The scales tipped frequently, but Serbia suffered a shock they didn’t see coming from Finland. The late-game twist featured back-and-forth lead changes until Elias Valtonen drowned Serbia in the clutch. Nikola Jokic, a three-time MVP, looked aggressive, scoring a game-high 33 in an effort that went in vain. That performance hasn’t shielded his rather unappealing tournament.

We are speaking by his standards, of course. By nature, the Joker is the most dangerous card, capable of doing everything on the basketball court. But it was the loss to Turkey in the group stages that led to a realization for an NBA executive. Serbia has qualified already, so there was a looming feeling that they held back. But reality stings for Nikola Jokic.

“I was talking to a guy that I know who’s a Serbian NBA executive. I was saying, because when the Turkish beat the Serbians… And I was like, I don’t trust, you know, Serbia is known to pull some punches, you know, play a little, play a little game where they don’t show their full situation, you know, when, you know, until it really matters. And he was like, no, he’s like, Jokic is not quite on his game. He’s not quite in top shape. You know, he warned me,” Brian Windhorst revealed on Hoop Collective.

Jokic is coming off a relaxing offseason, watching his beloved horse inject him with joy. But that’s how it’s always been. Despite his laid-back nature, nothing disturbed him until this tournament. His performance against Finland almost masks what truly transpired. The Joker couldn’t deploy his otherworldly vision.

Jokic’s highest recorded assists in six games were 7. The rest of the games led to shocking numbers. He couldn’t dish out five successful dimes, and turnovers kept piling. According to the executive, the loss to Turkey spelled trouble because Serbia could potentially match up against a powerhouse in Germany.

However, their juice ran out before. Finland hadn’t beaten them since 2009. Nobody expected them to do so with Nikola Jokic on the other side. So how did this happen, and has the Nuggets’ prolific center really declined?

Nikola Jokic lost his captain, too

Entering the tournament, Serbia had all the elements to be the favorites. Their world just happened to change after the game against Portugal. Bogdan Bogdanovic suffered a hamstring injury. It sidelined the leader and one of Serbia’s most celebrated players for the entire tournament. It’s like taking fuel out of a car.

A Ferrari looks amazing, but without proper maintenance, it will break down. That’s how things went for Nikola Jokic. He lost one of the longest-standing teammates. Serbia lost its character, or at least a huge part of it. Bogdanovic gave them a scoring outlet, a passionate leader, and a player who would do anything for the country.

History serves as great proof. With him, Serbia has secured a podium in most major competitions. The same can’t be said without him. His impact so profound that teammate Darko Milicic made an astonishing claim.

“I’ve already said this a few times, I really respect and appreciate Nikola Jokic, and hats off to everything he’s accomplished. But overall, I’ve said that we can’t do it without Bogdan Bogdanovic, while we can without Jokic. That’s how it turned out as well: we won silver at the World Cup,” he said on Serbian outlet Telegraf.rs.

By no means did the EuroBasket tarnish Nikola Jokic’s stature. Bogdanovic was his captain, too. A personality that provided relief even in tough times. The Joker still tried, turning to scoring when playmaking didn’t work. But the injury to Bogdanovic shattered Serbia. That was the primary reason for their surprise exit.