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If there is a theme that has developed around the NBA offseason put together by the Miami Heat, it is that of a great, big yawn. The Heat, basically, did nothing this summer except watch veteran forward P.J. Tucker, who was critical for the team last season, walk away.
But the Heat could do well by focusing on continuity, according to veteran reporter Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel. And the team has some confidence that they did well in adding two young power forwards who, in true Heat tradition, could be ready to compete before most expect—first-round pick Nikola Jovic and undrafted two-way forward Darius Days.
No one has had better success, after all, at bringing along younger guys than coach Erik Spoelstra.
With the Heat having added Jimmy Butler in 2019 and Kyle Lowry in 2021, there was a sense that perhaps a lack of activity this summer might not be a bad thing. Wrote Winderman: “For their part, the Heat have privately expressed confidence in a remix limited to the additions of first-round pick Nikola Jovic and two-way player Darius Days.”
Miami Heat Have Developed Good Players Recently
It’s not hard to see where the Heat’s confidence in young players comes from. No team has had better success in recent years at bringing along its youth than Miami, and that ability was shown impressively last season, when the Heat boasted breakout seasons from Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, Omer Yurtseven and Max Strus, all at once.
If Yurtseven and Martin build on what they showed last year, the team’s deficiency in the frontcourt won’t be as bad as many predict. And, just as important, if Jovic and/or Bays can pitch in, too, the Heat might not miss the 37-year-old Tucker all that much.
There is ample excitement about Jovic, who is just 19 years old and entering NBA waters for the first time. He participated with the Heat’s entry in the California Classic summer league and averaged 11.3 points on 43.3% shooting, with 42.9% shooting from the 3-point line. He averaged 5.3 rebounds as well. He was injured (quad) in Miami’s first Summer League game in Las Vegas and did not play after that.
“He has a lot of potential,” an NBA scouting executive told Heavy Sports. “He is probably a hit-or-miss kind of guy, he has to smooth out so many things in his game. He is going to have to play the 4 in the NBA, and maybe some small-ball 5. He does not have the muscle for that right now, he is going to have to add to that. But you can see him as a playmaking big guy, a guy who can develop as a ballhandler and a shooter. He is going to need work, though.”
Darius Days Ready for Action?
Days, who is 22 years old, is probably more ready to contribute in the short term, the way Martin did last year as a two-way player. He was a four-year player at LSU, showing a varied game that got him some attention after he went unchosen in the 2022 draft.
Days is only 6-foot-7 but was an effective rebounder with the Tigers, lodging 6.5 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per game. The big question is whether he will be able to show the kind of stretch-4 ability he showed as a junior and senior at LSU when he shot 40.0% on 4.6 attempts and 35.0% on 6.0 attempts, respectively.
Jovic has the higher upside over the long term, but given Days’ experience level, he could get more immediate time on the floor.
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Miami Heat Rumors: ‘Confidence’ Being Shown in Longshot Rookies