Do the Miami Heat have a potential unicorn in Serbian big man Nikola Jovic?
The 19-year-old rookie may share all but one letter in his name with compatriot Nikola Jokic, but do the similarities end there?
For now, pretty much.
Make no mistake, Miami Heat rookie Nikola Jovic is a gifted young shooter. His versatility is very intriguing, but he won't win any NBA MVPs soon.
Jovic first turned heads at the 2019 Adidas U16 International All-Star Game by scoring 16 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. He continued to play largely at the junior level up to the end of the 2020–21 Adriatic League season. The English-born forward averaged 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds over 24.7 minutes per game for erstwhile club team Mega Basket. He shot 40.0 percent from outside the arc in his first taste of senior-level competition.
He established a high standard for himself after his first full season playing in the Adriatic League. In fact, he averaged 18.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.7 blocks over 31 minutes per game playing in the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup. Jovic continued to develop as a prospect by averaging 12.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 28.5 minutes off the bench while making his Serbian Men's National Team debut at the age of 18.
So far in the 2022 NBA Summer League, Jovic has attracted a lot of attention. He started slow out of the gates, though, averaging just 4.5 points in his first two games at the California Classic. His breakout game came in the Heat's third outing against the Golden State Warriors. In that appearance, the 6'11 forward-center raised his production a few notches. He tallied 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds on the strength of five 3-pointers.
Nikola Jović already going off for the Heat in Summer League ♨️ pic.twitter.com/lxLud4qLkq
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 5, 2022
It was his coming-out party, so to speak. Fans saw glimpses of Danilo Gallinari and Deni Avdija in Jovic. He was a confident long-range shooter and moved effectively without the ball. It is unlikely that he will show much of that potential in his first year in Miami as he will play behind Bam Adebayo, Markieff Morris, Dewayne Dedmon, and even Omer Yurtseven. Having said that, don't put it past Jovic to have a game or two where he'll showcase the upside so many see in him.
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Nikola Jovic Bold Heat Predictions
3. Jovic will not play any wing positions for the Heat
Jovic once said that he was a shooting guard or small forward in Serbia. He won't be one in the NBA. Instead, he will be either a power forward or center for the Heat. Even if his ball-handling abilities are a strength, he won't have the ball in his hands as frequently as he is used to. In the NBA, he will need to develop his screen-setting, rim protection, rebounding, and roll/pop skills.
Keep in mind that Markieff Morris and P.J. Tucker were both set to become free agents before the end of the regular season. Consequently, the Heat had a need at the power forward position. Enter Jovic. He won't be a top-tier starting power forward, however, and he certainly won't be a top-tier shooting guard or small forward at this level.
2. Jovic will be like Nikola Jokic… on defense
It's easy to try and compare Jovic with Jokic, and they do have some similarities.
It's just that those similarities are on the defensive side. More specifically, Jovic shares some of Jokic's defensive weaknesses.
Jovic is not a great shot blocker, and occasionally his defense may be a touch shoddy. He has to improve his lateral mobility, especially when opposing teams target him in their pick-and-roll spin cycles. He has size, but he should play tougher under the rim if he wants to avoid being eaten alive by NBA centers as he makes his way through the league. Jokic eventually found a way to establish himself defensively even if he isn't a rim protector. Jovic should find a way to do the same.
1. Jovic will not be the best international rookie
Some projected that Jovic may be the top foreign prospect in this year's draft, but that accolade actually belongs to top overall pick Paolo Banchero, who is eligible to play for Italy internationally. There's also Frenchman Ousmane Dieng from the New Zealand Breakers, who will likely get more reps with the Knicks than Jovic will get with the Heat.
Nikola Jovic hasn't been great, which might be far from the expectations some Heat fans had entering the #NBA2K23SummerLeague. But there are still a number of guys on the team playing impressive enough that they deserve recognition. Latest for @SBNation: https://t.co/mmOmsvc9di
— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) July 10, 2022
Still, Jovic should have some opportunities to show flashes of his brilliance and versatility. Maybe eventually, five or six years down the road, Jovic may end up a solid veteran international big man. For now, however, we'll just see him more on the bench than on the floor. Unfortunately, that will not make him the best international rookie this coming season.
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