ORLANDO (FIBA EuroBasket 2017) - Croatia played so well this year at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Turin and then at the Rio de Janeiro Games that it seems folly to suggest changes are needed on the roster or the coaching staff.

Yet so far, no announcement has been made on whether Aco Petrovic will continue at the helm. With so many talented youngsters now available for selection, and the possibility that veterans can return, all bets are off when it comes to next summer's roster.

Don't rule out the return of experienced sharpshooter Damjan Rudez of the Orlando Magic. The 30-year-old skipped the OQT, which Croatia won to qualify for Rio de Janeiro. The Kockasti (the checkered ones) then travelled to Brazil and finished top of Group B before falling to rivals Serbia in the Quarter-Finals.

Rudez is a threat from the perimeter

"I haven't retired from the national team," Rudez said to FIBA.com. "Last summer, I took off because of free agency and because I felt like it was the right time to take a summer off to heal my body and give some of the young guys a chance to participate in the national team program after we had two frustrating tournaments at the World Cup in Spain and the European Championship in Zagreb.

"Up to that summer, I was part of the national team program for up to 12 years straight and it takes a toll on your body so the frustrations were really high and I needed a summer to decompress and resolve the free agency which was very important for me and now, I'm ready to go and see how the situation is going to go for the national team."

Rudez ended up making the regular season roster of the Magic, who are coached by his former boss at Indiana, Frank Vogel.

The attraction of having Rudez back on the Croatia roster is obvious. He had an important role for the national side when it reached the Semi-Finals of EuroBasket 2013, drilling 16 of his 31 attempts from behind the arc in the tournament and also playing good defense for then coach Jasmin Repesa.

But he and his teammates lost in the Round of 16 to France at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and then crashed out of EuroBasket 2015 after a Round of 16 demolition by the Czech Republic.

"I'm very happy that the young guys are coming into the league like (Ivica) Zubac. Next year, (Andrija) Zizic is definitely going to come from Cibona. I think it's very good for Croatian basketball. Hopefully, the national team is going to be benefit from that." - Rudez

Rudez, who featured for Croatia when they played at the 2008 Olympics and made it to the Quarter-Finals, did not take the decision lightly to miss 2016.

"I couldn't afford to risk an injury when I had the opportunity to come back to the NBA," he said.

"There were other players (in a similar situation). It was tough decision because we all love playing for the national team and it's a thing we do for free out of a sense of pride and obligation.

"It's a very tough decision but in the end, we all live off of our teams and our contracts with our clubs so that was really priority number one."

Rudez sees a bright future for Croatia. Some youngsters have been drafted by NBA teams and gone to the NBA while others will soon join them.

"I hope there are going to be more of us to come," he said. "I'm very happy that the young guys are coming into the league like (Ivica) Zubac. Next year, (Andrija) Zizic is definitely going to come from Cibona. I think it's very good for Croatian basketball. Hopefully, the national team is going to be benefit from that."

Zubac, 19, is on the books of the Los Angeles Lakers while Zizic was selected by the Boston Celtics this summer. All of the Croatian players have followed in the footsteps of basketball legends.

"I'm sure that older fans remember Drazen Petrovic and Toni Kukoc, two of the trailblazers that came over here and left a big mark and opened the door for all of us to come from Europe," Rudez said.

"They took the hardest hit with all the prejudice that the NBA had toward the European players. Hopefully we're going to continue on this path and the young guys will come over and do a good job."

Rudez, meanwhile, says Croatia should be a force next summer when they compete at EuroBasket in Romania. They will take on Spain, Montenegro, Hungary, the Czech Republic and the Romanians.

"It's still too early to tell because we don't know who's going to play and who's not going to play," Rudez said. "I think it's a solid group for us. We're not in a position to underestimate anyone but also we're not in a position to fear anyone. Hopefully it's going to be a good and interesting summer."

FIBA