Miami Heat’s Nikola Jovic maximizes opportunity vs. Warriors
Last Friday, Nikola Jovic likely felt as far as possible from meaningful NBA minutes, as he struggled through a lopsided loss with the Miami Heat’s G League affiliate, shooting 1 of 11 on 3-pointers for the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Six days later, the 2022 first-round pick out of Serbia could not have been more essential, his 11 points, three rebounds and three assists helping the shorthanded Heat move past the Golden State Warriors in a victory Thursday night to open the five-game western swing that continues Saturday against the Utah Jazz.
While the NBA minutes have been light for the 6-foot-10 big man, with Thursday just his fifth appearance, coach Erik Spoelstra said that doesn’t mean the development hasn’t been ongoing.
“We live in a microwave society right now, and particularly in pro sports,” Spoelstra said. “He’s 20 years old, and his head coach has seen progress. If he’s not playing, that does not mean he is not making progress or that we’ve given up on him.
“We’re developing him, and some of these moments in the G League I think are really important. Sometimes it’s important when you lose and then you get angry about it and you figure out how you can impact winning the next time. So he’s had great moments in the G League and he’s also had tough moments, and I think all of that is part of player development.”
Had it not been for the ailments that sidelined Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin and Josh Richardson from Thursday’s game, it is possible Jovic would have been spending Thursday a few miles down the road when the Skyforce played the G League Santa Cruz Warriors.
That, Spoelstra said, also could have been beneficial.
“He’s been preparing and all of these experiences have been really good for him,” Spoelstra said. “And then we needed him in that second quarter and also in the fourth quarter, he was prepared to give us good minutes.”
Unlike the way Jovic previously has been cast, Thursday was more a case of utilizing the agile forward in his preferred role as ballhandler and playmaker. That led to an ease of the moment.
“The opportunity came,” Jovic said. “I feel like Coach believed in me and my team’s ability to make that fit.”
Cain, too
Then there was second-year forward Jamal Cain, who tied his career high with 18 points against the Warriors. Like Jovic, Cain, who is on a two-way contract, likely would have been in the G League had it not been for the Heat’s injury issues.
While the offensive numbers drew Thursday’s notice, the 6-7 forward who went undrafted out of Oakland University in 2022, also is in the midst of a stellar defensive week.
Monday, in the Heat’s Christmas night victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers, Cain was among the defenders who helped limit Tyrese Maxey to 4-of-20 shooting. Thursday night, Cain took extensive defensive turns against Stephen Curry, who closed 3-of-15 from the field.
“Cain has been progressively getting better,” Spoelstra said. “He’s really embraced a role as a defender and filling in the gaps offensively. We never, ever run a play for him, but he finds a way to space the floor, cut, off offensive rebound. He just fills in a lot of those gaps, those energy gaps.”
Down under
Regarding the Skyforce, center Orlando Robinson joined the Skyforce on assignment in time for Thursday night’s 105-102 victory over the Warriors’ affiliate, closing with 21 points,10 rebounds, a career-high seven blocked shots and four steals.
Said Spoelstra of the second-year center who went undrafted out of Fresno State in 2022, “He goes in with a mindset, every time we send him on assignment, he wants to have an undefeated record, and that’s great for player development.”
