How Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic already looks like midseason form in Serbia’s first matchup in EuroBasket 2025.

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) warms up before game seven of the second round against the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center
Denver Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic and Serbia are the favorites to win EuroBasket 2025 as the three-time MVP will look to lead his team to gold. Many of Jokic’s teammates are NBA players or have played in the association at some point. However, it’s Jokic’s offensive prowess as a high-caliber scorer and playmaker that many believe separates Serbia from the rest of the pack.

Jokic demonstrated a combination of both out of the gates, finding Aleksa Avramovic deep in the corner for a three in the opening minutes of Serbia’s matchup against Estonia.

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In the end, Serbia cruised to a 98-64 victory against Estonia in the opening round of EuroBasket 2025. The two teams are in Group A of the tournament, alongside Latvia, Turkiye, Czechia, and Portugal, which Serbia will face in their second game of the group stage on Friday.

DeMarcus Cousins on the scary part about Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) dribbles down the court against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second quarter during game seven of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom CenterAlonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Retired forward and former teammate DeMarcus Cousins revealed conversations with Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic that highlighted Jokic’s passion for basketball, or lack thereof. For Cousins, it’s scary to think maybe Nikola would be significantly better if he truly loved the sport. However, it’s not safe to make that assumption despite DeMarcus’s story and what fans see from the outside looking in.

Cousins, who last played for the Nuggets in 2021-22, discussed what surprised him most about Jokic, per the Straight Game podcast.

“There are games where he’s dropping one of these crazy stat lines… he probably doesn’t even want to be there,” Cousins said. “And that’s the scary part about all of it.”

Cousins said Jokic was considering retiring after finishing out his last contract with the Nuggets.

“He was like, ‘Cuz, I honestly think I might retire after this contract,’” Cousins said. “I said, ‘And leave $300 million on the table?’ I told him, ‘Sign the contract and just get fat at worst. Don’t gas up on the $300 million, bro.’”

Jokic had a more emotional response to seeing his horse win a race than what people saw in 2023 when the Nuggets won the NBA Finals, 4-1, against the Heat.

“He was like, ‘I just want to go lay out in my valley with my horses,’” Cousins added. “And I told him, ‘Those horses are gonna be there, bro. Go get the 300. You can buy more horses.’”

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The three-time MVP, who finished as runner-up to Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander last season, is entering his 11th season with the Nuggets.