Loss hits the wrong nerve, and that’s what happened when two NBA stars locked horns in Europe. Luka Doncic against Nikola Jokic. Even though they have a head-to-head 9-9 record, the same didn’t translate in Europe. The 1-5 win record for the Luka Doncic-led Team Slovenia got worse after the team lost its final tune-up game against the Nikola Jokic-led Team Serbia (7-0). Therefore, the humbling 106-72 loss wasn’t the only frustration for Luka Doncic. A report that the Lakers star shared “strong words” with his teammates after the game left fans and media wondering if the Slovenian locker room was falling apart. Before the issue got out of hand, someone had to step up, and Edo Muric had to be the one.

Fortunately, the incident doesn’t seem to have created wide tensions in Team Slovenia’s locker room. Edo Muric, the former captain of the national team, recently spoke to BasketNews where he revealed that “I don’t like to talk about what’s going on in the team. Yes, we had a conversation. We cleared up a lot of things, and said what needed to be said”. Instead of forming any tension, Muric discussed Luka Doncic’s exchange of ‘strong words’ by stating that “This defeat actually brought us even closer”. But this kind of emotional, hyper-competitive drive is nothing new for Luka Doncic.

As NBA reporter Jeff Pagaduan reported, the Lakers star’s frustration “isn’t coming from a place of malice. Doncic simply wants to win, and he is very emotional in the way he carries himself, as has been the case throughout his career.” This was seen after he visibly displayed his frustration with the officiating after losing a game to the Brooklyn Nets back in March.

After the Lakers were eliminated, the player admitted that “I’m mentally kind of exhausted after everything that happened. I know a lot of people won’t believe me, but I am.” Given these past instances and the 1-6 record, Luka Doncic‘s feelings become relatable. However, as the Slovenian HC highlighted, there are some things over which the roster cannot have control. One of those things is a clear ‘quality gap’.

Aleksander Sekulic Points To ‘Quality Gap’ As Key Reason For Luka Doncic & Co’s Misfortune

Luka Doncic entered the 2025 EuroBasket preparation series in what ‘Fadeaway World’ described as “the best physical condition of his career”. During the offseason, the Slovenian reportedly lost around 10 to 12 kilograms (22 to 26 pounds). Therefore, he is primed to put his best foot forward while representing Slovenia at the 2025 EuroBasket. Unfortunately, with losses mounting, the team’s HC has realized that the same cannot be said about everyone.

After the defeat against Serbia, Aleksander Sekulic acknowledged that Luka Doncic was visibly frustrated. He stated that “He had a big desire, and he tried a lot in defense, too.” At the same time, Sekulic added that “Maybe he will have to accept a little that quality matters too here. Simply, opponents were much better. We let them look much better, too, and that’s what we have to work on. And everyone has to help Luka, both players on the court and on the bench.”

Team Slovenia’s roster isn’t made up of too many players who have boasted of being a part of the big leagues. The squad currently features one NBA player and one Euroleague player, and the remaining reportedly belong to lower leagues. On the other side, Team Serbia’s roster is stacked with 5 NBA players and 7 Euroleague players.

With aspirations to emerge victorious in the tournament, Sekulic reportedly stressed that the Slovenian roster must step up if the team hopes to leave a mark at EuroBasket, which begins on August 27th. After all, Serbia opened the game with a 10–0 run, took a 33–23 lead in the first quarter, and then went into a further 16–5 surge early in the second period as the score at halftime stood at 64-36. Despite shooting just 2-of-10 from deep and recording 3 turnovers, Luka still recorded 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.

With Team Slovenia set to face Poland a few days from now, it remains to be seen whether the words of the squad’s star player and HC affect the rest of the players.