Erik Spoelstra has been demanding Nikola Jovic work on a part of his game for a long time, and was glad to see him take ownership.
Nikola Jovic has a lot of expectations he needs to live up to heading into the new season. The Miami Heat youngster is being touted to have a great season.
Jovic signed a $62.4 million extension with the Heat last week. With such a big contract, the Heat want to get some strong play from him in return.
Jovic wants the Heat to play a modern style of basketball next season. And he will have to be a big part of that move.
After Jovic got to play with Serbia at EuroBasket, he has shown a massive improvement in his game. But one aspect still leaves a lot to be desired, at least according to head coach Erik Spoelstra.
Photo by Rich Storry/Getty ImagesErik Spoelstra wants Nikola Jovic to be a better rebounder, impressed with preseason showing
Erik Spoelstra spoke with reporters after the Miami Heat’s preseason loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. When discussing Nikola Jovic, the long-time NBA coach shared his concerns.
While he appreciates Jovic’s improvement in all aspects, he believes his rebounding needs to be much better, and that is something he has asked him to do for a long time.
“It felt like he rebounded better tonight. That’s one of the things his head coach has been talking to him about a lot. He’s improved basically everywhere except his rebounding. And he took ownership of that tonight.
“He’s capable of rebounding much better than he has last year, over the summer, and in training camp. It has to be a priority for him…
“He’s fully capable of doing it, but there’s a lot of extra layers that came with it. He’s got to rebound his size. And then he’s our best bust-out guy – it leads to great action and flow going up the court.”
Asked Erik Spoelstra about the impact that Nikola Jovic in filling up the stat sheet, generating offense, etc.
Would explain what he was “encouraged” to see and how he’s improved in every area. #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/GHP3xpLs5U
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) October 7, 2025
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Nikola Jovic could develop into a star player for Miami Heat
Nikola Jovic was asked about Coach Spo’s comments after the game. He admitted that Spoelstra was right, and his lack of rebounding played a role in their losses last season and in preseason.
“Rebounding was part of Orlando’s success. Rebounding was a big part of why we lost to Cleveland… He just emphasized it.
“In morning shootarounds, we do some drills where we just learn the technique of boxing out… It was really important for us. We just emphasized it more today.”
It’s clear that the Miami Heat see a lot in Nikola Jovic. The young Serbian star wouldn’t have earned his big contract and a starting spot on the team if they didn’t.
But he must understand that he’s being coached by one of the sharpest minds in the NBA. And not delivering on Erik Spoelstra’s demands is a one-way ticket to the bench.