Hamstring injury! How strong is FIBA s Bogdan?

In the second round of the European Championship group stage, Serbia defeated Portugal 80-69.

Serbia is the biggest favorite to win the European Championship this year. The team's strength list in the past four periods ranked first, and Portugal only ranked 16th in the latest period. In terms of strength, the result was not too surprising.

As the Serbian star, Jokic once again performed well in this game: he played in 22 minutes, made 8 of 10 shots, 1 of 2 three-pointers, 6 of 6 free throws, scored 23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, with an efficiency value of up to +35.

In addition, Heat star Jovic also performed well in this game: he played 30 minutes in the whole game, made 6 shots, 2 of 2 three-pointers, and 4 of 4 free throws. Heat star scored 18 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal with a 100% shooting percentage. The plus or negative value is +14, the team is first, the efficiency value is +23, and the team is second.

Including the previous 98-64 victory over Estonia in the first round of the group stage, Serbia currently has a record of 2 wins and 0 losses, tied for the first place in Group A with Türkiye.

Winning is naturally a good thing, but bad news also comes.

In this game, Bogdan only played in the first half, played for 14 minutes, made 3 of 4 shots, 1 of 2 three-pointers, scored 7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.

In the second half, Bogdan did not play. Serbian National Television commentator Sarenak updated his injury when broadcasting the game: "Bogdan encountered a hamstring problem and is currently staying in the locker room for examination. Further examination is needed to determine the injury."

After the game, Serbian coach Spesic did not update Bogdan's injury, and his specific situation is not clear at the moment.

Bogdan's name should be familiar with fans. He has played in the NBA for 8 seasons and has played for the Kings, Hawks and Clippers, and he can score double-digit points per game every season.

In the NBA, Bogdan is not an All-Star player. Last season, he was even sent to the Clippers as a negative asset by the Hawks, but in FIBA, Bogdan can be said to be a veritable killer.

In the 2023 World Cup, in the absence of Jokic, Bogdan led the Serbian men's basketball team to successfully win the runner-up. He averaged 19.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.1 steals per game in 8 games, with a shooting percentage of 52.6% and a three-point shooting percentage of 42.3%. In the semi-finals, against Canada, which is full of stars, Bogdan made 8 of 12 shots and 3 of 4 three-pointers, scoring 23 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Although he lost to Germany in the final, Bogdan made 6 of 10 shots and 3 of 5 three-pointers, and still scored 17 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists.

In the 2024 Olympics, the Serbian men's basketball team won the bronze medal. Bogdan averaged 18.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 47.6%/46.2%/92.3% in three games. Although he lost to the US men's basketball team in the semi-finals, Bogdan scored 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in the whole game;

revenge the German men's basketball team in the finals, Bogdan scored 16 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists.

Hamstring injuries are mild and serious. If they are serious, Bogdan may directly miss the next European Championship, which is definitely not a good thing for the Serbian men's basketball team.

Take the previous 2022 European Championships for example. Bogdan was absent due to injury. This year, although Serbia won 5 wins and lost 0 in the group stage and qualified with the first place in the group, he lost to Italy as soon as he entered the knockout round and stopped in the top 16.

At this point, I can't help but feel sorry for Jokic. As the number one player in basketball today, Jokic has not been very lucky in the NBA or international arena in recent years (except in 2023), and it has a certain relationship with teammate injuries:

-In 2021, Murray had a torn cruciate ligament, Jokic won the MVP, but the playoffs were stopped in the second round

-In 2022, the teammates suffered heavy injuries, Jokic won the MVP again, but the playoffs were stopped in the first round

-In 2023, the NBA won the championship, Europe Absent from the Championship - In 2024, the Olympic semi-finals were reversed by the United States in the last quarter of the Olympic semi-finals, and the Timberwolves were reversed by the Timberwolves in the second round of the playoffs. In 2025, Porter Jr. was injured in the shoulder, the Nuggets stopped in the second round of the playoffs, losing to the Thunder in the tiebreak, even if Bogdan is missing, I believe that as long as I have Jokic, Jovic and others, Serbia will still be the favorite to compete for the championship in this year's European Championship, but if faced with a strong team like Germany, there will always be a shortage of lack of a strong outside line that can share the offensive firepower.

I hope Bogdan's hamstrings will not affect it for too long, and it will take a break in the group stage and strive to make a comeback before elimination - Bogdan is not easy. From 2014 to the present, he has played in the European Championships, World Cups, and Olympics many times, and won the second place four times (2014 World Cup, 2016 Olympics, 2017 European Championships, and 2023 World Cup), but he has never won the first place. I really have a chance this year, I hope I won't be affected by injuries.