EuroLeague star guard Milos Teodosic is not included in Svetislav Pesic’s tactics and will not play for Serbia in the FIBA EuroBasket.
The veteran head coach of Serbia explained why he decided to cut Teodosic, who is one of the best point guards in Europe.
“A very good conversation was held with Teodosic. My decision is not an easy one, not only because I have been on the national team for a long time, but it is not easy with any player. Maybe he was a little surprised, but that is an integral part of life and sport.
I told him directly that I cannot offer him the status and place he had in the national team before and that we are turning to players who can give more at this moment. We sat down and made decisions.
There were many discussions on the topic that he is the captain of the national team and so on. But let him stay in the team and be a backup player. That was the thinking, but he never was a bench player, and I honestly told him that I have better players than him in the two guard positions,” Svetislav Pesic told media on Monday.
Završena je prva faza priprema "A" reprezentacije 🇷🇸 Srbije: Slede test utakmice
📎 https://t.co/vXh02W98da#KSS #FIBAWC #WinForSrbija #EuroBasket pic.twitter.com/JFT9ZsVerk
— Košarkaški savez SRB (@KSSrbije) August 15, 2022
Serbia has missed several players because of injuries, while Nemanja Bjelica could also be out. The departure of Milos Teodosic hurts the team, as he has great scoring and passing skills.
However, with Nikola Jokic and Vasilije Micic headlining the roster, Serbia remains a top contender for the gold medal.
The Serbians will take on Greece (August 25) and Turkey (August 28) in the first two games of the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers.
They will then travel to Prague for the group stage of the EuroBasket. They will face the Netherlands, Finland, Poland, Israel and the Czech Republic in Group D.
