Bosnia in Trouble Before EuroBasket - Coach Criticizes Nurkic’s Form

• Bosnia and Herzegovina in Crisis Ahead of EuroBasket 
• Defensive Collapse and Missed Opportunities
• Nurkic Under Fire

Bosnia and Herzegovina in Crisis Ahead of EuroBasket 

EuroBasket is fast approaching, but Bosnia and Herzegovina’s preparations have spiraled into crisis. Crushing defeats, sloppy defense, and underwhelming performances from key players have left head coach Adis Beciragic with more questions than answers. 

With powerhouse nations waiting in the group stage and just days to fix glaring problems, the team’s road to the tournament already looks like an uphill battle.

Defensive Collapse and Missed Opportunities

The warning signs couldn’t be clearer. In their latest warm-up games, Bosnia and Herzegovina conceded a staggering 228 points against Serbia and Montenegro combined. 

Behind closed doors in Belgrade, Serbia dismantled them 126-89, before Montenegro cruised to a 102-90 victory. 

The issues run deep - from an alarming 18 missed free throws against Serbia to a worrying number of turnovers leading to easy points for opponents.

Beciragic didn’t sugarcoat the situation. “We can’t find our rhythm. Our biggest strength should be aggressive defense, but without it, we can’t beat anyone,” he said, stressing the need for intensity on both ends of the court.

Nurkic Under Fire

Perhaps the biggest shock came from Beciragic’s blunt assessment of NBA star Jusuf Nurkic. “Nurkic is out of shape and can’t run much,” the coach admitted, also pointing out that naturalized guard Xavier Castaneda had only just resumed full training. 

With only a handful of players, like Aleksandar Lazic and perhaps Adin Vrabac, in peak condition, Bosnia’s hopes will hinge on whether their top talents can rediscover form in time.

Despite the concerns, Beciragic insists he’s not a pessimist. 

If we fix our defense, everything will look much better. But if we don’t, we’ll just be making excuses.