Getty Nikola Jovic (right) of the Miami Heat
It has not been an easy year for Miami Heat big man Nikola Jovic. And apparently, it’s not all that easy to translate what just how difficult the start to the year, in which he has shuttled between Miami and the G-League, has been for Jovic.
Things got sticky for Jovic, in his second season after having been the team’s first-round pick in 2022, this weekend when he finally got some extended playing time with the Heat in Brooklyn on Saturday, as the Miami roster was depleted by injuries. He had been in with the Heat’s G League team in Sioux Falls before he logged 17 minutes, with one point, six rebounds and five assists in the loss to the Nets.
After the game, he spoke to media from Serbia, his native country. And, according to one translation, Jovic said the following, in which he seemed very concerned for his future with the Miami Heat (via the “Locked on Heat” podcast):
“It’s not easy. It’s really not easy. It’s even harder for me than last year. I mean, I kind of feel like I can play and I deserve it. They think I’m not ready yet and I totally understand. There is nothing there. I don’t know where this is going and all I’m trying to do is be on the (court) as much as possible. Somehow, even when I am playing, I feel like maybe I am being misused. I hope that some things will change. I will continue to work. I really support everything they do for me and will get better for sure.”
‘I Don’t See the Light at the End of the Tunnel’
But when Nikola Jovic showed up at Miami Heat practice on Monday, he had some explaining to do. The translation, he said, was taken out of context and was not quite accurate, he said.
“I’m going to say it again, so you guys don’t need to translate it and nobody is going to make it up,” Jovic said Monday, per the Miami Herald. “Basically, what I said, this team is playing great without me and minute-wise I don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. This team is playing great, so there’s no point of even playing me right now. And I get it, I totally get it. So that was the first thing.”
Jovic also said his comments about his time in the G-League were not quite right, either.
“The second thing I said is I was talking about the G League. G League, playing wise, we don’t have a five so I’m playing the five,” Jovic said. “Sometimes it’s not easy to play the things that you’re not good at. If I was playing the four, I would probably be a lot better. That’s basically it.”
Nikola Jovic Must Defend Better to Play for Miami Heat
In all, Nikola Jovic has made just three appearances this season, averaging 15 minutes, 4.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists. But he has not made nearly enough defensive improvement to warrant regular playing time. The Heat have a tricky defensive system for a young player to learn, especially a young big guy who needs to be versatile and show he can guard different style of power forwards.
Jovic has potential in that area, though. He has the length to be able to get a hand up on a 3-point shooter, and the agility to get back and guard the paint. He is 6-foot-10 and still only 20 years old. That means he is more spry than most NBA big men.
It means he still is a bit more clueless than most, too.
“Spo wants me to do different stuff,” Nikola Jovic said earlier this month, per the Herald. “Showing, dropping, everything basically. So I’m still in between. I’m not in the normal rotation, so I’m not even used to knowing exactly what things are. But I’m going to try to give my best to the team and that’s it.”