Jusuf Nurkic is attempting to heat up his country’s upcoming matchup against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece.
The Utah Jazz big man Nurkic is playing at EuroBasket this summer for his native Bosnia & Herzegovina. They will be playing against the Milwaukee Bucks star Antetokounmpo and Greece in a group stage game on Tuesday.
Speaking with reporters Monday ahead of the game, Nurkic was asked about the matchup against Antetokounmpo. Nurkic decided to respond with some shade for the former NBA MVP.
“I think it’s different,” said Nurkic of facing Antetokounmpo, per HoopsHype. “Now he’s playing more at the 5. Obviously, he will have to defend too.
“But at the end of the day, just stop him in transition and live with his shots,” Nurkic added. “Generally, he’s sucked at those defenses the last few years he’s played in EuroBasket. But it’s not only him, so we will be ready.”
For context, the European game is fairly different from the NBA game. With a greater emphasis on halfcourt play rather than on the fastbreak, Antetokounmpo needs to find more refined ways of attacking opposing defenses. The European game is also characterized by a lack of a defensive three-second rule and a smaller court with a shorter three-point line. That means that it is tougher for players like Antetokounmpo to attack the rim with less floor spacing available and a greater potential for defending big men to be able to pack the paint.
Still Nurkic’s comments here are a bit unfair to Antetokounmpo, who has led Greece (a team that is fairly short on talent otherwise) to quarterfinal berths both times that he has participated in the EuroBasket tournament to date. Antetokounmpo and Greece have also already clinched their spot in the knockout rounds during this year’s run (something that Nurkic and Bosnia & Herzegovina still have yet to do heading into Tuesday’s game).
At the end of the day, Nurkic’s remarks will probably just add more fuel to the fire for Antetokounmpo, who is all-in on EuroBasket this year and recently drew attention for slapping a Greek teammate in a moment of intensity.
