How Vasilije Micić Performed in Serbia's Loss to Team USA

Charlotte's guard had a sub-par performance in a hefty 110-84 defeat.

Scott Kinser-USA TODAY Sports

Following Josh Green's win on Saturday, the second Hornet at this year's Olympics was looking to get into the win column. The problem? While Australia faced a Spain squad lacking depth among other things, Serbia opened up their tournament against none other than Team USA. Both nations had already matched up in a preparation game on July 18th, which saw Steph Curry (24pts) lead his team to a 105-79 victory.

This time around Vasilije Micić watched his teammates jump out to an early 10-2 lead, in large parts due to the strong play of Aleksa Avramović who got the starting nod at point guard by coach Svetislav Pešić. As Micić replaced him with five minutes left in the first quarter, the advantage had shrunk but it seemed like Serbia could at least hang around during the reserve-minutes. Then Kevin Durant checked in and proceeded to play one of the best halves in recent Olympic basketball history.

Kevin Durant is BACK.

pic.twitter.com/jjfiKpE0ob

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 28, 2024

Despite missing all five preparation games due to a calf injury the 35-year-old came out on fire. No matter the spot on the court, the time on the shot clock, or the difficulty of the contest - Durant simply couldn't miss. In the first half, he netted 21 points on perfect shooting splits, putting Team USA up front 58-49. Serbia threw everything at the two-time NBA champion, including Vasilije Micić himself, who stopped a fast-break by ramming into Durant shoulder-first.

It was the second noteworthy incident this year involving the two players after Micić had taken Durant's ankles in a regular season game between Charlotte and Phoenix.

Things didn't get much better for Serbia in the second half. The biggest issue wasn't the inability to get stops against LeBron, Curry, and Durant, because who can? It was the fact that the offense lived and died by Nikola Jokić to an alarming extent. In the nine minutes the Nuggets star sat out during this game, his cohorts scored a total of three points as opposed to Team USA's twenty-nine.

Serbia was on the even playing field with Nikola Jokic being on the court versus Team USA😳🇷🇸 #Paris2024

WITH JOKIC | 81-81
WITHOUT JOKIC | 3-29 pic.twitter.com/eEagSs7T6L

— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) July 28, 2024

In addition to the playmaking taking the expected hit during Jokić's absence, it was an all-around bad shooting night for all but very few Serbian players. A measly nine of thirty-seven three-point-attempts found their way into the basket, amounting to a 24% conversion rate. In the end, it was a deserved win for the defending champions behind strong outings from Kevin Durant and LeBron James among others. Serbia's focus now shifts to Wednesday's matchup with Puerto Rico, which presents a must-win game against an albeit much more beatable opponent.

Player Grade for Vasilije Micić: D+

11 pts (3/10 FG, 2/7 3pt, 3/4 FTs) | 2as

In addition to possibly poking the bear with his hard foul in the first quarter, Micić was also too late on a rotation leading to Durant's first points of the contest via a three-ball. Offensively he couldn't fill any part of the playmaking gap left when Jokić headed to the bench. Overall, it was an underwhelming performance by Serbia and Micić. I expect both him and the whole squad to play much better against Puerto Rico and hopefully take a win and some confidence away from Wednesday's game.