By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
After a great 2023 FIBA World Cup and winning a silver medal with the Serbian national team, it was expected that Nikola Jovic would assume a more prominent role with the Miami Heat. However, he has played only two games so far.
After a very good outing against Minnesota with eight points and 11 rebounds, he recorded five points and four boards in seven minutes against Milwaukee. And that’s it.
He missed a couple of games due to a reported non-COVID illness but is still to make an appearance in November. Erik Spoelstra is assuring that him not playing is not an indication that Miami is not satisfied with his development.
“The fact that Nikola Jovic is not playing should not be an indication of how we feel that he’s developed. He’s taking major strides; this is all part of the development process, particularly when you are a young player, and he was the youngest player last year. There are steps to it,” Spoelstra said.
The head coach of the Heat believes he’ll improve and deems Jovic a unique player.
“He’ll continue to get better because of his work ethic and his skill set, which is really unique.“