Bogdanovic back to boost Serbia's World Cup hopes

BELGRADE (Serbia) - Bogdan Bogdanovic is back with Serbia, who announced a 20-man squad for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 on Monday.

The second leading scorer at the last World Cup in China when he made the All-Star Five, Bogdanovic has since joined the Atlanta Hawks and has become a key piece of the team over the past three seasons, averaging around 15 points per game.

In China, Bogdanovic hit an astounding 35 of 66 (53 percent) of his shots from behind the arc.

Bogdanovic made the All-Star Five at the 2019 World Cup in China

Legendary coach Svetislav Pesic can also count on Fenerbahce star Marko Guduric, one of seven players on the team at FIBA EuroBasket 2022.

Guduric was also in the 2019 World Cup squad, along with returning guard Stefan Jovic.

Another cause for excitement is the presence of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Aleksej Pokusevski, who missed much of last season - his second in the NBA - with a leg injury suffered in December. The 2.13m (7'0") forward ended up playing 34 games and averaged more than eight points and almost five rebounds a game.

Pokusevski played at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup, and the FIBA U18 European Championship, in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Another potential young piece to the puzzle is Nikola Jovic, who just wrapped up a promising season with NBA Finalists Miami Heat. The 20-year-old first-round pick averaged just over five points per game this past season. Jovic also played in the U19 World Cup in 2021 and has already made a senior national team debut in 2 games of the European World Cup Qualifiers.

Ognjen Jaramaz averaged 14.6 minutes per game at EuroBasket 2022 and is likely to get considerable playing time at point guard. 

Serbia, who came in fifth at the last World Cup, will play in Group B against South Sudan, China and Puerto Rico.

They have a beefy preparation game schedule ahead to prepare for the competition as well. They will play in the 32nd Aegean Acropolis Tournament from 8-10 August as well as the FIBA Solidarity Cup from 20-21 August before heading to Manila.

FIBA