VALENCIA (Liga Endesa/FIBA Basketball World Cup) -  If Nemanja Nedovic has proved anything in his young and promising career, it's that he's not afraid to take the tough decisions.

One year after his selection in the NBA draft and following a season with the Golden State Warriors, the Serbian elected to return to Europe for a very simple but important reason.

He needed to play.

Nedovic elected to join Valencia Basket in Spain's Liga Endesa, arguably the toughest league in Europe.

"I'm really happy to be here," he said to FIBA.com.

"Playing time was the main reason that I came here. 

I have a great opportunity to play in the Spanish league and in Europe. - Nedovic

Nedovic didn't see much action with Golden State, who are now one of the best teams in the NBA.

He made 24 regular season appearances in 2013-14, the majority of them early in the campaign.

After an injury prevented him from representing Serbia at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the 23-year-old returned to California in the hope that he would have a shot at more minutes but the Warriors are loaded and currently have the Splash Brothers - USA internationals Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Both are in the early running for league MVP honors.

Nedovic says no one should think that he wasted away while in the United States.

"I was working out everyday with some of the best players in the world," he said, "so I think I improved a lot. I don't think it was a lost year for me last year. 

"This (with Valencia) is the perfect opportunity to show it. I have to use it and take full advantage of it.

"The NBA remains my dream. This is something I worked really hard for, from last year being drafted and now that I'm back in Europe I don't just want to give up just like that on the NBA. 

"I’m trying to get back there, but I'm 23 years old and playing time is the most important thing right now."

Nedovic says that in the United States, while he lacked minutes, he did not regress.

To take minutes in the Warriors backcourt away from Curry or Thompson was, for Nedovic, not going to happen.

"It's not easy at all," Nedovic said. 

"Maybe if a different team had drafted me, then maybe I would have had that opportunity (to play more) but as I said, it was not a lost year. 

"I think I improved a lot and those guys helped me a lot."

Nedovic also loved his time with the Golden State fans.

Nedovic had hoped to play in Spain, too, but an injury prevented him from traveling to Granada with the national team.

"I was really happy when they won the silver medal at the end," he said. 

"I was sad when they were going through the bad times in the Group Phase. I wanted to be there to help them. 

"But then, when they started winning, I was really happy for them. 

"Of course I wanted to be there." 

I want to be at EuroBasket 2015 next summer and win the gold. - Nedovic

Nedovic is grateful for the time that he did spend with Serbia's coach, Sasha Djordjevic.

"When the injury happened, he said that he would wait until the last day but unfortunately, not long before the World Cup, I was told that I wasn't going to be able to recover in time," Nedovic said.

Nedovic says Djordjevic has proved he can be a huge hit with the national team.

"He's different," Nedovic said. "Definitely different. As a player, he was a winner. He wants to be a winner as a coach. 

"His first big tournament, he won the silver medal so he has all the reasons to be like that."

Just as he has some ground to cover before he can make it in the NBA, Serbia also need to improve to be able to challenge the USA for world supremacy.

The Americans blew out Serbia in the World Cup Final.

"The hype was really big in Serbia before the Final, everyone thought we could beat them," Nedovic said. 

"And I was just laughing because anybody who played there (NBA) knows how strong they are, how talented and athletic they are. 

"They are definitely the best in the world. 

"I think the whole of Europe underrated them a little bit and everyone thought they were the third team and that someone would beat them."

Right now, the USA are the best. That can no longer be in dispute.

But Serbia would appear to have the makings of a special team that can have a long run of success.

If Nedovic develops into the player that he wants to be, it is only going to make them stronger.

FIBA