Getty Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo had major praise for Nikola Jovic (above).
From the outside, we have seen the growth and maturation of Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic only in fits and starts. He played two games in October. He played one game in November. He did not play at all from Thanksgiving to Christmas. In between he has been playing for Sioux Falls of the G League. But Heat star Bam Adebayo said there is a lot to Jovic and the improvement he has made that we don’t see.
“I always talk about the stuff behind the scenes. He works so hard every day,” Adebayo said after Monday’s game. “There’s not a moment that goes by where, if I am in the gym, I don’t see him. He’s doing the little things, he’s watching film, he’s trying to understand the game. He’s doing pre-practice, he’s doing practice. And those days add up for games like this.”
Jovic started and had six points on 2-for-9 shooting on Monday. But he also had six assists, two steals and two blocks. And that was his message to Jovic–points don’t matter, winning does. “He only had six points but it shows that that end of the box score doesn’t matter when it comes to impacting winning,” Adebayo said. “Niko is special in his own way. He can dribble, he can shoot, he can pass. He’s 6-foot-10 and he’s 20.”
Nikola Jovic Getting More Time for Miami Heat
Indeed, Jovic is starting to show up at just the right time. Jovic has played in the last six straight games for the Miami Heat, covering their West Coast swing and Monday’s homestand opener against Houston. That has included four starting assignments, and in those games, he is averaging 7.3 points and 4.2 rebounds, with 2.2 assists. He is shooting 50.0% from the field and 44.4% from the 3-point line.
He had a positive plus/minus rating in five of those six games. For Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, the development of Jovic was always going to be about patience. The Heat drafted him in the first round in 2022, but made no bones about the fact that he was not quite ready for the NBA.
Fans—and many coaches for that matter—tend to want immediate production from draft picks. So there has been ample frustration about Jovic’s lack of production, though not from the Heat front office or staff.
“The main thing is continued development and playing time,” Spoelstra said. “Whether it was here or whether it was in Sioux Falls, he needs the live reps. And we supplement that with all the film work and the extra drilling and practice work, but it is much more relevant when you are doing now game scouts and you’re depending on him. His improvement is happening quicker. He has positional size. He’s very dynamic when you play him with Bam.”
Bam Adebayo a Big Fan
That could be a real key for Jovic continuing to get playing time even after the Heat, who have been without Jimmy Butler and Caleb Martin for most of the last two weeks, finally get healthy. The Heat have long wanted a versatile power forward who can stretch the floor, play on the perimeter and provide some athleticism defensive size next to Adebayo.
Jovic has all of that. When he is on his game, he is the ideal Adebayo counterpoint. That’s why, after the win on Monday, one reporter suggested Adebayo would be starting the “Nikola Jovic fan club.” Spoelstra pointed out how Jovic was able to foil some of Houston’s defenses.
“They were trying to junk up some of the matchups which they do very well, put (Jae’Sean) Tate on Bam, and then (Alperen) Sengun on Niko,” Spoelstra said. “Well, Niko is very skilled. That gives us a different dynamic, if you try to do that kind of thing.”
It’s an exciting possibility for Spoelstra and Adebayo.
“Just continue to improve,” Spoelstra. “It’s not going be linear improvement. There will be some ups and downs. But the playing time he is getting is really important.”