Nikola Jovic

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 may have the steal of the NBA Draft in Nikola Jovic at 27. With his seemingly high level of confidence, you absolutely love the potential.

The Miami Heat got bigger. Though, somewhat, of an unknown coming into the process, many people had Nikola Jovic the guy that they took there, as a lottery-type talent. Many thought that Bam Adebayo was a long term project, only for him to become one of the best defenders in the league in short order.

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’

The Miami Heat picking up Nikola Jovic with the 27th pick of the 2022 NBA draft was a dream come true for the youngster. Next, finally meeting Denver Nuggets ...

He went on to be the back-to-back MVP of the two last seasons and was also named an NBA All-Star from 2019 through 2022. Thankful for the Miami organization considering me a good talent and drafting me.” “This was a dream for me.