Nikola Jovic ☆ Follow

Starts 0 of 3 games · 9th on MIA in minutes · Rotation role

Bars: minutes in his last 3 games · numbers: points

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Every situation, with four seasons of history →

• Podcast The Athletic NBA Daily host · Analysis · 7 h ago around the league

  S calls the Heat a roster of one-way players: Klay Thompson and Tim Hardaway Jr. get "cooked" on defense, while Davion Mitchell and Nikola Jovic are more defense-oriented.

  “Jalen Williams Suffers Devastating Injury + Miami Slides in Power Rankings” at 21:51 · listen ↗

• Podcast Hardwood Knocks host · Report · Oct 24 around the league

  Giannis Antetokounmpo was physically dominant in Miami's opener, but the Heat lost. A host says the supporting cast underwhelmed: Klay Thompson took bad shots after early makes, Jovic and Pelle Larsson did not look good, Wiggins disappeared for stretches, Hardaway Jr. made no impact, and Bam was not featured.

  “The 2026-27 NBA Overreactions Draft!” at 1:06:14 · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Heat · 3 points · Oct 22
  • David Ramil: David points to missed threes from Tim Hardaway Jr and Nikola Jovic, and says Bam went 1-of-5. at 28:49
  • listener Jandro; David Rimmel (reported): A listener noted that Miami often played big, with Bam or Giannis alongside Portis and Jovic, and got killed on the boards and on defense. David said the big lineup clearly didn't work, but nothing else did either. at 30:53
  • Wes Goldberg: Wes says Portis and Nikola Jovic needed to attack the defensive glass more; Portis had a lower defensive rebound rate than Nico. Wes questions going big when Nico has not dominated the glass in his career. at 31:54

  “Is the Miami Heat's Drop Coverage REALLY the Problem?” · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Heat · 5 points · Oct 22
  • Shooting splits as read by a host: Hardaway 1-for-7, Jovic 0-for-3, Portis 1-for-2, Wiggins 1-for-4, Bam 1-for-5, Klay Thompson 3-for-6. The host says everyone except Klay shot poorly. Bam's 1-for-5 is described elsewhere as three-point shooting. at 22:15
  • Nikola Jovic went 2-for-8, 0-for-3 from three, with 4 rebounds. The host thought his early minutes were better than his later minutes. at 31:41
  • The hosts believe Nikola Jovic has not lost his rotation spot. They call him a core part of the rotation and say Spoelstra should not overreact. at 33:18
  • A host recalls that last year Spoelstra pulled Jovic from the starting lineup after one game. at 33:27
  • Both of Jovic's field goals were assisted by Pelle Larsson. A host notes they have been teammates for a couple of years. at 32:48

  “Giannis Gets NO HELP! Heat's Opening Night Loss Exposes BIG Problems” · listen ↗

• X Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) · Report · Oct 16

  With Bam Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo out for tonight's preseason finale vs. Magic, Heat going with a starting lineup of Davion Mitchell, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jovic and Bobby Portis.

  original post ↗

• Podcast Locked On Heat host · Analysis · Oct 21

  The host expects bench lineups in which Giannis is surrounded by shooters: Bobby Portis, Nikola Jovic, Tim Hardaway Jr and/or Klay Thompson. He thinks these lineups will matter, partly because of concerns about Minnesota's depth.

  “The Giannis Era BEGINS! Miami Heat Opening Night vs. Timberwolves” at 19:12 · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Heat host · Opinion · Oct 19

  David's view is that Jovic has struggled for most of his career and that people have soured on his remaining potential.

  “Wes' Bold Miami Heat Predictions for the 2026-27 Season” at 34:56 · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Heat · 3 points · Oct 18
  • David Ramil: David says Nikola Jovic has shown a changed approach this preseason, singling out more aggression, especially on the boards, and saying he is putting less emphasis on scoring. at 29:10
  • David Ramil: As a self-described 'wrong' prediction, David says Nikola Jovic will record a triple-double off the bench this season. Wes notes that even double-doubles have been hard for him to come by. at 27:42
  • David Ramil: David says Jovic's assist upside depends on whether he starts and which lineups he plays in, so his starting/bench role is unresolved. at 29:29

