Nikola Jovic praised by Spoelstra, Heat teammates: 'His improvement is happening quicker' / News - Basketnews.com

Nikola Jovic's performance against the Houston Rockets sparked favorable comments for the Serbian big man from his Miami Heat teammates. Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro referred to his work ethic, while coach Erik Spoelstra said he's surprised by the player's development.

Credit: Eric Espada/Getty Images Credit Eric Espada/Getty Images

He only scored six points, but everyone's talking about him. There is probably no greater satisfaction for his coach, Erik Spoelstra, but also for Nikola Jovic himself, who once again started for the Miami Heat and exited his team's game against the Houston Rockets with several personal records.

2-pointers this season

52%27,1Points made:27,1Accuracy:52,2%Place in standings:28Record max:40Record min:21Most made 2FGs:Bam AdebayoTeamNBAStatisticsSchedule

The Serbian national team member contributed to the important win in many different ways. He missed three free throws, but still, everyone in Heat's camp was delighted, since he managed to collect eight rebounds and six assists in 21 minutes.

Among all his teammates, Tyler Herro seems to be the most excited about what the future holds for Jovic. He even told the media that he's starting a Nikola Jovic fan-club.

"I love Niko, I told Niko I'm starting a Nikola Jovic fan club by Tyler Herro," the star guard said after he scored a team-high 28 points. "I just love the way he plays and he's so skilled, I really think he's really, really good. So I'm excited for him to get out there and just continue to build on the minutes and the opportunities that he has got."

Bam Adebayo, who scored 22 points and collected 12 rebounds, wasn't at all surprised to see his teammate star in his role.

"I always talk about the stuff behind the scenes," he said. "He works out hard every day. Not a moment goes by where I'm in the gym and I don't see him. He's doing the little things, he's watching film, he's trying to understand the game, he's doing pre-practice, doing practice.

Those things add up for games like this. He only had six points, but it shows that the end-of-the-box score doesn't matter a whole lot when it comes to impacting winning."

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra admitted that Jovic's development has taken him by surprise since he didn't expect it to happen so quickly. The franchise drafted Jovic with their first-round pick in 2022, and the veteran coach knows that the young player needs "continued development and playing time, whether it was here or in Sioux Falls."

"His improvement is happening quicker," Spoelstra said. "He has positional size, he's very dynamic when he is playing with Bam. He will just continue to improve. It's not going to be a linear improvement.

But this playing time that he's gotten in the last several games has been really important, and we'll get to practice tomorrow and that will be much more relevant when we're going through the teaching points."

Informed about Spoelstra's remarks on him and Jovic sharing the court, Adebayo reacted with a bright smile. He called the 20-year old "special in his own way," listing his skill set.

"He can dribble, he can shoot, he can pass, he's 6'10'' (2.08 m.) and he's 20," Adebayo said. "So having a coach that has that much confidence to throw you in the starting lineup speaks to the respect of his coach and to the respect that he has for his coach."

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