5 NBA players with a point to prove at the FIBA World Cup
NBA players with something to prove at FIBA World Cup: 2. Nikola Jovic
Nikola Jokic, Vasilije Micic, and others will not be playing for Serbia this summer. One player who could capitalize on those offensive opportunities is Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic.
Selected 27th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, Jovic only played in 15 games as a rookie and so far the main reason NBA fans know his name is because he gets thrown into everyone’s hypothetical Damian Lillard trades.
Jovic can play though, and he’s had good flashes for Serbia in their FIBA World Cup warm-up games. In their final warm-up game against Brazil, Jovic scored 11 points in the 89-85 victory where Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nikola Milutinov sat out.
Nikola Jovic for the lead!!
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) August 21, 2023
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No one knows for sure if Jovic has actually been offered to the Trail Blazers so far. If he has, how high do the Trail Blazers value him in a return? If he hasn’t, what is making the Miami Heat value him so highly?
Jovic will have plenty of chances to impress folks around the globe with Serbia at the FIBA World Cup and if he does, maybe it has repercussions for the inevitable Lillard trade.