What has Heat rookie Nikola Jovic learned in his limited minutes? ‘I need to work a lot more’
Earlier this week, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra brought up the possibility of sending rookie forward Nikola Jovic to the G League at some point this season as part of his development.
Jovic, 19, who was selected by the Heat with the 27th overall pick in this year’s draft, wouldn’t be against getting that experience.
“I think whatever happens will be good,” Jovic said to the Miami Herald in advance of Friday night’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. “The G League would be awesome because I’ll be playing more. Get some playing time and get in game shape and stuff, it would be pretty cool.”
Jovic’s unique skill set at 6-11 and 225 pounds opened eyes in the preseason, but he has played in just three of the Heat’s first nine games this season. And he won’t play in the Heat’s 10th game of the season Friday against the Pacers in Indianapolis because of a nasal contusion that kept him in Miami.
In the limited NBA regular-season minutes that Jovic has played, he has already learned a few lessons that he hasn’t forgotten. He ran into quick foul trouble with five fouls in 14 minutes in his NBA debut and then showed his inexperience on the defensive end in his second game when he got beat by a fake dribble handoff from Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and then by a drive and fake in the paint from Warriors guard Jordan Poole.
“First takeaway is I need to work a lot more,” Jovic said when asked about the 22 minutes that he has logged this regular season. “The first game I had five fouls. The second game, Draymond and Jordan Poole got me on fakes. So I see that it’s different than the preseason, of course. It’s a lot more physical. But I just know I need to work.
“I’m happy I played, though. I’m happy that coach gave me an opportunity to see where I’m at right now. But at this point even if I need to work a lot more, I think I can bring something to the team.”
Jovic’s playing time so far has come out of necessity, with his first appearance coming amid frontcourt foul trouble and his second and third appearances coming with backup center Dewayne Dedmon unavailable because of an injury. According to Basketball Reference’s data, 100 percent of Jovic’s minimal playing time through the first two weeks of the season has been at the center position because of these circumstances.
“Actually, no,” the Serbian forward said when asked if he ever expected his first NBA minutes to come at center. “But I’m happy it was. It was a little bit different than I thought. And who knows what life is going to bring next.”
While Jovic hasn’t played in many games, there has been plenty of work behind the scenes. Like the one-on-one work he went through on an off day Thursday that ended with his nasal contusion.
“I won’t say who caught him in the nose, but that’s part of player development,” Spoelstra said. “Those are not off days for our young guys who are not getting minutes. So he had a heck of a workout and finished up with one-on-one and he put his nose into the fray and caught one. That’s part of it.”
Spoelstra added that he doesn’t expect Jovic’s nose injury to keep him out for long.
“It’s really more about the flying and it wasn’t broken,” Spoelstra said.
That means Jovic’s behind-the-scenes work will continue soon.
“I’m working on days off. Whenever we have a shootaround, I’m out here before,” Jovic said. “I’ve been working a lot. I can’t say I’m not working. Working before the game, after the game. Being around these guys just learning.”
MOVING ON
The NBA Officiating Last Two Minute Report released Thursday afternoon ruled that Heat guard Tyler Herro should have been called for a travel before he put up his game-winning three-pointer in Wednesday’s victory over the Sacramento Kings at FTX Arena.
But the Heat’s win still stands and that’s all that matters to Herro.
“I didn’t have any thoughts, to be honest. I really don’t care at all,” Herro said Friday when asked about the NBA’s ruling on the play.
Did Herro even look at the officiating report?
“Maybe, if it ended in a loss, maybe. But we won,” he said. “And like I said, I didn’t look at it, I don’t care.”
The Heat benefited from the officiating error on Wednesday, but it has been on the wrong side of those mistakes before, too.
“We have been in those situations,” Spoelstra said. “They’re just really tough calls at the end of games and we’ve been on both sides of it. So I can understand probably the frustration on their side of it. As Tyler went into his move, I thought he got to his spot, he shot faked. It looked normal, it didn’t look like any kind of egregious travel. So that’s really it. The game can be decided in so many different ways and not just a whistle at the end of a game.”
INJURY REPORT
Heat center Bam Adebayo was listed as questionable for Friday’s game against the Pacers because of a right knee contusion, but Adebayo went through the team’s morning shootaround and was available to play.
“You know how much stuff I’ve done played through?” Adebayo said Friday morning. “You think I’m not going to play through a knee-to-knee [collision]? I woke the next morning. It was kind of sore, and I told the training staff. We’ve got one of the best training staffs in the league.
“I’m all for the team. If I can walk, I feel like I can play. That’s just how I feel, me personally. I’ve been like that since I got in the league. I’ve played through injury. I’ve played through fatigue. So it’s just another day.”
Dedmon was added to Miami’s injury report on Friday afternoon because of left foot plantar fasciitis, but he also ended up being available to play.
The Heat was without Jimmy Butler (left hip tightness), Jovic (nasal contusion), Victor Oladipo (left knee tendinosis) and Omer Yurtseven (left ankle impingement) against the Pacers.
Friday marks the second straight game that Butler has missed, but Spoelstra doesn’t seem concerned about the hip injury and said the time off has been “good for him.” The internal belief is the hip injury is a minor issue that shouldn’t keep him out for long and it’s possible that he could be back as soon as the Heat’s next game on Monday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Two-way contract forward Jamal Cain, who was with the organization’s G League affiliate in South Dakota, joined the Heat in Indianapolis for Friday’s game amid the team’s injury issues. Cain was available to play against the Pacers and the plan is for him to then rejoin the Sioux Falls Skyforce to be ready for the team’s G League opener on Saturday in Iowa.
This story was originally published November 4, 2022 at 12:32 PM.
