Mondiali 2023: Pesitz on Jokic and NBA players

Svetislav Pesic, Serbia's head coach, has spoken out about the presence of Nikola Jokic and other NBA players at the 2023 World Cup, which will be held this summer from August 25 to September 10.

In the first round of the tournament, Serbia will play against South Sudan, China and Puerto Rico in Group B.

Of the Serbian players in the NBA, only Nikola Jokic and Nikola Jovic are still in the playoffs with Denver and Miami, while Bogdan Bogdanovic and Alexei Pokusevski have completed their seasons.

"Pokuszewski is back, will practice until early July, we're waiting to see what happens with Jovic. We've talked to Nikola Jokic. We'll see how far he goes in the NBA playoffs, Nikola is happy with the national team, wants''to play, but we need to wait a bit.

Pesic confirmed that Vladimir Lucic will not be present at the World Championship.

"As for Serbia's lineup, there will be no big changes compared to the team that played at the Euros. A lot will depend on preparation and health. Avramovic is injured but he hopes to play at the World Cup, Lucic will not be part of the team, and we don't need to say how important it is for us," he added.