How did Denver center Nikola Jokic perform for Serbia during the Olympics?

The end wasn’t ideal, but a silver medal eased Nikola Jokic’s pain after he and Serbia were served a stinging defeat at the hands of the United States in the gold medal game at the Olympics.

The Nuggets center was one of the darlings of the Olympic tournament, thrust into the spotlight with his 25-point performance against Team USA in round-robin play.

For the tournament, he averaged only 9.1 points per game, but no Serbian player impacted the court in more ways. He dished out 19 assists — with a solid 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio — and led the team in steals (12), blocked shots (five), offensive rebounds (10) and total rebounds (48). He shot 50 percent from the field, 30 percent from the 3-point line and 76 percent from the free-throw line.

What did. Jokic showed great willingness and energy, staying in constant motion in Serbia’s free-flowing offense. Jokic, heading into his second year as a pro, showed great footwork. As a screener, Jokic was all over the place, sprinting from block to perimeter, from the angle to the top. And on many possessions, he set multiple screens, freeing up Serbia’s guards.

Because he was a willing screener, Jokic found himself the recipient of passes as a cutter, as the roll man in pick-and-roll actions and in the post on quick seals.

In many ways, Jokic was the glue that kept possessions together and kept the Serbian offense flowing.

The ability to run the offense through Jokic is not earth-shattering news to the Nuggets, who were already well aware of his versatility. But in at least one game, the narrow loss to the U.S., he showed he could do it all at a high level. That matters when trying to project Jokic’s potential impact.

The question is: Can Jokic can produce at a high level every night? The United States team was much more focused on him in the gold medal game and held Jokic to just six points and four rebounds. Jokic took only three shots.

Jokic had a very solid summer in Olympic qualifying and in the Games, which followed up a solid rookie season with the Nuggets. There is considerable buzz about his future, and it is well-deserved.