Nikola Jović

In testing Nikola Jović’s skillset from the second unit for the season’s first time, the Miami Heat’s head coach followed by requesting three aspects he wanted his third-year forward to impact: the game, the win, and the scoreboard. An educated guess might confirm that the two-time NBA champion was quite pleased from the sidelines on November 10, 2024. Tangled in a tightly-contested affair with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jović seizes a game-on-the-line sequence, utilizing a teammate’s well-schemed back screen to execute an uncovered cut towards the rim. Gaining a step on Nickeil Alexander-Walker — and now, just one accurate layup away from securing a game-tying play, at the very least — Jović does one better, recording an outright and-one bucket, plus a made free throw thereafter to seal victory. In what was deemed a “signature team win” in Miami’s locker room, Jović played a role among the two-way heroes, tallying 15 points (on 6-of-11 shooting), seven rebounds, one steal, and two 3-pointers.