This year’s international player riding a wave of hype as we near the NBA Draft is Nikola Djurisic, who plays for Mega Basket, a Serbian powerhouse that has produced several NBA players. Born into an athletic family, his father is former pro footballer Duško Djurisic, and his mother is former Olympian and pro volleyball player Vesna Čitaković.
Djurisic is a 6-foot-8 swingman who can handle the rock and effectively run the pick-and-roll as both a passer and a scorer from all three levels. Throughout the pre-draft process, Djurisic has showcased his playmaking abilities as a passer and scorer, while demonstrating he has more than enough athleticism to keep up with NBA-level prospects.
Djurisic sat down with HoopsHype, on behalf of adidas Eurocamp, to discuss his journey so far, how this year’s pre-draft compares to last, his GOAT, and more.
Nikola Djurisic: It’s a great feeling, amazing. For the people in the organization to bring me out here, to get an invitation to be here with some of the best players from Europe and just compete, getting an opportunity to play basketball again.
ND: It’s tiring. I’m not going to lie, physically or mentally. It’s going to drain you, but you have to be stronger than that. It comes all from the head, you just have to be mentally strong, and you’ll get through it, no problem.
ND: From the NBA Combine, I would say, like my passing, that I can play off the ball. I can play off the ball and on the ball. So, I can play an NBA-based game.
ND: Last year, something happened in Sacramento. I had a problem with my health, so it’s nothing too serious, but this season, everything was perfect. I’m just grateful that I had an opportunity to come back there and play very well.
adidas Eurocamp
ND: I don’t know, maybe like a two, three, like a guard, who can play on the ball, off the ball, who can create for their teammates, who can shoot the ball, get some points up, rebound a little bit, like play defense, get some steals, and that’s it.
ND: I don’t know, I’m talking a lot with my parents. Both of them were professional athletes. From the basketball world; my coaches, you know, like my manager, I talked a little bit with some NBA players, some European players, and Euroleague players, so yeah, they have helped me throughout the season.
ND: When I was doing interviews, they told me that I played a little bit like Joe Johnson. So yeah, like I wasn’t mad about it, he’s a very good player, I like him. I mean, I don’t know really, like there are so many like players in the NBA, in the Euroleague, Eurocup, so everybody’s like their own player, so you got to do what you got to do. I would say I’m like a less athletic, like taller Anthony Edwards. Not like the dunking and all that stuff, but like three-level scorer, like we can defend.
ND: Man, I’m still deciding between Michael Jordan and LeBron James, I’m still deciding. For right now, I would say Nikola Jokic, there’s Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards… and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from OKC.
Nikola Djurisic – adidas Eurocamp
ND: I don’t know yet, I’ve got the workouts to do with the NBA teams, so I don’t know after that, like 10 days before the draft, we’ll know.
ND: I don’t know, I don’t know, nothing yet. I might know after the Eurocamp if I show out, but we’ll see.
