Nikola Jovic Appreciative Of Praise From Pat Riley, Miami Heat Organization

Shandel Richardson | May 8, 2024

Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Heat are expecting an even bigger jump by forward Nikola Jovic as he enters his third NBA season.

Team president Pat Riley recently gave high praise for Jovic, who started during the postseason. The Heat lost in five games to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Riley spoke of Jovic's growth during his annual postseason press conference.

"It all happened like that for Niko," Riley said " … The learning curve was off the charts … He’s a great athlete. He has great instincts. He’s unselfish. He’s a good rebounder, a coast-to-coast guy."

Jovic did not participate in the Heat's exit interviews last week but spoke of Riley's praise while speaking with the Serbian media this week. Here's what he said according to EuroHoops.net.

“What can you expect from a man who has done so much for the NBA league," Jovic said. "He is certainly one of the people who knows best what needs to be done and how to lead the team, so I don’t ask much.”

Jovic saw the floor for a total of 13 minutes in the Heat's 2023 NBA Finals run, but played more than 100 in the five-game series this year. He averaged nearly 10 points and 6.6 rebounds on 44.4 percent shooting and more than 40 percent from the arc

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Inside The Heat. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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