NBA eyes Pesic: ‘He’s more flexible and listens to players’ opinions’

The NBA learned from Svetislav Pesic’s basketball lectures that he has been coaching for more than 20 years. 40 years Who was on the European bench and watched him lead Barça to their first Euroleague, among other achievements? 2003. And the best league in the world has some of the best coaches who have learned from both the personalities and offensive and defensive concepts of famous Balkan coaches.

Miami Heat’s famous coach Erik Spoelstraspoke about the discipline of Pesic, a former Barça player who was a player and coach at Hertener Lewen last season and the year before, and who led ALBA Berlin.

things that lead to lebron james He won his first ring in 2012 and 2013 and was the one who directly suffered from Pesic’s tactical recital in the semi-finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Nikola Jokic According to Pesic himself, he almost dumped Team USA and the Dream Team version 3.0 (95-91), which was even better than the original Dream Team of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and others.

almost a tragedy in america

Serbia vs USA National Team

Serbia almost suffered a historic loss to the United States in the semifinals of the 2024 Paris Games (95-91). The Balkan team led 63-76 in the final quarter, but felt they were badly hurt by the referees in the final stages.

For those of you who don’t already know about him in the NBA, that game where the all-around American team nearly lost the world championship. lebron, curry and durant He definitely made the Serbian coach famous.

“Serbia have been something to watch the last two summers. I didn’t miss a single game of them,” Supo told MD last season.

“A lot of that is because of Niko (Nikola Jovic, Heat player), but also because I’ve been a fan of Coach Pesic for a long time,” the American coach added.

One person who has kept an eye on Serbia and Pesic in recent years is none other than current NBA coach Nikola Jokic. david adelmanNuggets coach. MD asked Adelman if the former Barcelona player gave him a whiteboard of ideas for using Jokic differently on the court, and the Nuggets coach expressed deep remorse.

“Yeah, I think it’s interesting. We took advantage of what they did with him and they took advantage of what we did. It makes a lot of sense. Just because we’re with him the most, you can tell what’s going to fail and what’s going to be successful,” Adelman said of Denver’s recent visit to Toronto.

“I think there are parts of the international game that are different, things that don’t apply to our game because the rules are just different and the way you zone and the spacing brings a completely different focus. But yeah, there are definitely things that we’ve implemented and the way we play the game.” post. “Sometimes we take out some of the continuity or movement that they use, and we use that specific part after a timeout for guys who are ready for whatever it is,” the Nuggets coach continued to explain. 44 years.

“I have a lot of respect for him, one of the best coaches in this world and all the success he’s had and just knowing that our best players are back in the program and what they did there and came so close to winning gold. A tremendous amount of respect for him from our coaching staff, not just from him coming back to the team, but you always learn from everyone,” Adelman emphasized, praising the current coach. bayern munich of 76 years old.

one of the best coaches in the nba

Erik Spoelstra, disciple of Pesic

Serbia won the bronze medal at the Olympics and the gold medal at both the previous Olympics. world They lost in the final against Germany and won the silver medal. Svetislav Pesic resigned from his role as manager of the Serbian team and took over as manager after the team suffered an unexpected EuroBasket defeat against Finland. Dusan Alimpijevic Fee.

Nuggets coach delved into tactical aspects of what he learned from Pesic on how to use triple MVP Nikola Jokiccurrently injured.

“When it comes to change of direction, we think a lot about things like taking the ball in one direction and putting the ball in the post on the other side of the court. This is not unique to us or Serbia. There are a lot of really good coaches in the world, so we look for change of direction and receiving the ball cleanly because of the attention he’s getting,” Adelman elaborated.

“Internationally, in the Olympics, they can play more zone. Less in the NBA, but they do a lot for him. Sometimes it’s hard to get him the ball on the strong side, and he’s five meters (from the rim). We have to find creative ways to receive the ball cleanly before we get it to the receiver. Either way, we’re trying to accomplish that in any way we can to win the game,” the fired Nuggets coach said. michael malone Joined the company in April after working as an assistant for eight years.

Praises former Barcelona player’s change in personality

Big change in Pesic

toronto raptors coach Darko RadjakovićHe is also a Serbian like the former Barça player, so he is one of Pesic’s fans on the NBA bench. Rayakovic had the opportunity to learn up close from a veteran coach.

“The last few years have been very successful. 40 years As a coach. Great coach, great personality. He is someone I have a lot of respect for and I had the opportunity to learn from him. This summer I had the opportunity to watch him train in Serbia for the European Championships. “The basic principles have not changed anything over the years and have always required a lot of pressure and aggression on the ball, how destructive you have to be, how you use your hands with and without the ball,” said the Balkan coach.

Rajkovic himself is putting pressure on the ball for Toronto, which ranks third in the NBA. intercepted ball 20.7 times per game. One of the reasons why Rajković is today the most successful European manager in the world’s best league is thanks to the qualities he possesses. raptors 4th place in the East with 23 wins and 15 losses.

However, the preparer 46 years He also praises Pesic’s ability to adapt his well-known strong personality to new times.

“Those principles haven’t changed, but he’s done a great job of adapting to the new generation of players, being more flexible and listening to the players. For an older player, he’s doing a great job. He’s a great example for young coaches to learn from,” said Darko Lajaković.

The best league in the world has capitulated to the manager who won Barça’s first Euroleague and described him as “one of the best in the world”. Would you like to see Pesic training in the NBA?