By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The latest pair of NBA players with similar names was formally created as the Miami Heat selected Nikola Jovic with the 27th overall pick of the 2022 draft.
The youngster’s name differing by one letter compared to Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic immediately draws attention. They also kind of look like each other. But there is more. Below are some facts.
- Both players are Serbian and down the road are likely to play together in the senior national team of their country
- Both players are listed at 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in)
- Both players were selected in the NBA draft coming out of Serbian club Mega
Keeping in mind that it is not fair to really compare the back-to-back MVP to a young upstart, both players are playmaking bigs and extremely comfortable playing all around the place in the offense. Similar to the Joker, Jovic has been labeled as a poor defender in pre-draft scouting reports due to a lack of athleticism. But the former has proved pundits wrong over the years.
Back in 2014, Jokic was picked up with the 41st overall pick and has since emerged among the best-ever second-round picks in NBA history. Jovic, who fit in the first round last Thursday, has a long way to go before potentially drawing genuine comparisons to Jokic.
“I hope to meet Jokic soon, I haven’t met him yet,” clarified Jovic after being drafted.
At this point, the youngster is eager to simply get the opportunity to compete against his compatriot and thus force pronunciation hazards on NBA fans and reporters.