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Nikola Jovic, Who Has Yet to Complete His High School, Already Passes Like Niokla Jokic

Akash Murty
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Nikola Jovic, Who Has Yet to Complete His High School, Already Passes Like Niokla Jokic

Nikola Jovic could be the lethal weapon, the Miami Heat needs, to finally get their hands on a Championship

The Miami Heat are getting ready for another run towards the championship. They will want the 2022-23 season to be better than their last two post-seasons.

Although they reached the Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last season, it’s still too short of what they aspire for since getting Jimmy Butler in 2019, and making it straight to 2020 Finals that very season.

However, their off-season was not as active as last year. Yet, they still got their hands on the 27th overall pick and somehow got lucky to get a 6’10 Serbian forward who looks like having the potential of Nikola Jokic.

Also read: “Victor Wembanyama is Not Only Talented, But Also Bilingual”: NBA Reddit Left Impressed By the 18 y/o French’s English Speaking Proficiency

 

Is Nikola Jovic the second coming of Nikola Jokic?

What we were able to see from Jovic in the last two pre-seasons games for the Heat was just a trailer to what he can bring in for the Heat.

We have witnessedthe 19-year-old Serbian forward’s scoring abilities in the ABA League for which he received most votes for the best international player not playing in the NBA, conducted for the GMs, for the 2021-22 season.

But let’s see his Chris Paulesque passing ability on the post which is getting him more comparisons with his countryman.

Even The Joker doesn’t make high post passes like these.

It looks like they have got what they needed right now, a forward that could get his buckets, create for himself, and others, while being good on the defensive side of the ball as well.

Jovic has the potential to become a Nikola Jokic with better defense

With Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson’s defensive deficiency they will need somebody who could hold the line alongside Bam, Jimmy, and Kyle Lowry.

People might see him as Nikola Jokic with a ‘V’ instead of the ‘K’ but Jovic could turn out to be a Bam Adebayo with a better 3-point shot and insanely good passing ability for them.

He had 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 asists, 3 blocks, and a steal against the Nets. The Heat would surely need this kind of defense in the absence of PJ Tucker.

Him being a 19-year-old, who has somehow not completed his high school graduation yet, makes his potential limitless. With right guidance, he could become Jokic or even better.

Also read: “3 Shots Are Not Enough!”: Ben Simmons Talks About His Shooting After Blowout Loss Against Jimmy Butler and the Heat

It solely depends on how Erik Spouelstra and Co. go about his development. But with the “Heat Culture”, there aren’t many places better than Miami for a young prospect.

Let’s see if they will be able to unlock all his potential or will he be another one-dimensional player like a Herro or Robinson?

About the author

Akash Murty

Akash Murty

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An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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