Serbia fell short of EuroBasket 2025 expectations, losing 92-86 to Finland in the Round of 16 as Jokic carried the load with 33 points on efficient 9-for-13 shooting and Jović added 20, but Bogdanović’s hamstring injury left the supporting cast well short of the mark. Finland answered with Markkanen pouring in 29 and a late sequence from Valtonen as the Finns sealed the upset. Finland advances toward a first Final Four, while Serbia’s long history of title-game heartbreak persists in major tournaments.

Finland’s performance underscored depth and resilience, while Serbia’s depth concerns and injury issues loom over the rest of the event. The result shifts talk toward Markkanen’s breakout impact and the ongoing questions about Serbia’s supporting cast without Bogdanović, with fantasy implications for NBA players who carried their national teams.

Heat bring back a full coaching staff and welcome a veteran presence in Goran Dragic, Kasparas Jakucionis, and Pelle Larsson—as well as Nikola Jovic—creating a mentorship-driven environment that could accelerate the development of young Heat players. Dragic’s gym presence and veteran voice pair with Spoelstra’s flexible, open-minded approach to role definition as the team contends with a mix of experience and youth.

Pelle Larsson’s EuroBasket aggression highlights a potential Heat niche, while Jovic’s Serbia opener suggests a complementary fit for a high-pace, open-court system. Jokic and Bogdanovic provide benchmark NBA-studying context for Serbia’s talent pool, with the Heat exploring how to weave these voices into a cohesive, energy-forward rotation behind the established core.

Overall, the piece frames the Heat as an organization leaning into continuity and layered leadership to maximize developmental upside for younger players, with Dragic and the veteran staff functioning as a stabilizing, knowledge-transfer backbone.

EuroBasket 2025 kicks off Aug 27 and runs through Sept 14, spotlighting Jokic-led Serbia, skin-on-fire Doncic as Slovenia eyes glory, and Giannis steering Greece. Porzingis, Sengun, Markkanen and Wagner are among NBA stars carrying heavy fantasy weight as Europe hosts group play in Cyprus, Finland, Latvia and Poland. 18 NBA teams feature players, and the tournament doubles as a high-variance mini-stage for fantasy managers chasing breakout performances and late-season form.

Key names to watch include Jokic's playmaking surge for Serbia, Doncic's elite athleticism return after knee concerns, Porzingis' 3-point floor-spreading impact, Sengun's breakout potential as Houston's hub, and Markkanen's rejuvenated efficiency. Franz Wagner and Deni Avdija offer versatile wings for Germany and Israel, while Vucevic, Aldama and Middleton provide veteran floor presence and potential value upside as the field narrows toward knockout rounds.

Serbia cut Nikola Topic from its EuroBasket 2025 roster after ACL rehab and a Summer League showing. Topic, 20, faced long odds in a guard-heavy 12-man mix that leans NBA/EuroLeague. Jokic, Bogdanovic, Jovic and Vukcevic anchor the squad as Topic pivots to his Thunder development path and backup-guard ascent in 2025–26.

EuroBasket runs Aug 27–Sept 14; Spain is the defending champ. Topic’s absence narrows a rush to pro minutes, but the setback could fuel late-season growth for OKC if he maximizes his return from injury.

Nikola Jokic is in Europe for EuroBasket, turning Serbia into one of the gold favorites as the calendar flips to late August. The tournament runs Aug. 27 through Sept. 14 across four groups of six, with Serbia headline Group A alongside Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Portugal, and Turkey. Serbia’s path should be manageable, but the 24-team field is deep, demanding top-tier performances from Jokic and a cohort of EuroLeague veterans and NBA role players to survive the round-robin and the knockout grind. Courtside 1891 and FIBA YouTube will carry the action, giving fantasy enthusiasts a steady stream to monitor Jokic’s usage and his teammates’ rising impact.

Beyond Jokic, Serbia benefits from a staff deeply intertwined with the Nuggets—assistant coach Ognjen Stojakovic and athletic trainer Jason Miller are on Serbia’s sideline. The roster also features Jokic teammates and peers who could swing fantasy levers: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nikola Jovic, and Nikola Topic join Jokic in shaping Serbia’s attack, while other European standouts and a newly added Nuggets presence add intrigue. The group stage introduces notable clashes—Latvia’s Kristaps Porzingis headlines a Group A that tests Serbia’s depth, and Turkey’s Alperen Sengun poses a direct Jokic-sized matchup, raising intriguing dynamic questions for fantasy managers tracking minutes, usage, and matchup-driven ceilings.

EuroBasket’s depth is built to test rosters and expose sleepers: Lauri Markkanen and Germany’s Franz Wagner anchor Group B; Giannis Antetokounmpo brings Greece’s star power in Group C alongside a younger Spain and rising Italians, with Domantas Sabonis and Jonas Valanciunas squarely in the mix for Lithuania and New Orleans. The mix of NBA stars and Euro stars means daily fantasy managers should keep a close eye on minutes allocations, rest days, and the tactical emphasis each nation brings to the court. Jokic’s Serbian run is as much about preserving pace and health for Nuggets fans as it is about adding a high-variance, high-ceiling narrative to late-summer rosters.