Is Nikola Jokic playing today vs Japan? Latest on 3x NBA MVP's availability (July 21)
Nikola Jokic is available to play in Serbia's exhibition game against Japan on Sunday. Jokic has made a return to the national team after two years of absence from international basketball action. His last outing in a Serbian jersey was in the 2022 Euro Basket, leading his team to the round of 16 where the Italians eliminated them.
He was absent from the team's journey in the 2023 FIBA World Cup as Serbia finished runner-up in the tournament. During the World Cup, Nikola Jokic was on vacation after leading the Denver Nuggets to an NBA championship. This time, he has answered the call for national duty and suited up for Serbia to play in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Serbia will need the Joker's prowess to make it higher in the prestigious international tournament, as the competition is stuffed right from the start. Serbia is in Group C along with the U.S., which has deployed probably its best-available roster stacked with some of the biggest names in the NBA. South Sudan and Puerto Rico make up for the other two teams in the group.
Apart from the USA, there are also the 2023 FIBA World Cup winner, Germany, and other string teams such as Slovenia, Italy and France, who all have exceptionally talented players from the NBA and other leagues competing in the tournament.
Nikola Jokic's performance for Serbia
Just like his performances at the Denver Nuggets, the Joker has been consistent for his national team as well. He has participated in two major international tournaments. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, he averaged 9.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists, leading his nation to a silver medal in the tournament after losing 96-66 to the USA for gold.
In the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Jokic averaged 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists, making it to the quarterfinals of the tournament, where Argentina eliminated the Serbs with a final score of 97-87.
Nikola Jokic has had enough time to rest up after the Denver Nuggets were eliminated from the postseason early. They faced the Minnesota Timberwolves in the semifinals of the Western Conference playoffs and ended up falling short against Anthony Edwards and the squad in Game 7 of the series.
In Serbia's previous exhibition matchup against tournament favorites Team USA, the Joker scored 16 points, collected 11 rebounds and dished out two assists. He went 6 of 19 from the field and 0 for 4 from the 3-point range in a 105-79 loss.