NBA Champion Makes Nikola Jokic & Dennis Schroder Prediction After Latest EuroBasket Drama

“His integrity with the team and his behavior in general are really a great example for everyone who wants to become like Nikola, a superstar and NBA leader,” said former NBA star Vasilije Micic when praising Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets’ big man has been carrying that reputation onto the international stage as well, leading Team Serbia to wins in three of their last four games.

Meanwhile, over in Germany, Dennis Schroder has been just as impactful, guiding his squad to an unbeaten 4-0 run over the weekend. With both European stars in peak form, it didn’t take long for a former NBA player to step in with a bold prediction about what might unfold at EuroBasket.

‘BasketNews’ recently interviewed Atlanta Hawks and Latvia national team star Kristaps Porzingis. After the win against Portugal, Team Latvia now stands at the 3rd place in Group A. The 2025 NBA champion believes that “the trajectory is going in the right direction” for his national team. Despite that, he wasn’t willing to admit that Germany comes in his list of the favourites to win EuroBasket 2025. In fact, when asked, he openly admitted, “Probably Serbia and Germany, I would say. This is me guessing. But yeah, as I said, in one game anything can happen, so nobody’s invincible”.

Team Serbia and Team Germany had clashed a little after mid-August as part of the Preparation games. For the 6th year in a row, Serbia defeated the FIBA Basketball World Cup winners by a 91-81 score in the Final of the DBB SuperCup.

The game wasn’t one of Jokic’s best, as he only scored 7 points through 3-5 (60%) field goals, 0-2 (0%) 3-pointers, and 1-2 (50%) free throws. Meanwhile, Dennis Schroder had better luck as he recorded 2-3 (66%) field goals, 2-8 (25%) 3-pointers, and 2-2 (100%) free throws. Despite this, a few days after the game, Schroder went on the record to state, “He says he doesn’t want to be remembered in the books for basketball, but for how good he is as a father. But as a player, he’s the best in the world”.

With both players currently leaving a mark with their respective teams, it’s hard to know who possesses the advantage. However, if the team’s recent performances are an indication, then the Serbian and his teammates need to step up their game.

Nikola Jokic Loses To ‘Baby Jokic’ While Dennis Schroder Dominates Over Finland

A tale of two cities. Two different results. The Team Serbia vs Team Türkiye was a highly anticipated one, since the latter team had Alperen Sengun, who has often been compared to the 3x NBA MVP. On Wednesday, he proved why, as he recorded 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists on a 10-17 shooting from the field. Meanwhile, Jokić finished with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists on 10-16 shooting.

The Serbian had put his national team up by one with just over a minute to play. However, Türkiye reportedly made a two-man game plan with Sengun and Larkin. In situations where he was isolated one-on-one with Jokić, Larkin eventually gave Sengun the ball on the wing. Sengun used it to draw a foul on Jokić and put Türkiye back in front by one. Serbia couldn’t make use of the time they had, and Jokic had to walk away with a loss.

Meanwhile, Dennis Schroder’s Germany played in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,900 at the Tampere Deck Arena, and went on to beat Finland through a 91-61 score. Schroder’s 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists helped the team in a major way to secure the win.

In the end, however, it was a team effort. Germany led from the opening tip, and even reportedly outscored their counterparts 29-17 to lead 50-36 at the break. The Germans continued their streak of being undefeated in matchups at FIBA EuroBasket when leading by 10 or more points at the half. The number is now up to 25 games.

This latest EuroBasket drama spells trouble for Nikola Jokic. In the end, however, no one will know how a clash between him and Schroder will go until it eventually happens.