Serbia 2001 Generation Ranking: Width and Versatility
SerbiaHoop's 2018 update called the 2001 generation one of the most talented Serbian classes in years — wider and more versatile than the celebrated 2000 group above it. The archived ranking was led by Aleksej Pokuševski and Mario Nakić, two prospects the site placed among the very best in Europe for their age. This page preserves the full Top 30 as archived, the original scouting commentary, the 2019 Top 5 and the expanded Top 10 the site published in 2021.
As with every archive page here, ranks, heights and teams describe the players at the time of publication. The 2001 class was still in its mid-teens in 2018, which makes the scouting notes unusually explicit about projection versus current ability.
The full 2001 ranking, archived from 2018
The original table listed thirty players. Two things stand out on rereading: the international spread of the top of the class — Olympiacos, Real Madrid and Stella Azzurra Roma all appear — and how early the top names left Serbian club basketball entirely.
| Rank | Player | Height | Position | Team (at the time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleksej Pokuševski | 211cm/6'11 | SF/PF | Olympiacos |
| 2 | Mario Nakić | 200cm/6'7 | SG | Real Madrid |
| 3 | Dušan Tanasković | 208cm/6'10 | C/PF | Partizan NIS |
| 4 | Aleksandar Langović | 204cm/6'9 | PF/C | Mega Bemax |
| 5 | Nemanja Popović | 204cm/6'9 | PF/SF | Crvena zvezda mts |
| 6 | Đorđe Pažin | 197cm/6'6 | SG/SF | Partizan NIS |
| 7 | Lazar Vasić | 192cm/6'4 | SG/PG | Crvena zvezda mts |
| 8 | Boško Bumbić | 190cm/6'3 | PG | Mega Bemax |
| 9 | Stevan Karapandžić | 189cm/6'3 | PG | Crvena zvezda mts |
| 10 | Lazar Živanović | 199cm/6'7 | SG/SF | Crvena zvezda mts |
| 11 | Marko Pavićević | 205cm/6'9 | C/PF | Crvena zvezda mts |
| 12 | Aleksa Marković | 197cm/6'6 | SF/PF | Mega Bemax |
| 13 | Nemanja Mišljenović | 205cm/6'9 | PF | Mens Sana Siena |
| 14 | Marko Brekić | 198cm/6'6 | PF/SF | Mega Bemax |
| 15 | Lazar Šćekić | 211cm/6'11 | C | ratiopharm Ulm |
| 16 | Vukašin Mašić | 190cm/6'3 | PG | Crvena zvezda mts |
| 17 | Jovan Kojić | 201cm/6'7 | PF/SF | Spartak Subotica |
| 18 | Nikola Radovanović | 197cm/6'6 | SG | Mladost Čačak |
| 19 | Novak Mišković | 205cm/6'9 | PF/C | Mega Bemax |
| 20 | Lazar Dimovski | 201cm/6'7 | SG | Dinamik |
| 21 | Mane Milošević-Jarić | 195cm/6'5 | PG/SG | Mladost Zemun |
| 22 | Dušan Radosavljević | 201cm/6'7 | SF/PG | Crvena zvezda mts |
| 23 | Pavle Stepanović | 195cm/6'5 | PG/SG | Radnički |
| 24 | Vuk Borovićanin | 200cm/6'6 | SF/SG | Beko |
| 25 | Vladimir Lazarević | 206cm/6'9 | C/PF | Mladost Čačak |
| 26 | Đorđe Đorđević | 196cm/6'5 | SG | Dinamik |
| 27 | Vuk Radojičić | 185cm/6'1 | PG | — |
| 28 | David Petrušev | 201cm/6'7 | SF | Montverde Academy |
| 29 | Radovan Vidović | 204cm/6'9 | C/PF | Beko |
| 30 | Aleksa Šušić | 198cm/6'6 | SG/PG | Borac Čačak |
Pokuševski and Nakić: a genuine No. 1 debate
The archived update placed Mario Nakić on top at the time of writing, citing his ACB debut for Real Madrid and a dominant Final 8 ANGT performance playing a year up — the scout went as far as placing him among the top three in Europe in his age group, while cautioning against expecting him to fill Luka Dončić's place in Madrid. Pokuševski, ranked directly behind him, was described as something really special: around 6'11, handling the ball like a guard, with great court vision and an improving shot.
The same note is honest about Pokuševski's limitations at fifteen — mobility, explosiveness and strength are all named — and argues that talent of that type demands patience. It is one of the clearest examples in the archive of a scout separating what a player is from what he might become, and it aged remarkably well.
The rest of the top group
Dušan Tanasković and Aleksandar Langović gave the class size behind the two headliners, while Nemanja Popović was profiled as a 6'9 forward comfortable inside and outside who read the game well and had not finished developing physically. Đorđe Pažin lost most of the season to paperwork after moving from Stella Azzurra to Partizan, with the scout noting his talent was never in question and pointing to the U17 World Cup as his next stage.
How the ranking moved: 2019 Top 5 and the 2021 Top 10
The 2019 republication kept the archived order — Pokuševski, Nakić, Tanasković, Langović, Popović. When the site expanded the class to a Top 10 in January 2021, the upper list had settled into a new shape and the heights had been revised as the players grew:
- Aleksej Pokuševski — 212cm, SF/PF.
- Mario Nakić — 200cm, SF/SG.
- Nemanja Popović — 205cm, PF.
- Dušan Tanasković — 208cm, C.
- Aleksandar Langović — 205cm, PF/C.
- Đorđe Pažin — 197cm, SG.
- Marko Pavićević — 208cm, C/PF.
- Stevan Karapandžić — 189cm, PG.
- Aleksa Marković — 199cm, SF/PF.
- Boško Bumbić — 192cm, PG.
Reading this ranking today
The 2001 archive shows both halves of scouting. The bold call on Pokuševski's unusual profile — a seven-footer with guard skills who needed years of physical work — proved right, while the projection around Nakić shows how heavily early senior minutes at a club like Real Madrid can raise expectations. Depth names such as Karapandžić and Bumbić, point guards who climbed into the Top 10 only in 2021, are the usual reminder that the back of a teenage ranking is always in motion.
For context, see the archived 2000 and 2002 rankings and our guide on how to read scouting rankings without over-trusting them.