Nikola Jovic

The 6-foot-11 Serbian averaged 18.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 blocks in the U19 World Cup.

Good touch passer and can handle the ball.— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) June 24, 2022 At his best with the ball in his hands in the open court or in the pick-and-roll. Even if he’s not a shot blocker, his pure size still makes him more of a deterrent than smaller players in the same position. Against a switch, he has the size advantage down low if he develops a post game. In a draft devoid of major high-end international talent, Jovic may be the best of the bunch. His high center of gravity with the ball and finishing struggles in traffic (46% at the rim) limit him as a primary shot creator. He makes sense as a floor spacer next to Bam who can also make plays. Jovic likely has to improve in those two areas to stay on the floor, but skilled players his size aren’t always easy to find. Jovic has good shot selection and has the vision as a passer to make his teammates better. Of all the international prospects in this draft, Jovic has the most seamless NBA fit as a modern forward who can shoot, handle and pass. Evolving his off-ball defense and stabilizing his often-fluctuating motor will really help him win the margins, as he’s likely never going to quite have the range or flexibility to be a 1-on-1 stopper. After all the pre-draft speculation of Miami potentially trading back, Pat Riley and the Heat brain trust must’ve really liked Jovic’s game.

6'11 Nikola Jovic is one of the most talented international players in this year's NBA draft. He is from Serbia, likes to play the point-forward position, ...

In our eyes, he would complement perfectly with a scoring guard, giving additional options to create off the dribble against bigger guys. Which position can he guard in the NBA? Or maybe, where his liabilities would be exposed the least? In transition, he will be a huge weapon since he can dribble, give great outlet passes or recognize teammates running in front and put them in ideal situations to score. Sometimes it comes from wrong positioning, where Jovic defends the guy in front like he's a right-hander, while it's the opposite. Sometimes, he can wait and explore opportunities to pass inside before rising up without dribbling over the defender. He isn't the fastest player, but he sure can dribble past you if you close out too hard. But the scouts and GMs see the separation he can offer at the elite size. He lost quite a few basketballs this season when being pressured high up the court, and it showed in the wing's turnover rate, where he averaged 2.6 turnovers in 26 minutes of playing time. Jovic was the most effective on catch and shoot opportunities, scoring 1.34 points per possession on those. Let's analyze the upside he has and what kind of a role he could fit in. It does sound intriguing, and we know the comparison to another Nikola might pop in your head immediately, but this Serbian talent is different. We saw glimpses of NBA range and NBA-level confidence during this season.

No, he's not related to two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, but Nikola Jovic has proven himself to be one of the more interesting players in the 2022 NBA Draft.

"Jovic is at his best playing on the perimeter with crafty passing skills. He's not considered to be an elite athlete, but he runs the floor well in transition and is capable of finishing at the rim. Jovic will have to improve drastically on defense, as he's a bit too upright to consistently stay with perimeter players yet not quite physical enough to bang with true bigs on the interior. Evolving his off-ball defense and stabilizing his often-fluctuating motor will really help him win the margins, as he's likely never going to quite have the range or flexibility to be a 1-on-1 stopper. In fact, Jovic hasn't ever met Jokic, though he hopes that'll change soon. Last year, Australia's Josh Giddey was selected in the lottery.

Jovic was selected by the Heat with the No. 27 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-10, 227-pound forward out of Serbia is a versatile playmaker for his ...

Defense is also a concern. The 6-foot-10, 227-pound forward out of Serbia is a versatile playmaker for his size. However, he'll need to become a better finisher and shooter to reach his full potential.

The No. 27 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft has a lot of similarities with the reigning MVP. The most obvious one is their similar last names. Of course, they're also ...

So far, the rap on Jovic is that he is incredibly skilled for a player of his size, especially in terms of passing and scoring. He's doing that on another level, and of course I'm looking forward to meeting him and playing against him." Jovic just turned 19 years old this month, though he has already played professional basketball in Serbia for KK Mega Basket. He has also been on the NBA radar for quite some time. “He’s doing that on another level, and of course I’m looking forward to meeting him and playing against him.” Of course, they’re also both Serbians, though Jovic was actually born in Leicestershire, England as his father played basketball in the UK. Both were also not chosen in the lottery.

1. Jović was born in Leicester, England. His father, Ilija Jovic, was playing basketball there. When Nikola was nine years old, the family moved to Belgrade ...

