Nikola Djurisic, NBA Draft Hopeful, Wants Next Generation Serbian Basketball Players in America

INDIANAPOLIS: In Indiana City the court itself was one of the hardest things for Nikola Djurisic to adjust to during selection exercises. He could be the next generation Serbian Basketball Players in America.

With his professional team, KK Mega Bemax, which competes in the Adriatic League and specializes in developing young players and sending them abroad to the NBA, the Serbian teenager is used to competing against adults.

It searches for chances to play American college teams on international tours in the summer.

In August 2021, Indiana was the guest state, while Virginia was the host state last summer in Italy. The two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic came from this program, and he will be playing for the Nuggets in the NBA Finals against the Heat beginning on Thursday in an attempt to win his first league championship.

Additionally, it gave birth to players like Ivica Zubac of the Clippers, Goga Bitadze of the Indiana Pacers, Filip Petrusev of Gonzaga, and Nikola Jovic of the Miami Heat, a 2022 first-round selection whose playing time has been restricted in his rookie season.

“We do practices over there like here almost,” Djurisic said on Tuesday during a Pacers draft session at the Ascension St. Vincent Center. “Similar, not the same. Consequently, we can adjust to it right away when we arrive. Undoubtedly, that was quite helpful to me.

Djurisic, a skillful wing who might go in the first round of this month’s selection and who at the NBA selection Combine in Chicago measured 6-7, 217.6 pounds, claimed former teammate Jovic is one of his closest friends. With Montenegrin center Nikola Vucevic of the Bulls, he has worked out.

But despite all of that exposure to NBA-caliber players and NBA-style exercises, it has still taken time for him to adjust to how the NBA floor differs from International Basketball Federation (FIBA) courts since he arrived in the United States for the combine and his workouts.

The paint is rectangular rather than the trapezoid lane in FIBA that expands closer to the basket on the NBA floor, which is also longer and has a further-away 3-point line.

We played one-on-one in my first practice, and it was undoubtedly challenging since the 3-point line is further from the hoop, according to Djurisic. “As a result, I became bewildered and confused when playing defense. The primary portion was that.

Do U want Next Generation Serbian Basketball Players in America?

He is, however, beginning to get the hang of it. His second session at an NBA team’s facility took place on Tuesday, and he thinks it went better than the first.

Djurisic said, “I’m attempting to demonstrate that I can play both defense and offense.” “I am a creator. I may be the captain of the team.

Djurisic has shown that he plays a versatile game. This season, he scored 13.1 points, distributed 3.7 assists a game, grabbed 3.0 rebounds, and committed 1.1 steals. According to Eurobasket, he was restricted to single-digit scoring only four times during the whole season, and in his two games with Mega’s U19 squad, he scored a total of 53 points.

Djurisic’s European footage demonstrates his ability to finish well on drives to the hoop and his excellent mid-range shooting.

However, his statistics indicate he has struggled with his 3-point shooting, which is a perception he is working to improve.

This season, he made 22 of 91 three-point attempts (24.2%) for Mega. He has lots of time to work on it since he is young, and he has the potential to become another star from the Balkan republics.

Djurisic said, “I’m trying to show I can shoot the ball from 3-point range. “I hit the ball at about 22%.” I am not that.

Djurisic was one of the six guys that worked out with the Pacers on Tuesday. The others were all older than 21.

The Pacers also have selections at Nos. 26 and 29 in the first round and Nos. 32 and 55 in the second round, and it is evident that the numbers might alter if they make deals. None of the six are in the running for the No. 7 overall pick, but they also have picks at Nos.

The workout roster provided another proof of the Pacers’ interest in defensively capable, rangy wings. Djurisic, Tevian Jones from Southern Utah, Ricky Council IV from Arkansas, and Jordan Miller from Miami were the other three players who were classified as being 6 feet or higher.

After being awarded the American Athletic Conference Sixth Man of the Year at Wichita State in 2021–2022, Council played at Arkansas for one season and assisted them in reaching the Sweet 16. He was one of the Razorbacks’ finest defenders and averaged 16.1 points per game.

The emphasis of his draft workouts has been on his outside shooting since the 6-6, 208-pound player failed to make 3-pointers, making just 34 of 126 tries (27.0%). He is predicted to go in the middle to late second round.

After the session, Council remarked, “My shooting improvement, at the end of the day, that’s what everyone wants to see.” “I just want to be myself and stay true to what got me here,” the speaker said.

Similar draft statistics apply to Miller. He, too, was a capable wing defender on a successful squad, assisting Miami in reaching the Final Four before falling to UConn.

In the Elite Eight versus Texas, he scored 27 points on 7-of-7 shooting and 13-of-13 free throws. For the season, he averaged 15.3 points per game, although his 3-point shooting percentage was just 32-of-91 (35.2%).

In college, “I shot about a 35% clip,” Miller said. I consider myself to be a better shot than that. I’m attempting to demonstrate during these sessions that I am a capable defender.

Most importantly, I consider myself as a 3-and-D player in the early phases of my transition to the league, so I’m trying to demonstrate defensively that I can sink the open 3-point shot.

Keisei Tominaga of Nebraska and Darius McGhee of Liberty were the two outliers during the session. McGhee, who is listed at 5-9 and 149 pounds, has won the Atlantic Sun Player of the Year award three times and has averaged more than 22 points a game over the previous two seasons.

The most crucial quality to exhibit, according to McGhee, is your will to triumph. “Just by making plays to win the game, you can have an influence on the game on either side of the floor being audible attempting to make plays on defense. Just producing the finest plays possible. In certain situations, it is the finest thing you can display.

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