Miami Heat’ Nikola Jovic Tries to Explain Controversial ‘Misused’ Remarks
Miami Heat’ Nikola Jovic Tries to Explain Controversial ‘Misused’ Remarks

Nikola Jovic (right) of the Miami Heat
The big man for the Miami Heat, Nikola Jovic, has not had an easy year. Furthermore, it doesn’t seem to be easy to convey how tough Jovic’s start to the season—during which he has alternated between Miami and the G-League—has been.
After being the team’s first-round pick in 2022, Jovanović found himself in a tough situation this past Saturday when he finally saw some lengthy playing time with the Heat in Brooklyn, as the Miami squad was decimated by injuries. Before playing 17 minutes in the Nets game and finishing with one point, six rebounds, and five assists, he had been a member of the Heat’s G League squad in Sioux Falls.
Following the match, he gave an interview to Serbian media. Additionally, based on a translation, Jovic stated the following on the “Locked on Heat” podcast, appearing to express serious concerns about his future with the Miami Heat:
“It’s not simple. It’s not at all simple. More so than it was the previous year, I find it. To be honest, I think I’m capable of playing and that I deserve to. They believe that I’m not ready yet, and I completely concur. Nothing is present there. I just want to be on the (court) as often as possible; I have no idea where this is headed. I have the feeling that I might be being taken advantage of, even when I’m playing. I hope that some things will change. I will continue to work. I really support everything they do for me and will get better for sure.”
‘I Don’t See the Light at the End of the Tunnel’
However, Nikola Jovic had some explaining to do when he showed up for Miami Heat practice on Monday. He said that the translation was not entirely correct and had been taken out of context.
According to the Miami Herald, Jovic stated on Monday, “I’m going to say it again, so you guys don’t need to translate it and nobody is going to make it up.” In essence, I stated that this squad is performing admirably without me, and from a minute-by-minute perspective, I can’t see the finish. There’s no use in me playing at this point because this team is performing so well. And I get it completely. Thus, that was the initial step.
Jovic said that his remarks regarding his stint in the G-League were also a little off.
“The second thing I mentioned was that I was discussing the G League.” We don’t have a five in the G League, so I’m playing the five,” Jovic stated. It can be challenging to play the things you’re not very good at. In all likelihood, I would be far superior if I were playing the four. That is about all there is to it.
Nikola Jovic Must Defend Better to Play for Miami Heat
With just three games played thus far this season, Nikola Jovic has averaged 15 minutes, 4.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. However, his defensive development has not been nearly sufficient to justify playing time on a regular basis. For a rookie player, particularly a large guy who needs to be adaptable and demonstrate his ability to guard different types of power forwards, the Heat have a challenging defensive scheme to understand.
However, Jovic shows potential in that regard. His length allows him to get a hand up on a player attempting a three-point shot, and his agility allows him to recover and defend the paint.Not bad for a 20-year-old who is 6 feet 10 inches tall. He is therefore more agile than other NBA big guys.
It means he still is a bit more clueless than most, too.
According to the Herald earlier this month, Nikola Jovic stated, “Spo wants me to do different stuff.””Basically, everything: dropping, showing, etc. Thus, I’m still unsure. I’m not even used to knowing exactly what things are because I’m not on the regular rotation. But all I’m going to do is attempt to give the squad my all.
Veteran sports writer Sean Deveney works for Heavy.com, covering the NBA and NFL. With over 20 years of NBA coverage experience, including 17 years as the lead NBA correspondent for Sporting News, he has been writing for Heavy since 2019. A writer of seven nonfiction books, Deveney is the author of “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.”Additional details regarding Sean Deveney