  “David's Bold Miami Heat Predictions for the 2026-27 Season” · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Heat · 6 points · Oct 14
  • Wes Goldberg: In minutes without Giannis, Wiggins ran pick-and-roll, including a quick-hitting action with Nikola Jovic that ended in a turnaround jumper. at 16:25
  • Wes Goldberg: Nikola Jovic: 5 points on two made shots (1 of 3 from three), 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and +14. at 24:16
  • Wes Goldberg: Wes says Jovic's whole game used to go sideways when his shots weren't falling, and that Jovic discussed this with the hosts at media day. at 24:12
  • David Ramil: David thinks Jovic's defense is a little better than last year, and that he is pushing tempo and playmaking in a way not regularly seen before in his career. at 25:21
  • David Ramil: David says Richards' roster fate depends on how strongly Spoelstra rates Vladislav Goldin and how much center depth he wants. He also asks whether Spoelstra still sees Jovic as an occasional big if Giannis misses time. at 27:24
  • Wes Goldberg: Wes says the Heat could instead use Bobby Portis and Jovic as the bench frontcourt. He likes that pairing and says it has played a lot together this preseason. at 30:39

  “UNSTOPPABLE: Miami Heat’s Giannis Antetokounmpo DOMINATES Preseason Without Bam Adebayo” · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Heat · 2 points · Oct 12
  • Wes Goldberg: Game two rotation as described: Giannis came out first and Bobby Portis replaced him, playing with Bam and the other starters. Nikola Jovic played essentially at the three. Giannis then returned and played with Portis and Jovic. at 26:08
  • Wes Goldberg: The host says Jovic shot 45% from the corners a couple of years ago, and that he doesn't see last season as an indicator of Jovic's real corner-shooting skill. at 31:28

  “Miami Heat’s Blistering Pace RAISES Giannis Antetokounmpo Durability Questions” · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Heat · 12 points · Oct 11
  • David Ramil: David thinks the players held out of Saturday's game included the starters and most of the top backups. In his view, the only regular backups who played were Pelle Larsson and Nikola Jovic. at 3:27
  • Host argues that after the Giannis trade the Heat need their young players, including Conwell and Jovic, to develop into night-to-night rotation players. He frames this as for future seasons, not necessarily this one. at 7:39
  • Nikola Jovic (reported): At media day, Jovic told the hosts he went into last season wanting to be 'the guy,' a scorer taking shots. Host says Jovic stopped doing the little things he was good at, like quick decisions and corner shooting. at 16:13
  • Nikola Jovic (quoted): After Saturday's game, Jovic told reporters that in a training camp meeting he said in front of everybody he hopes to have a career like Bobby Portis. He also said he can learn from Klay Thompson, Giannis and Tim. at 16:42
  • David Ramil: David calls Jovic's Portis goal solid but 'setting your goals a little low.' He suggests it may be the mental hurdle Jovic needs to clear to gain confidence. at 17:54
  • David Ramil: David says Jovic showed versatility: playmaking, more aggressive rebounding, pushing in transition and steals. He notes it came against lesser competition. at 18:24
  • Wes told Jovic directly that he won't start over Giannis and Bam, implying those two are the starting frontcourt. Wes says Jovic didn't really answer whether that makes things easier. at 19:44
  • Host is 'done with Nikola as a starter.' He sees Jovic's best case as a hyper-versatile sixth man next to more traditional bigs, citing Naz Reid as a comparison. at 20:32
  • Hosts put Jovic's contract at $16 million, which David says is similar to Bobby Portis's or slightly less. David says 15-16 points per game would be a fair return at that price. at 19:31
  • David Ramil: David says Jovic missed his chance to start last season because of injury and lack of confidence. He thinks the starting chance may have slipped away. at 21:31
  • David Ramil: David says the Richards-Jovic pairing in the starting lineup wasn't always smooth on defense. He likes Richards's energy and his length on the boards. at 27:01
  • David Ramil: David speculates the Heat might be comfortable with Goldin as their third center behind Nico and Giannis/Bam, then corrects himself that Bobby Portis probably comes first. He suggests they might not need both Goldin and Richards. at 29:49

  “Heat Preseason Winners: Ryan Conwell, Nikola Jovic & the Center Battle” · listen ↗

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