At the heart of a very strange season for him with the Heat, Nikola Jovic already has an idea in mind for his future: playing again in his country, Serbia. The native of Leicester in the United Kingdom even has two teams, present in the EuroLeague, in mind: Red Star and Partizan Belgrade.
“ I like both teams, I follow them a lot. At some point I'd like to come back and play for one of our two big teams, especially because I played Mega against both of those teams and I'd like to feel everything that goes on there », wishes the 20-year-old player, quoted by EuroHoops.
Before joining Florida, he played two seasons with the Serbian club based in Sremska Mitrovica. The good news for him is that the interest is mutual.
Star president Nebojsa Covic admitted that his club was interested in his profile and could consider signing him, depending on the NBA player's status and the time he will spend on the court.
Many friends at the Red Star
Basically, if Nikola Jovic fails to stabilize in the American championship, this avenue could be further explored. Despite very irregular use, linked to the comings and goings in the Heat infirmary, the interior still seems to earn his place in Erik Spoelstra's rotation this season.
The latter has also started five times in Miami's last six games. Before the All-Star weekend, the 27th pick of the 2022 Draft scored a career record with 24 points on the Bucks floor. But the European championship is never far from him…
“ I'm a big fan of Euroleague, Etoile and Partizan. I have a lot more friends at Étoile, so I follow them a little more. I really think we're investing a lot this year, it looks really cool and it's a pleasure to watch both teams. Although Partizan has better results in the Euroleague, they did not reach the Final Four last year. Red Star cannot find the perfect rhythm that would allow them to enter the race for the playoffs », Analyzes Nikola Jovic.
Their favorites (10 wins – 17 losses) occupy a modest 16th place, where Partizan (13 wins – 14 losses), 11th, remains in the race for “play-in”.
| Nikola Jovic | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2022-23 | MIA | 15 | 14 | 40.6 | 22.9 | 94.7 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 5.5 |
| 2023-24 | MIA | 25 | 17 | 43.1 | 45.3 | 53.8 | 0.7 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 6.0 |
| Total | 40 | 16 | 42.2 | 37.4 | 71.1 | 0.7 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 5.8 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
