Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic shared a positive update on his injured foot after Serbia’s Olympic basketball win over Puerto Rico on Wednesday.
He also revealed that Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and the front office signed off on him playing the Olympics even though it was reported prior to the 2024 games that he’d have to withdraw due to the injury.
“I’m doing great,” Jovic said. “I haven’t done a lot, but I really wanted to be with the team and Coach Spo and everybody from the front office was good with it. The imaging was great. My foot looked great. Maybe I’m not in the best shape right now, but when you step on the court the adrenaline and everything brings the best out of me. I’ll do whatever I can to help this team win, and I’ll for sure be ready for the season.”
Jovic came off the bench for Serbia on Wednesday, scoring 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 1-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc. He also added three rebounds and two assists in the 107-66 victory.
After Serbia lost to Team USA in its first game in the 2024 Olympics, it bounced back in a big way on Wednesday to keep its hopes of advancing into the quarterfinals once the group phase is completed. Serbia has one more game in Group C remaining against South Sudan on Aug. 3.
It’s great news for the Heat that Jovic not only is feeling well, but that he’s also playing well alongside Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic in the Olympics. The former first-round pick is gaining valuable experience in the Olympics, and the Heat are hoping he can continue to develop to help them in the 2024-25 season.
Last season, the 21-year-old appeared in 46 games and made 38 starts for the Heat. Jovic averaged 7.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game for Miami while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 39.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Jovic also started all five of Miami’s playoff games, showing that he has earned some trust from Spoelstra when it comes to the head coach’s rotation.
The No. 27 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Jovic played sparingly as a rookie before stepping into a regular role for the Heat during the 2023-24 season – his second in the NBA.
With forward Caleb Martin signing with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency this offseason, Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. could be in line for expanded roles when the 2024-25 regular season kicks off later this year.
