At 17, LeBron James was already on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the label “chosen one”. At the same age, Nikola Jokic was still virtually unknown in Serbia. Evidenced by the way his future agent, Misko Raznatovic, managed to get him signed by the greatest of luck.
This one tells this tasty story at the microphone of Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. It all starts with reading a simple newspaper. A local competition, whose level is very low “, is then in progress among the under 18s. A player’s stat line catches his eye: 29 points and 26 rebounds!
” I did ‘Wow’ but nothing more. The following Saturday, I read the newspaper again and said to myself: ‘Here, let’s look again.’ There I saw 30 points and 15 rebounds. This kind of scouting is less his responsibility than that of the scouting department. But these lines of stats piqued the curiosity of the founder of the BeoBasket agencywho decides to find out by making a phone call to his scout.
” I have a silence in return: he doesn’t know him, which for me was the surprise of the year, knowing that he knows all the ten-year-old kids. So I told him it was obvious that he was playing pivot, because of the 26 rebounds. Make a call and check. Is this guy getting the rebounds because he’s taller, bigger compared to the others, or is he versatile? He called me back three minutes later and said: ‘No, no, no, he is not strong and even slightly overweight, he is very complete, cunning but talented.’ »
A good chemistry with the big brother
It is here that Misko Raznatovic decides to trust his instinct which today, according to his version of the facts, passes for genius. ” I’m the type of person who believes in the system, in projections, in analysis… and I don’t know why I told him that I wanted to sign this guy. »
His scout is then dispatched to the square, 80 kilometers from Belgrade, to meet the family of the potential prodigy. ” The family is great, very stable, an old Serbian family. They really take care of the children. And they were very happy that an agency of this size was interested in a kid who had never trained with the senior team. »
Nikola Jokic’s family agrees to join the agency but wants to meet the agent. It will be two days later. ” There was really good chemistry, especially with his big brother, Strahinja. He was very important at that exact moment and for many other decisions. In Serbia, he really helped him become what he is, especially at the start. »
And that’s how the young Nikola, aged 17 and a half, joined the Serbian agency in 1995. ” He’s the first and last player in the agency’s 27-year history that we signed without anyone seeing him. “, reveals Misko Raznatovic who won the jackpot that day, thanks to the simple reading of the newspaper.
| Nikola Jokic | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2015-16 | DEN | 80 | 22 | 51.2 | 33.3 | 81.1 | 2.3 | 4.7 | 7.0 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 10.0 |
| 2016-17 | DEN | 73 | 28 | 57.8 | 32.4 | 82.5 | 2.9 | 6.9 | 9.8 | 4.9 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 16.7 |
| 2017-18 | DEN | 75 | 33 | 49.9 | 39.6 | 85.0 | 2.6 | 8.1 | 10.7 | 6.1 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 18.5 |
| 2018-19 | DEN | 80 | 31 | 51.1 | 30.7 | 82.1 | 2.9 | 8.0 | 10.8 | 7.3 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 20.1 |
| 2019-20 | DEN | 73 | 32 | 52.8 | 31.4 | 81.7 | 2.3 | 7.5 | 9.7 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 20.0 |
| 2020-21 ★ | DEN | 72 | 35 | 56.6 | 38.8 | 86.8 | 2.9 | 8.0 | 10.8 | 8.3 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 26.4 |
| 2021-22 ★ | DEN | 74 | 34 | 58.3 | 33.7 | 81.0 | 2.8 | 11.0 | 13.8 | 7.9 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 27.1 |
| 2022-23 | DEN | 69 | 34 | 63.2 | 38.3 | 82.2 | 2.4 | 9.4 | 11.8 | 9.8 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 24.5 |
| Total | 596 | 31 | 55.3 | 34.8 | 82.9 | 2.6 | 7.9 | 10.5 | 6.6 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 20.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
