With the Eastern Conference powering up, the Miami Heat are looking for one of their younger players to break out in 2023-24 to go along with their main core. A player who stands out that has high expectations not only for himself, but from the coaching staff and teammates is Nikola Jovic.
No…not reigning NBA Finals MVP and Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic, just to clear that up. However, Heat fans know Jovic well as a young, exciting player who can excel under head coach Erik Spoelstra—even at just 20 years old.
Because of the changes to the roster this past offseason, Jovic is surely in store to receive the most playing time he’s had in his early NBA career. He only played 15 games last season, averaging 5.5 points and 2.1 rebounds
Nikola Jovic's confidence level is rising
Jovic was taken with the 27th pick in the 2022 draft, but superstar Jimmy Butler said he has already seen a difference in Jovic entering his sophomore season in terms of confidence.
“Nikola has been walking with his chest up, the guy has gained some confidence. I like that,” Butler said, per Wes Goldberg of All You Can Heat. “He’s becoming more aware of how good of a basketball player he is, how he belongs in this league and on the world stage as well. He’s going to play a significant role with us.”
When Butler refers to the “world stage,” it’s in reference to Jovic playing with the Serbian national team in this year’s FIBA World Cup. Serbia finished second place in the tournament with Jovic averaging 10.1 points per game.
“This is exactly the type of summer and offseason that he needed,” Spoelstra said of Jovic, per the Miami Herald. “To be able to play, to be able to participate in all of our summer league practices and play in those summer league games against high-level competition. And we didn’t know necessarily how the Serbian team would shake out and it’s turned out to be marvelous for him. He’s getting a great opportunity.”
Jovic has massive upside and has shown the ability to score from all over the floor, despite his big frame. An ironic comparison that even Jovic made on Media Day is to Heat big man Kevin Love, who clearly believes in his young teammate's long-term growth.
“I think he’s one of the guys that you can’t put a ceiling on. He’s grown at his game, his weight, he’s gained 20 pounds, had a great year of improving,” Love said. “I saw the second half of last year, and had a big summer. He has the stuff from my game, but also Bam [Adebayo] with the way he handles, he brings the ball up the floor. He’s a worker and he’s going to continue to get better.”
While Jovic stood out at FIBA and in NBA Summer League action, the question will be if he can translate that level of play to the NBA. It’s safe to assume that there will be some growing pains if he gets tons of time, but Jovic's potential development into a reliable bench player could prove wonders for Miami, giving the team another versatile weapon on its quest for a championship.
Getting acclimated to playing away from his native Serbia could be the driving force behind that improvement.
“Last year it was a new country, new team, new teammates, new everything,” Jovic said, per Locked on Heat. “This year I actually feel like I’m at home, which is different. I feel like I belong here with these guys and I’m happy it’s with them.”
The Serbia native has said time and time again that there is a ton to improve on, which for a 20-year-old, is not shocking. If given the time, there’s no doubt he can break out this season. Jovic will have the rest of training camp and the Heat's preseason slate to prove himself worthy of a major role with Miami.
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