When Jovic met Jokic: Heat rookie hoping for NBA Finals reunion with Nuggets All-Star
MIAMI – Nikola Jovic vs. Nikola Jokic is about more than neophyte vs. MVP.
It is about more than Serb vs. Serb.
It is about more than what could come next in the NBA Finals.
No, to Nikola Jovic, the Miami Heat’s 19-year-old rookie forward, it is about a dream chased and an encounter realized.
“He is someone who is not only influencing basketball players, but anyone in Serbia,” Jovic said of the 28-year-old Denver Nuggets center, who last week punched his first career ticket to the NBA Finals.
Including influencing Jovic, whose NBA tryouts ahead of last year’s draft included a session in Denver.
But no, no chance meeting with Jokic at that workout.
Then, when the Heat made their lone trip to Denver in December, Jovic was sent to the G League for seasoning.
Opportunity again lost for an initial encounter.
And then, when the Nuggets made their lone visit to Miami on Feb. 13, Jovic was sidelined by a lower-back stress reaction.
Nonetheless, that was when it happened, Jovic and Jokic face to face, in person, for the first time.
“It was a mutual friend’s birthday and we all just met,” Jovic said amid the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics, with Game 6 of that series Saturday night at Kaseya Center.
Nikola Jokić and Nikola Jović at dinner last night in Miami pic.twitter.com/ipEuxFfEQK
— THE JOKER(S) (@SerbsInSports) February 13, 2023
The dinner at a restaurant not far from the Heat’s arena not only was eye opening to the Heat’s wide-eyed rookie but also reassuring.
“It was exactly what I thought. He was exactly who he thought he was,” Jovic said. “In the media, they show he’s a quiet guy. He’s actually a pretty funny guy. He’s a really good person. That’s what I thought and how I felt after meeting him.
“He’s not an Instagram or Twitter guy. So you’re not going to know him until you watch the games or you meet him.”
While not nearly as developed as Jokic, Jovic presents his own intriguing mix of 6-foot-11 height, albeit with a 225-pound build. Jokic is listed by the NBA at 6-11, 284.
“His passing skills are unbelievable,” Jovic said of a facet that attracted Heat interest in Jovic with the No. 27 pick in last year’s draft. “He has a feel for a lot of stuff. Maybe he doesn’t look like an NBA center who’s dominant, but the touch that he has for basketball is unbelievable. I would like at one point in my career to just show everything I have like he has.”
While Jokic was aware of Jovic, the familiarity was limited.
“I think he knew me,” Jovic said, “but I don’t know how much.”
When it comes to current Serbian sports heroes, Jovic said there are Jokic, tennis’ Novak Djokovic and everyone else.
Jovic would like to change that, starting with potential time together on Serbia’s national team.
“I hope so this summer,” Jovic said. “If everything goes well, I hope we will play together in the World Cup. So I hope the opportunity is there.”
Back at him
Tyler Herro, still sidelined by the broken right hand that has had him out since the first half of the Heat’s playoff opener, clapped back at former Heat coach Stan Van Gundy regarding Van Gundy’s comments about Herro’s sartorial taste.
In his role as TNT analyst for the Heat-Celtics series, Van Gundy quipped, “You know the number one reason the Heat need Tyler Herro back? Because his fashion is so bad on the bench. We need him in uniform.”
Herro posted that comment to his Instagram, with a caption below of, “My ‘fashion’ as bad as he was on the sideline.” A laughter emoji followed.
Van Gundy, who has coached the Heat and Orlando Magic deep into the playoffs, also has coached the Detroit Pistons and New Orleans Pelicans.
A homecoming?
A native of Boston, former University of Miami standout Bruce Brown spoke in the wake of the Nuggets’ Western Conference championship of possibly playing his hometown Celtics in the NBA Finals.
But Brown, who has been a playoff spark for Denver, also noted what a Finals against the Heat would mean, including possible time with Hurricanes coach Jim Larrañaga.
“Yeah, that would definitely be cool,” Brown said. “Would probably practice at the U, be around Coach L and all those guys down there, and I could finally congratulate them for making it to the Final Four in person.
“But I loved my two years at Miami, so it would be great.”