TRENTINO (Italy) - After its Quarter-Final victory over Israel, Slovenia has reached the Semi-Finals of the FIBA U18 EuroBasket once again, something that would have been hard to imagine less than a decade ago.
Slovenia has now reached the Semi-Finals in four of the last six editions of the tournament, while also enjoying sustained success in other youth EuroBasket tournaments.
In 2024, Slovenia reached the Final of the FIBA U20 EuroBasket for the first time since 2004. Last year, the country earned its first-ever podium finish at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket, and just a few weeks ago, Slovenia won the FIBA U20 EuroBasket, claiming its first youth EuroBasket title in 22 years.
One of the main reasons this year's U18 squad is continuing that trend of success is Stefan Joksimovic.
The 17-year-old entered the tournament with a lot of hype surrounding him, as a prospect who, despite his young age, has been on NBA radars for several years thanks to his performances with Slovenia's youth national teams, with Baskonia in the Spanish ACB, and, more recently, with the Slovenian senior national team, where he has become a regular during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers.
Despite the massive expectations, Joksimovic hasn't disappointed, currently ranking as the tournament's third-leading scorer; averaging 22.4 points per game, and doing so on tremendous efficiency, shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from three.
With Joksimovic helping Slovenia position itself for yet another European title, and with his performances living up to the pre-tournament hype in Trentino, we take a closer look at his game and what it means for his projection to the next level in this Player Spotlight.
Offense
The common thread throughout Joksimovic's offensive game is that he's at his best when he keeps things simple.
It all starts with his aggressiveness and quick decision-making to attack the basket. Whether it is to kick-start transition after a defensive stop or when catching the ball for the first time in a half-court offensive possession, his first instinct is almost always to attack the rim.
Joksimovic is a difficult cover because of his combination of 2.04m (6ft 8in) size and speed with the ball in his hands, generating a lot of momentum with the long strides he takes to get to the basket. However, the physical tools are only half the story.
There's also the mentality: Joksimovic plays with a ton of physicality and an aggressive mindset, attacking defenders time and time again.
His physical profile and aggressive mentality allow him to keep things simple with the ball in his hands. Instead of relying on intricate dribble moves or having to dribble his way through traffic, he's able to simply go through defenders, be physical, and absorb contact on his way to the rim.
This also allows him to excel at getting to the free-throw line. He's masterful at drawing fouls, consistently looking to initiate contact, as evidenced by his 6.4 free-throw attempts per game.
Joksimovic, however, has the versatility to make things happen in the half court when the situation forces him to slow down.
Even though he's not extremely quick changing directions with the ball, the 17-year-old is still extremely comfortable operating in traffic, where he plays with a ton of poise and patience, keeping control of the ball against physicality while utilizing hesitations and off-beat dribbles to get defenders off balance.
Similarly, while Joksimovic won't beat opponents with his first step, he's able to accelerate and create momentum off his second and third steps, which makes him a threat coming off a screen with the ball in his hands. His ability to create advantages doesn't stem from his explosiveness, but from his ability to identify open space and having the footwork and acceleration to beat defenders to those spots.
Despite some of these limitations, Joksimovic has gotten to the rim at an impressive rate, with around 45 percent of his field-goal attempts coming in the restricted area, and he has been tremendously successful as a finisher around the basket, converting 61.8 percent of those attempts.
This is yet another area where he's at his best when he keeps things simple, utilizing his momentum to attack the rim and create enough of a window to finish around defenders. His length allows him to finish with extension around the basket, keeping the ball away from rim protectors.
The best moments, however, are when he utilizes his combination of size, explosiveness, and physicality to make shots around the basket.
He consistently leads with his shoulder to shield himself from contact and create separation against defenders, and his combination of momentum and hang time allows him to readjust mid-air and convert tough, off-balance layups.
Joksimovic has also shown the right combination of touch and explosiveness. He's able to finish floaters and difficult layups through contact, but he's also capable of finishing with authority out of sheer explosiveness, elevating off one foot and finishing over defenders with his combination of size, length, and leaping ability.
Once he establishes himself as a slashing and transition threat, other lanes open up for him. The first and most immediate is as a cutter: with defenders attempting to deny the ball and playing the passing lanes, he is quick to take advantage of those backdoor opportunities for easy looks at the rim.
However, those lanes aren't open just for him. As he brings multiple defenders on his drives, Joksimovic is able to exploit those advantages by finding open teammates.
On a primary level, the Baskonia prospect utilizes his size to see and deliver passes over the top of the defense and, once again, finds strength in keeping things simple, making the fundamental reads and deliveries: making the extra pass on the perimeter, executing entry passes with timing and accuracy, and finding open shooters in the corners in drive-and-kick situations.
However, this is the one area where there are flashes of an advanced level of creativity in his game. He's deceptive as a passer, delivering skip passes on the perimeter, no-look passes on the move, and being able to thread the needle in the pick-and-roll—all passes that create high-efficiency looks for teammates.
For someone who has found so much success attacking the rim, Joksimovic has also thrived as a three-point shooter in this tournament, converting 43.8 percent of his three-point attempts on 6.4 attempts per game while finding success both in the catch-and-shoot and pull-up game.
Off the catch, Joksimovic is super quick to set his feet, often hopping directly into his shooting motion, which makes him particularly dangerous coming off off-ball screens, especially in out-of-bounds plays.
The 17-year-old has also been impressive off the dribble. Despite not possessing an especially diverse package, he has mastered one move: the side-step three, which has been extremely difficult for opponents to stop during this tournament.
While his versatility as an off-the-dribble shot creator is still to be determined, the combination of his efficiency, volume, difficult shot diet, and young age are all encouraging signs for his future projection as a shooter.
Defense
The area in which Joksimovic separates himself from other wing prospects in this tournament is his defense. If his motto on offense is to keep things simple, his motto on defense is versatility.
As an on-ball defender, he makes it extremely hard for opponents to shoot over him with his combination of size, length, and lateral mobility. He's able to stay in front of ball-handlers, cover drives, navigate ball screens effectively, and contest both jump shots on the perimeter and layups in the paint with his length.
His best defensive trait, however, might be his ability to create events off the ball, an area in which he shows active hands and an excellent understanding of positioning, allowing him to intercept passes and help as a weak-side rim protector.
While he hasn't been tasked with defending the point of attack, and the offensive load he carries makes him take a secondary role on defense, he has shown the tools and defensive awareness necessary to develop into a versatile defender at the next level.
Outlook
Joksimovic entered the tournament with a lot of hype, already projected as one of the top international prospects for next year’s NBA Draft, and his play in Trentino has cemented him as one of, if not the best, international players in his age group.
With his combination of size, speed, and physicality, Joksimovic is a constant threat to attack the rim, both in transition and in the half court, which not only makes him an efficient scorer around the basket but also opens up other areas of his game, particularly his passing and three-point shooting.
There are still areas scouts will be monitoring during the remainder of EuroBasket and throughout the 2026-27 season with Baskonia, particularly how he'll be able to expand his offensive game.
What Joksimovic has already shown at just 17 years old is that he has mastered the art of simplicity, an art that has made him efficient, dominant, and ultimately the driving force behind Slovenia's run to a fourth Semi-Final appearance in the last six editions of the FIBA U18 EuroBasket.
FIBA