip

It’s a great pity that the Serbs didn’t leave for the Philippines with a full band. Especially Nikola Jokic will be missing from this tournament. If the currently arguably best basketball player in the world does not participate in the World Cup, even though his team has qualified, it is extremely unfortunate. Nevertheless, the Serbs have a strong team. Getting through the preliminary round should only be a formality.

For China, on the other hand, Saturday’s match should only be a warm-up. The subsequent duels against South Sudan and Puerto Rico will be decisive for their progress to the main round. Whether China coach Aleksandar Djordjevic will give some players a little less playing time to have them fresh for the important duels is hard to say.

It is interesting to note that both teams met for a test match just last week. The clear victory of the Serbs with 23 points made it clear what we can expect in the World Cup opener, namely a clear affair for Svetislav Pesic’s team. That’s why we decided to play the betting odds on a handicap win (-17.5) points for the Serbs between Serbia and China.