Nikola Jovic in a prove-it year

As per an article in ESPN: The Magazine, Jovic has to have a moment similar to what Wade and Spoelstra had:

“During Wade’s first two NBA seasons he struggled with his jump shot. Spoelstra would work him out incessantly, forcing him to establish more balance on his shot and learn to absorb contact. “We worked a lot of hours,” Wade says. “You saw that he knew the game and was a hard worker. He gave me the confidence to think, I can do it. I used to do my 1-2 step-in, and he would literally shove me so I could learn how to shoot with contact. And once I got that done, he made me do it with a shot fake, which is even harder.”

Wade later proved that the hard work paid off when he knocked in a regular season game-winning shot against Utah. Jovic can do the same during the regular season by securing key rebounds in important games. Then afterwards, he can contribute with his shooting.

Rebounding will be crucial for Heat without Herro

Tyler Herro will be out for the Heat between 8-12 weeks. The Heat did sign Norman Powell, who had eighteen points in the game versus Milwaukee last night. Powell though, was signed to fill the role of “sixth man” for the Heat, not major offensive weapon.

It is crucial for the Heat to remain healthy before Tyler Herro returns. Obviously, slowing the game down and either tieing or winning the “rebounding battle” will help greatly. As per Winderman, “Jovic has been almost insistent that he is a perimeter player (not a power rotation player.)” Jovic’s rebounding average last season was 3.3. It is the opinion of this writer that if Jovic doesn’t substantially improve his rebounding average this season, the Heat need to release Jovic.

Skinny big men have mixed history in the NBA

Longtime NBA Serbian player Vlade Divac averaged 8.2 rebounds per game over his career. In his first season with the Lakers, he averaged 6.2 rebounds per game. Divac and Jovic have similar body types. Andrea Bargnani was 7′ 1″ and averaged 4.2 rebounds per game. Bargnani played 10 years in the NBA for three different teams but didn’t help any team go far in the playoffs.

Donatas Motiejunas played in the NBA for seven years. He is seven feet but averaged 4.0 rebounds per game. He is currently playing for the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association. Jovic must answer the question this season of “What kind of basketball professional are you going to be?”