“All of the competition internationally, whether it’s in Europe of wherever the players come from, the quality of competition has really gone up,” Riley said. “I think I know almost every player on the team,” Jovic said. There’s going to be a bit of wait and see here given the level of offensive talent he’s about to encounter, but long term being able to switch is always going to be a key skill in a system built around the talents of Bam Adebayo. “The whole defensive disposition first has to come in your mind and in your heart,” Riley said. “I think he can just play,” Riley said. There were moments where he dribbled into a crowd or too close to a help defender and got stripped, but that was happening to All-Star players in the playoffs, too. He did turn the ball over, 2.7 a game to those 3.4 assists, but that’s to be expected of someone his age. If he draws a smaller player and earns a double team – something the HEAT’s current roster doesn’t often do – he has the necessary ability to find the spaces unoccupied by defenders and deliver passes on time and on target. He sees where players are going to get open on the break, can throw a lob on the move and, perhaps most important for how the HEAT or most any NBA spaces the floor, he can skip the ball over the top of the defense to find weakside shooters. “Wherever he shoots he shoots confidently,” Simon said. There isn’t much of a post-game yet – he had 22 post possessions at 0.41 points per – but against a switch he’ll be able to rise up over just about any guard in the league. There wasn’t much film available on him running off of screens as the HEAT would use Max Strus or Duncan Robinson, but he relocates well off the ball, can pump fake a defender and sidestep to stay behind the line and can get to his shot off of a variety of dribble moves, creating good separation with stepbacks while staying under control.

How did the pundits grade Miami's No. 27 overall selection?

The Heat will hope that Jovic turns out to be as good a pick at 27 as his countryman, Nikola Jokic, was at 41 in 2014. Jovic is kind of a weird fit in Miami, which makes me suspect whether this is for a trade, but he’s got a terrific combination of size and ball skills to work with. At the start of the season, he received votes from NBA executives as the best international player not in the NBA. He averaged 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists per game in 29 games Jovic doesn’t help the Heat immediately, but this is a nice landing spot for him to develop his overall game. Jovic has impressive dimensions for a player who spent much of the season at the small forward position — measuring 6-11 in shoes with a nine-and-a-half-foot standing reach that might allow him to see some minutes at center as his frame fills out long-term. The Serbian is another European sharpshooter who spends a lot of time at the 3-point line and shot 35.6% from long range in the ABA pro league in 2021-22. Playing in Serbia and winning the Young Player of the Year award in the Adriatic League this past season, Jovic possesses a fascinating skillset as a shooter and distributor at his size. He has huge upside and will fill a need as a depth big man. This is a perfectly fine value on Jovic. He has significant defensive concerns, but Jovic is incredibly skilled for a player of his height and size. He’s far from a finished product, but the defense needs a ton of work. He isn’t a total knockdown shooter, but his feel is very good and he’s a high-end passer. He is comfortable playing out on the perimeter, with pull-up threes and drives to get into his midrange game being an essential part of his scoring package.

The Miami Heat drafted Serbian forward Nikola Jovic in Thursday's NBA Draft. Pat Riley and Adam Simon spoke about what the Heat likes about Jovic.

All the clips we’ve seen of him, he’s attacking and he’s able to maneuver and get to the basket. “I think we’re going to be able to develop that, to be able to read to shoot off the catch or take guys off the dribble. Jovic is only the second first-round pick kept by the Heat in franchise history who played his previous season overseas. That’s one of the reasons he wasn’t considered a top prospect until he opened eyes at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade in March of 2021, where he averaged 29.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.8 blocks per game to help his team win the championship. “So if you give him space, he’s got a quick shot and he’s not afraid to pull it. I think a lot of the times, he shoots off the dribble, that’s probably what hurts his percentages. “The thing that impressed us the most at that time was the fact that he has great size, he has great length, he has great skills, he’s young and he’s going to get better,” Riley said of Jovic. “How we play, switching all the time, we’re sort of this positionless basketball. Most scouting reports label Jovic as a “three-level scorer,” and his shot chart backs that up. Jovic did not go through a predraft workout for the team in Miami because of an injury, but the Heat’s scouts were able to evaluate him one final time at his agency-run pro day in Chicago last month. Jovic, who features a 7-foot wingspan, played professionally for Mega Basket in the Serbian league last season. “A guy 6-10 plus that can handle, he’s got that skill set,” said Heat assistant general manager Adam Simon, who was at Jovic’s pro day workout. Last month, Nikola Jovic was sitting in an FTX Arena seat watching the Miami Heat win a playoff game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Miami Heat selected forward Nikola Jovic with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft on Thursday night. The 19-year-old forward is one of the ...

The Miami Heat selected forward Nikola Jovic with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft on Thursday night. It’s possible Jovic will have a path to playing time right away in Miami if both players move on. Miami struggled to find proven scoring beside Jimmy Butler in the playoffs when Tyler Herro went down with a groin injury. He averaged 18.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 blocks per game during the tournament. Pat Riley on new Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic: ‘He’s gonna be very good’ - Pat Riley on new Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic: ‘He’s gonna be very good’