Aleksa Avramović – a crazy guy who does mad things on the court
His salary is about five times less than that of Kevin Punter, but his influence on Partizan Belgrade is at times much greater than that of the American. We are talking about Aleksa Avramović, who took Partizan on his shoulders against Anadolu Efes in Istanbul in last week’s EuroLeague round and carried the Serbian giant over the finish line as the winner.
The 29-year-old gave Efes a career-high 30 points in the EuroLeague, and the Turkish club did not have a good reply for Avramović. The Serbian successfully got to the basket, shot difficult mid-position shots and fadeaway 3-pointers. For the guard, the basket turned into an ocean that was impossible to miss as the game progressed.
It cannot be overlooked that Avramović scored almost half of his points when Partizan needed him the most. In the fourth quarter, the 192 cm tall player came on the court with six minutes and 28 seconds left, when the Belgrade club was leading 72:71. Avramović then scored 14 points and made the 20,200 spectators at Štark Arena roar like there was no tomorrow.
Avramović’s show against Efes:
An unusual path to the EuroLeague
Avramović, who celebrates his birthday on October 25, was born in a city that plays a very important role in the history of Serbian basketball. Čačak is not a very large place in terms of population, but a player, who became a great coach, was born there – Željko Obradović. As fate would have it, the legend who won nine EuroLeague titles as a head coach has crossed paths with his compatriot Avramović in Partizan, which Obradović is currently coaching.
The journey of talented Serbian basketball players is similar in many cases. You start your career in your hometown, at one point you get a chance to play in the premier league, and if you are any good, you join one of Belgrade’s giants, either Partizan or Crvena Zvezda.
There was no doubt in Avramović’s talent as he was named the Most Valuable Player of the Serbian premier league in 2016 and scored a whopping 47 points in one game that season. The man’s season averages were 20.1 points, 5.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds.
However, Avramović who played in Čačak Borac – where the Serbian legend Miloš Teodosić once got his flying start – did not go to Partizan or Zvezda. Nor to Mega Basket, where many talented Serbians also pass through. Instead, he went abroad and joined the Italian club Vares, where he shared a team with, for example, the long-time captain of the Estonian national team Kristjan Kangur and his successor Siim-Sander Vene.
In 2019, basketball took him to Spain, to the strongest national league in Europe. In the 2020/21 season, he scored 16.4 points per game for Estudiantes, and it was clear that Avramović could expect a step up on the career ladder.
Avramović’s glorious season at Estudiantes:
Partizan’s finances had been terrible for years, to say the least, but under the leadership of club president Ostoja Mijailović and sporting director Zoran Savić, the most successful basketball club in Serbian history got on its feet, and when Partizan courted Avramović, the player jumped on board.
In three seasons, Avramović has played his way into the hearts of Partizan fans. If there is a lack of stability in attack, then in defense he is always out for several men, and if sometimes the Serbian can be blamed for several misses, he does not stop fighting on the field. Not ever. This is probably the best and easiest way to make fans love you.
Put an NBA star in his pocket
At the last World Cup, Serbia had to play without several key players, but they had a clear leader in the back line in the form of Bogdan Bogdanović, who throws balls into the basket in the NBA. Avramović was a role player, but a very important one.
11.3 points and 2.1 assists per game is a decent haul, but nothing miraculous. His 21 points – by the way, the basket turned into an ocean for him once more, just the previous week against Efes – were not enough in the final against Germany, and Serbia had to settle for silver in again.
Avramović was catapulted to stardom in the semi-final against Canada. The latter had a strong and famous team at the World Cup, which included several NBA players, led by one of the best offensive players in the dream league, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Serbia pushed Canada to the floor 95:86, and Avramović’s brilliant defense, also against Gilgeous-Alexander, played an important role in that. He scored a measly 15 points of his own and was more involved in passing as the Serbs, led by Avramović, pressured him to pass the ball.
After the win, Bogdanović told reporters how Avramović analyzed the Gilgeous-Alexander game for two days and told his teammate that he would make at least one steal against the NBA star. That’s exactly what happened at the start of the fourth quarter, and Avramović then scored two points on a quick attack.
Avramović’s steal against SGA:
Aleksa Avramovic picks Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s pocket perfectly🍪pic.twitter.com/2URPrBLlDL
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 8, 2023
Another Serbian international, Danilo Andjušic, praised Avramović, saying that his energy seemed to be boundless both on and off the court. “He comes to practice every morning at nine o’clock and starts talking and asking random questions. He talks all the time, no matter what mood someone is in. After all, you can’t help but laugh, even if Aleksa sometimes becomes annoying. He’s just that kind of person, it’s impossible to be angry with him,” the sniper, who also earns his keep in Partizan, told the Basketnews portal at the World Cup.
Andjusic continued: “Such behavior can also be seen in his defensive game. Aleksa does not let people breathe easily for a second. That’s why I’m not surprised that he watched Gilgeous-Alexander clips for two days.”
One of Partizan’s legionnaires, the American Zach LeDay, has said that Avramović always wants to play, do everything and reach everywhere. “His energy and vision for basketball make him a different person than usual, but he loves basketball. Aleksa is very passionate and a good guy.”
Avramović stood out so much at the World Cup that, according to his agent Miško Ražnatović, even the NBA inquired about the Serbian.
Luckily for Partizan and the EuroLeague, Avramović didn’t go anywhere but is trying to help the Belgrade club to the playoffs again. If he succeeds, he will become even more important to his employer, because in playoff, defense always comes first, and that suits the mad guy from Čačak.
