Miami Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra Thankful Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Tasted Playoff Experience

Anthony Pasciolla | May 2, 2024

Apr 29, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic (5) reaches for the ball in front; Credit: Michael Laughlin-USA TODAY Sports / Michael Laughlin-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Heat's newest generation of talent is led by rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. and sophomore Nikola Jovic, who received their first true NBA playoff experience against the Boston Celtics.

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. Meanwhile, Jaquez spent four years as a UCLA Bruin, where he gained situational awareness in the NCAA Tournament. This taste of the postseason is a huge positive for Heat coach Erik Spoelstra in the midst of a frustrating exit.

"You know these experiences are important for Niko, and I think Jaime has a little bit more experience from a lot of college experiences. Niko got a full education on how important every single detail and every single possession are. All those things really matter in the playoffs. He'll be motivated to have a really productive offseason," Spoelstra stated. "He has to really get after it again in the six weeks leading up to the summer league. He'll need another summer like that. The Olympics will help, but getting a little bit of rest, getting healthy, then building his body back up, working on his player development, and really preparing will be important as well."

The Serbian forward averaged nearly 10 points and 6.6 rebounds on 44.4 percent shooting and more than 40 percent from the arc while the former Bruin averaged 12.4 points on 40.4 percent shooting before his postseason was cut short by a hip injury.

"He's 20 so I do always need to remind myself of that I hold him to an extremely high standard because our standards aren't going to change and our expectations are always going to be championship level, and yes, I'm expecting him to rise to that. Is he there now? No, am I going to stop driving him and pushing him? No, but I've been very encouraged by the progress he's made in particular in the last 12 months," Spoelstra concluded.

Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on Instagram @anthony.pasciolla.

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