DENVER (NBA) - For Bosnia and Herzegovina to avoid the fate that befell them last year at the EuroBasket in Slovenia when they compete at the event in 2015, they will need a little more luck.

The side rebounded in 2013 from an 0-2 start in their opening round group by reeling off three straight wins, yet did not advance to the second phase of the competition after losing a tie-breaker.

Bosnia and Herzegovina were the only one of four teams with 3-2 records (Serbia, Latvia and Lithuania were the others) not to progress because of a tie-breaker.

Something else to help the team would be an injection of quality, and that should happen with Jusuf Nurkic.

A 2.11m, 127kg giant, Nurkic has been one of the most dominant players on the international youth scene the past few years.

At the 2012 U18 European Championship Division B in Sarajevo, Nurkic averaged 19.4 points and 13.3 rebounds per game and scooped the Most Valuable Player of the tournament honor after leading his country to the title.

At this year's U20 European Championship Division B, also held in Sarajevo, Nurkic averaged 21.4 points and 12 boards.

His 34 points, 13 boards and two blocked shots fired Bosnia and Herzegovina to a 76-70 title triumph over Belgium and once again, Nurkic was named MVP.

He has the physique and potential. What he needs is experience.

The Denver Nuggets are in the process of helping the former Cedevita man fulfill his promise.

They selected the Tuzla-born center in this past summer's NBA Draft with the 16th pick overall.

The pre-season performances heightened expectations, when Nurkic averaged nine rebounds in 18 minutes per game, numbers that effectively guaranteed him some minutes early in the regular season.

"He brings the pain, offensively and defensively," Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said before Denver's first game of the year, an 89-79 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

In 13 minutes, Nurkic had five points and seven rebounds.

But he also picked up three fouls, and that was a sign of things to come.

Next time out in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Nurkic collected three fouls in just five minutes and then in a defeat to the Sacramento Kings, he played eight minutes and had three more fouls.

In 13 minutes against Sacramento on 5 November, Nurkic fouled out after only 13 minutes and against Cleveland two days later, the man nicknamed the "Bosnian Bear" had three fouls in 17 minutes.

Shaw said this month that there a couple of reasons why the referees are blowing the whistle when Nurkic is playing defense.

"He's going to have a lot of calls that go against him because of the fact that he likes to reach a lot and he is a rookie," he pointed out.

"Just trying to find that happy medium, that's our challenge right now."

Denver's starting center, Russia's Timofey Mozgov, was also plagued by foul trouble early in his NBA career but seems to have developed better habits on defense.

All that Nurkic can do right is work hard in practice to refine his skills and learn what is acceptable on defense.

If he perseveres, good things should be on the way for him, the Nuggets and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

FIBA