Heat president Pat Riley on Nikola Jovic: ‘He has all the skills.’

The Miami heat He spent his first round of 2022 selection (27th overall) on 19-year-old Serbian forward Nicolajovic. Sure, distinguishing between the two names is the first obstacle for all of us, including myself, to overcome, but I deviate.

Pre-draft speculation was that Heat would eventually trade out of the pick, specifically back to build up extra assets.

Heat Insider Greg Sylvander 5 Reasons Sports Network On Thursday, they reported returning to the second round to “investigate” the deal, while they could add another first round pick in 2025 or 2026. Draft the players who fell to them.

In short, his size and raw ability game may be a bit different from the two MVPs mentioned above and one of the best players in the world, but Miami eventually fell to lap 27 on gold. You may have found a pot. Encourage them to jump into the choice.

Having won a mega basket in the Adriatic League (Serbia) last season, he averaged 12.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 0.7 steals, 41.4 percent from the floor, 31.5 percent from the 3-point range and 71.8 percent from the free throw line. I shot a shot. , Received the League’s Young Player of the Year Award. At the U19 World Cup last summer, he averaged 18.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 blocks, shooting 49 percent from the floor, 36.4 percent (12-33) from the 3-point range and 65.2 percent from the charity stripes. rice field.

“What impressed us most was [about Jovic] Heat president Pat Riley told reporters Thursday night. “And how we play-always switching, basketball without positions-he has the ability to do those things. That’s how we see him. Depending on how he grows. It will determine if he will evolve into the kind of player we can sustain.

According to Stathead, Thursday was the first time Miami had fully drafted an international outlook in the first round without college experience.The only other time Miami continued past the first round with international players Martin Mursep, who played in Estonia, was traded from Utah Jazz in 1996...

Riley acknowledged that players planning a draft are more likely to be young and growing players. This is the standard met by Jobic, who just turned 19 on June 9th.

“He’s grown about 7-8 inches in the last few years, so I still know he’ll grow further,” he added. “I think all the international competition, whether in Europe or where the players are from, has really improved the quality of the competition. He has played against some really good teams, lots of good players and he Is very well taught … we feel like we have made a very good choice. “

He said they talked about potential setbacks, but in the end, rather than accumulating extra assets that may not be as attractive to other teams, the development process with the players. I have come to the conclusion that I want to start.

“I wanted to get a player now and train him. If you want to do that, you can always postpone the pick,” Riley said. “But it took another second and whatever the purpose of the pick was, it wasn’t that exciting, so I decided to use the pick.”

According to experts and other evaluators, the greatest wart of Jović’s game is his defense. Some people don’t currently believe that Jobic is focused on the required strength, speed, and / or that edge of the floor, but they are taking advantage of those properties aggressively.

Riley didn’t see it that way, saying that all players between the ages of 19-21 were “never really great defenders.”

“The whole defensive nature must first come to your mind and your mind,” he said. “I think the child is exercising enough, fast enough, long enough, and enough to provide the defenses we want.

“Individually, [opponents] You’ll probably choose him like everyone else, “Riley said with a laugh.

Miami has captured a prospect who is a multifaceted offensive player. As a de facto point of the mega, Jovich’s handling, the ability to remove the defender from the closeout dribble and successfully create a 6’11, and the ability to perform hit-ahead passes and simple pick-and-roll reads make him very It fits next to BAM Adebayo which makes it interesting. It is especially noticeable when he becomes more consistently efficient with a three-point shot and effectively separates the floor from the top and corners of the break.

“”[Jovic] It’s a fast-growing talent, “Riley said. “I couldn’t overtake him at the age of 27.”

See Riley’s full interview below.