On Monday night, the Miami Heat played the Denver Nuggets, and although Miami lost the game, Heat youngster Nikola Jovic came away with a victory. Jovic had the opportunity to enjoy a dinner with Nuggets player Nikola Jokic the evening before the game.
Before the season began, Miami Heat rookie forward Nikola Jovic expressed interest in meeting Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
“I’ve never met Jokic, but meeting him is one of my dreams,” Jovic added. “I’m looking forward to meeting him.”
The young forward’s wish has already been fulfilled, but he still wants to cross off many more NBA-related items on his list.
Many people noted the similarities in Jovic and Jokic’s names on draft night because they are both from Serbia. Heat supporters were looking for a similar performance from their youngster as the Nuggets’ star.
Jovic, who is out with a back issue, got his wish Wednesday night when the two met for dinner in Miami before the Heat’s game against Denver.
Jovic, a basketball player from Serbia, is still vying for a spot in the NBA. There is no player to look up to more when it comes to role models in that regard than Jokic.
Jokic has now won two MVP awards and five All-Star selections. Many people think he’s the best passing big man in league history.
Jokic is expected to earn the MVP award for the third time. He leads the league in triple-doubles, averaging 24.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 10.1 assists. Jokic is undoubtedly the most adaptable center in the game, thanks to his ability to pass the ball and shoot from a distance.
In order to make up for their shortage of depth at power forward, the Heat selected Jovic in the June draft. His limited playing time includes only eight starts in 15 games. In 13.6 minutes, he scores 5.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.7 assists.
Unfortunately, his progress has had to halt temporarily because he is currently absent due to a back ailment.
Hopefully, he’ll be able to return to the game soon so he can continue getting used to the NBA.
The Heat would be overjoyed if Jovic ended up making the kind of improvement that Jokic has, even if they did not choose him with the expectation that he would develop as Jokic has.