Two Miami Heat players dominating in FIBA as Giannis era begins

If you want to tap into some Miami Heat hoops this off-season aside from the Summer League games in California and Las Vegas, look no further than FIBA, where two players who figure into the Giannis Antetokounmpo supporting cast are shining so far.

Serbia and Sweden would be a good start, as Nikola Jovic and Pelle Larsson have been big pieces of their teams respectively in the opening stages.

On Monday evening, Serbia took down Bosnia 94-81, and it wasn't just Nikola Jokic's triple double that led the way.

Nikola Jovic today:

32 points
11 for 15 from the field
7 for 9 from three (!!!!!)

The bounce back is coming pic.twitter.com/7E5Rzp5iE1
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) July 6, 2026

Nikola Jovic couldn't miss from three in the outing, as Jokic often found him for some spot-up triples.

He ended up scoring 32 points, and did it in efficient fashion, as he knocked down 7 three pointers on only 9 attempts. Jovic looked confident, the jumper looked quick, and he didn't hesitate when he played off the catch.

Confidence is the key with the Heat's young front court piece. An opportunity lies ahead for him as he's one of the few pieces of the young core that wasn't traded to Milwaukee in the deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Miami Heat will not be attatching a first round pick to Jovic to get off his contract, which means that investment remains for the coaching staff to find a role for him to be revived.

To draw a comparison, it didn't get much lower than Jaime Jaquez Jr's sophomore season, and he found a way to bounce back in a massive way this past season.

Jovic has dealt with some injury stuff as well as an inconsistent role, which makes me much more confident about his potential bounce back.

In many ways, it's mostly about the off the catch shooting. If he can find some level of consistency to knock down open threes when defenses help off him in that corner to sprint at Antetokounmpo, there's a role for him already.

And gaining that confidence this early in the off-season in a competitive environment with seven big time threes over Bosnia is a good start to getting back on track.

Nikola Jovic isn't the only young piece held back in that trade that Miami will be investing in. Pelle Larsson was kept out of that deal as a player Miami is very excited to keep around as a core rotation piece.

Pelle Larsson today:

31 points
10 of 21 from the field
15 free throw attempts

Heat guys HOOPING in FIBA https://t.co/7TJl44mbrf pic.twitter.com/8qD2gx51GC
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) July 6, 2026

While Jovic was utilized mostly off the catch with open threes, Pelle Larsson is a primary initiator and creator for his squad.

Similarly to Jovic, though, Larsson ended up with 31 points in a win over Slovenia. A bunch of hard attacks and layups in traffic, and that ultimately equates to a lot of trips to the line.

Larsson got to the line 15 times in this game, and it continues to be one of the most intriguing parts of his game.

As a role guy for Miami last year, he got a pretty leniant whistle due to the fact his physicality and bowling ball mentality just forces defenders to foul him when he's sprinting at the basket at full force.

It's not all full speed though, as a bunch of his trips to the line for Sweden today included slow paced drives, constant pump-fakes, and honestly just some real high IQ basketball with the ball in his hands.

On the Miami Heat's roster, his spot-up three will be huge, as he did struggle from deep after shooting 1 for 8 from three. But these on-ball reps are crucial.

Transition stuff with Antetokounmpo, back-cuts on that baseline when they forget about him, and yes, some pick and roll reps will be mixed in for him in his third season.

Big days for Jovic and Larsson in FIBA, and the hope is that both are key contributors in the Miami Heat's rotation this season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google