BELGRADE (Serbia) - Silver in 2014. Silver in 2016. Silver in 2017. Is it time for Serbia to finally move on up to the highest step of the rostrum? Nemanja Bjelica and Bogdan Bogdanovic certainly think so, as they explained in their recent Voice of America interview.

Drawn in Group D, Serbia will face Angola, Philippines and Italy in the Group Stage, but the Sacramento Kings' dynamic duo isn't all that concerned about the first days of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019. They are so used to winning medals that they expect nothing less this time around.

"I'm proud to say that, the way things are right now, we have the second best team, after the USA. It's finally our time, we have the best possible team now," said Bjelica.

"I'M SO HAPPY THAT I WILL BE A PART OF THE NATIONAL TEAM AGAIN. I CAN'T WAIT TO BE MYSELF ON THE COURT AGAIN AND I CAN ONLY DO IT WITH THE NATIONAL TEAM."- Bjelica

The 30-year-old knows what he's talking about. With Bjelica, Bogdanovic, plus Nikola Jokic, Milos Teodosic, Boban Marjanovic, and a number of high-profile players all over Europe - all lead by Aleksandar Djordjevic from the bench - Serbia really do look intimidating. 

"We have kind of built a culture with our play in recent years. I hope we can stay at that level, and even come up with a championship-winning result, if possible. An achievement to remember," said Bogdanovic, setting his goals a step higher than the second-place finishes registered at the World Cup in Spain in 2014, the Rio Olympics two years later and at FIBA EuroBasket 2017 in Turkey.

"We have been successful up until now. And that's all good, but... we shouldn't be content with silver," Bogdanovic added.

Bjelica hasn't been a part of all of those runner-up squads with injuries keeping him out of the equation at the Olympics and EuroBasket. However, he regained a sense of belonging in games against Greece and Estonia during the fourth window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers last September when he averaged 11.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

"I'm so happy that I will be a part of the national team again. That I'll finally enjoy basketball. I can't wait to be myself on the court again and I can only do it with the national team. It's much more like your job when you are in the NBA and you can't even compare it to playing for the national team. Playing for the national team is a pleasure," Bjelica described.

Djordjevic: "We are not changing our plans because of the draw"

Seeing his stars excel in the NBA will keep Serbia coach Aleksandar Djordjevic in a good mood heading to the training camp. Serbia will play a friendly against Lithuania in August, before moving on to a tournament in Shenyang and Anshan, where they will cross paths with New Zealand, France and Italy.

The fact that they are drawn in the same World Cup group with Italy does not change the itinerary of the Serbian path to China.

"We will approach each rival with a lot of respect but we will be going for the win against everybody. Our plan and our program aren't changing because of the draw, and our motivation and ambition remain the same," Djordjevic, a former World Cup winner, said. "Serbia will always be gunning for a medal, in each competition we enter, and that's what our goal is at the World Cup in China."

"WE HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL UP UNTIL NOW. AND THAT'S ALL GOOD, BUT... WE SHOULDN'T BE CONTENT WITH SILVER."- Bogdanovic

Back in 1998, Djordjevic won the World Cup as a player. In 2019, he will try and become only the second person ever to win it both as a player and a coach, after compatriot Zeljko Obradovic, who did so in 1990 and 1998.

FIBA