Inside The Heat

Erik Spoelstra Expected To Watch Miami Heat Players Up Close In EuroBasket

Ethan J. Skolnick|
Apr 28, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson (9) scores past Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (32) in the first quarter during game four for the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Apr 28, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson (9) scores past Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (32) in the first quarter during game four for the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra spent much of his offseason refreshing in Hawaii.

But now it's back to basketball, and after the Miami Heat coach checked on Ke'lel Ware and others in Las Vegas for summer league -- surprising many when he called Ware out for lack of "professionalism" -- he's now in Europe to watch a few of his other players compete in EuroBasket 2025.

That includes forward Nikola Jovic for favored Serbia, guard Pelle Larsson for Sweden and forward Simone Fontecchio for Italy. All three have fared well in warmups and qualifying -- Jovic has been starting next to Nikola Jokic, Larsson has shown the scoring and defensive skills he displayed in summer league, and Fontecchio appears to have his shooting form back after a down season.

Spoelstra was excited to see how Jovic progressed playing for a demanding Serbian coach; he could start for the Heat this season or, at the very least, be the sixth man as Miami is short on front court options, especially those with his versatile offensive skill set. Larsson is slated for the rotation; the question is whether he or third-man year Jaime Jaquez, Jr. will get more minutes. Fontecchio is a wild card, but the Heat have decided not to waive-and-stretch him before the August 29th deadline, meaning that the Italian will likely be at training camp at Florida Atlantic University in October.

Of the three, Jovic has the best chance to go far, simply because of the relative strength of the Serbian squad. But it's valuable experience for all, and the coach will take it all back to Miami, for his consideration later.

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Ethan J. Skolnick
ETHAN J. SKOLNICK

Ethan has covered all major sports -- in South Florida and beyond -- since 1996 and is one of the longest-tenured fully credentialed members of the Miami Heat. He has covered, in total, more than 30 NBA Finals, Super Bowls, World Series and Stanley Cup Finals. After working full-time for the Miami Herald, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Bleacher Report and several other outlets, he founded the Five Reasons Sports Network in 2019 and began hosting the Five on the Floor podcast as part of that network. The podcast is regularly among the most downloaded one-team focused NBA podcasts in the nation, and the network is the largest independent sports outlet in South Florida, by views, listens and social media reach. He has a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University and an M.S. from Columbia University. TWITTER: @EthanJSkolnick and @5ReasonsSports EMAIL: fllscribe@gmail.com

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