As the Miami Heat beat the Houston Rockets to start their four-game home stand, they were led by the likes of the usual suspects in Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. However, each would mention one player after the game that was the X-Factor for the team which was Nikola Jovic.
Jovic was inserted into the starting lineup once again due to the team's constant injury problems and made the most out of the opportunity, even if the statistics don't jump off the page. He scored six points, but collected eight rebounds, and recorded six assists in 21 minutes.
There is no doubt that the team loves him, especially Herro who is excited about what the future holds for Jovic. He even said to the media after the win to Houston that he is “starting a Nikola Jovic fan-club.”
“I love Niko, I told Niko I'm starting a Nikola Jovic fan-club by Tyler Herro,” the star guard said after he scored a team-high 28 points. “I just love the way he plays and he's so skilled, I really think he's really, really good. So I'm excited for him to to get out there and just continuing to build on the minutes and the opportunities that he has got.”
Adebayo talks about Jovic's work-ethic
Another player on the Heat that Jovic has impressed was star Bam Adebayo who scored 22 points and collected 12 rebounds. He isn't surprised by the impressive performance Monday night as he sees what happens “behind the scenes.”
“I always talking about the stuff behind the scenes. He works out hard every day. Not a moment goes by where I'm in the gym and I don't see him,” Adebayo said. “He's doing the little things, he's watching film, he's trying to understand the game, he's doing pre-practice, doing practice. Those things add up for games like this. He only had six points, but it shows that the end of the box score doesn't matter a whole lot when it comes to impacting winning.”
Erik Spoelstra says Jovic is improving much quicker
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has been constantly saying since the team drafted Jovic with their first-round pick in 2022 that he is improving. In the present time, he said that it is “happening quicker” after the Rockets victory and needs as much playing time as possible.
“What he needed more than anything is continued development and playing time. Whether it was here or whether it was in Sioux Falls, he needs the live reps. His improvement is happening quicker,” Spoelstra said. “He has positional size, he's very dynamic when he is playing with Bam. He will just continue to improve. It's not going to be linear improvement. You know, there will be some some ups and downs. But this playing time that he's gotten in the last several games has been really important, and we'll get to practice tomorrow and that will be much more relevant when we're going through the teaching points.”
Adebayo lists the traits that make Jovic “special”
When Adebayo was told that Spoelstra mentioned that Jovic and him together are dynamic when on the floor together, a bright smile lit up his face. He calls the 20-year old “special in his own way” and shares the multitude of ways of how good Jovic is and can be.
“Niko [Jovic] is special in his own way. He can dribble, he can shoot, he can pass, he's 6'10” and he's 20,” Adebayo said. “So having a coach that has that much confidence to throw you in the starting lineup, obviously, we throw a rookie and basically another rookie in the starting lineup with us and they are contributing and helping us win. It speaks to the respect of his coach and to the respect that he has for his coach.”
With the injuries piling up, fans can expect to see a lot more of Jovic and possibly witness the Heat developing another star player. In the meantime, the Heat are 21-15 on the season with their next game Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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